The Rise of Executive Agencies and their Effects on the Civil Service in Ghana

Abstract

Since the early 1980s, the Ghanaian government has continued to undertake public sector reforms with the view of enhancing the performance of public service institutions. In the early 1990s, it adopted the idea of creating autonomous executive agencies from the civil service with the notion that such agencies will lead to the reduction of bureaucratic red tape and ensure effective and efficient service delivery. The objective of this study was to examine impact of these creations on the civil service. The study challenged the assumption that the creation of such autonomous organizations will increase the efficiency, effectiveness, and the quality of service delivery. Rather, what is being witnessed is the feeling of despondency among civil servants, which continues to affect their morale, as well as their overall performance. This in turn is affecting the capacity of the service to implement its core functions