Public sector must reset to serve citizens better – CUTS
By Praisebell Rosemond Larbi
As the world marks Customer Service Week, public policy think tank CUTS International, Accra, has called on the government and its agencies to retool and reset their approach to customer service delivery to meet the evolving needs of citizens and businesses.
The organisation noted that while private sector entities have made significant strides in improving client relations, many public sector institutions continue to lag behind, undermining public trust, investor confidence and national productivity.
According to a recent CUTS survey, the public sector recorded the lowest performance in customer service compared to the private sector. The report cited long response times, poor feedback mechanisms and bureaucratic bottlenecks as major frustrations for citizens and investors.
This, CUTS warned, erodes confidence in public institutions and threatens the success of the government’s digital transformation and service delivery goals.
Citizens Deserve the Same Respect
Speaking on the occasion, Appiah Kusi Adomako, West Africa Director of CUTS International, Accra, said: “Customer service is not only about smiles and greetings; it is about responsiveness, efficiency and accountability. Every citizen and business that engages a government agency is a customer, and they deserve the same level of respect and service quality expected from the private sector.”
He indicated that despite major investments in digitalisation, many reforms have not translated into improved customer experience.
“Telephone lines on most MMDAs’ websites are either not working or unanswered. Some agencies still refuse electronic submissions, and even when accepted, feedback rarely follows,” Mr Adomako noted.
“He expressed concern that many public agencies show poor responsiveness to electronic communication, violating the Electronic Transactions Act, while emphasising that most institutions still rely on paper-based systems, contrary to the government’s digitisation drive
Mr Adomako also decried the informal handling of official correspondence, where public officers direct citizens to send documents to personal email accounts, compromising both professionalism and data security.
A Call for a Public Sector Reset
CUTS International is urging all government ministries, departments and agencies to undertake what it calls a “Public Sector Service Reset” a deliberate reorientation around customer service excellence focused on capacity building, technology integration and accountability.
“Citizens are not subjects to be managed but customers whose taxes fund government operations. Customer service is at the heart of democratic governance. When complaints go unanswered and institutions hide behind bureaucracy, public trust erodes,” Mr Adomako stressed.
He called on President John Dramani Mahama to provide policy direction and ensure service delivery becomes a key performance indicator for Chief Directors and Heads of Agencies.
As we celebrate Customer Service Week, every public servant must reflect on their role in shaping how citizens perceive government. Every unanswered email, every ignored complaint and every delay has a human cost: lost time, lost trust and lost opportunity,” he highlighted.
Mr Adomako concluded by urging government to retool, retrain and reset the public service to put the citizen first, ensuring Ghana’s quest for an efficient, accountable and responsive public sector becomes reality.
