The development of the O&M service in Ghana

UNITED NATIONS

ECONOMIC

SOCIAL COUNCIL AND

Distr.

LIMITED

E/CN.14/UAP/ll8

8 June 1967

Original* ENGLISH

ECONOMIC COMMISSION FOR AFRICA

Kest African Sub-Regional Course for Organisation and Methods Officers Aohimo ta, Ghana

19 - 30 June 1967

THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE O&M SERVICE IN GHAN.

This paper has been contributed by Mr. M.A. Bentil, Director, Organisation and Methods Division, Ghana Government. The paper does not necessarily express the views of the United Nations.

M67-8O3

.1.

UNITED 3&TI0NS. ECONOMIC COMMISSION FOR

AJ^n'"G course for o.& j.u_of

W§!LMP.Ig.4. AT_-TJ^-,L^s,?lTIJ:'rS-- Pff- PUBLIC. ADKINIS_TRAT_I_QN

A C H I M 0 T A

Subject - THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE. O.._& M. SERVICE IN GHANA BY M.A. BENTIL - BIRECTOR O.& M.3 .

GHANA GOVERNMENT

The history of O.& M. Service in the Government of Ghana may "be traced to the latter part of A 9.5Q* It".' was during this period that certain discussions initiated by the Ministry of Finance led to a decision to select and

train one Ghanaian in the techniques of. 0.& M. and also to conduct a Government-wide investigation to determine

the scope of 0,4 M. work that existed. Consequently *"; -

the Government of the Gold Coast invited the advice of

^Messrs URWICK, OUR & PARTNERS, a United Kingdom based..'

, firm' of Management Consultants.

2. As a first step, a Ghanaian Senior Administrative Officer was selected .and sent to the United Kingdom in May 195£ to attend a preliminary course in O.&.M.. in H«M. Treasury, This course lasted about six weeks.

3. The second positive step in the early attempt at setting

up an 0.& M. Department in the Government was taken in December 1952 when a representative of Messrs URWICK, ORR-& PARTNERS

commenced a survey 7. which' in' July of the same year the Government

had agreed with the Firm, should'"be carried out. The* Ghanaian

0,& M. trainee who had returned from the United Kingdom took part in the investigations as part of his training to gain

practical experience in 0.& M, techniques. The Firm's terms of

reference were as follows:-

llTo carry out a general survey of the organisation of Ministries and Government Departments in the methods which they employ, and to report on and make recommendations as to

(i) the nature of the improvements that can

. . "be made in .organisation-and method ■■ . ■ •

(it) the "best means of setting up machinery : ''

to effect these- improvements " " ■ a. with the assistance of ..consultants

b.. otherwise.

(iii) the "best .means of keeping the. position

under constant, review." . . . ■

U. It took the investigations about three months to be"

completed, and in March 1953 the Firm' submitted it3 recommendations which inter, alia_ stated that :- .

(i) there was scope for radical improve.ments .'

to be effected in the machinery and"

procedures of Governmen-t.

. ...3/.

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(ii) the successful implementation of such ■

improvements depended upon the rate at :.-

which the staff- (including those "being ■ . , trained in. 0.& M.) could a"bsor"b and "become

skilled in the . new methods, and upp_n _the_;.

§_tatus_pf_. ^2^SlIl£?SJ-JLJ5harge ofj.t.

(iij-) due to staff shortage it would "be difficult,

if not impossible for" the Government to set up unaided, its own C.& M. Division. 'Thus,

the firm should be invited by the Government

to operate in the country for two or three years with the object of

(a) setting up an African Staffed 0.& }?.. Division, (b; training the necessary personnel, and

(c) assisting with"'the reorganisation "which was so urgently'required.

5. The above recommendations were accepted by the Government within'a week of the submission by the .Firm of its report. Thus in March 1953, the Government directed that 0.& M.. unit should be established as a matter of top priority and that the unit

should be placed.under the- Prime Minister, -.. . - :; . •";

-1. Due however to the high charges involved, the-Government- rejected .the offer by the Consultants to make- their -services1../

available for two or three years at the beginning to establish--,

the 0.& H, unit. Their fee for the,first ten months was assessed

at £10,14-30. In addition the Government was to provide, the - .

necessary facilities including staff and office equipment, which

for the first 10 months also were to cost about £6,000.

- h -

7. Accordingly in July -1953 the Government directe'd that the

unit should be set up with the Ghanaian Senior Administrative Officer who had been specially trained in 0..& M. work and tech niques as the head of the Unit, The total establishment approved for the unit at that time was as follows;-

1. Superintendent of O,& M,

2 0.& M, Officers in the Administrative grade as assignment leaders- ' . l ■ . ■;.,■■

h 0.& M. Assistants in the executive grade as

assignment officers-■

-■1 Clerical Officer )

\_ Clerical Assistant ) As supporting staff

1 Stenographer . ■ ■ n '.; "v": . ■

■■■: 12— = -Total Establishment. . ■.

8. Due to extreme staff shortage following the political

and administrative reforms that were then-taking place at . the .time the officer who .had .been.-selected to establish the.

0,& M. .unit could, not be released by the department in which

he,-was. then serving.. This more-or less-killed the f irs.t .

attempt to establish 0.& M*~in. the Ghana :■ Government.

9 . Another unsuccessful attempt at establishing' an 0.& M.

unit in the Government of Ghana was made in late 1955. The final step was initiated in May 1 557 .by the' Ministry'of Finance when that Ministry invited' the Establishment Secretary to fill the post'of Superintendent of'_0.5: M. which had been lying vacant ".

since it was created in 1955. '

16. Due to the difficulty in recruiting some one locally an approach was made to the Government of Pakistan.for assistance.

This approach also did not yield any results.

•••5/.

11 • In the light of the difficulties explained above, the Government decided to upgrade and also to rede.signate the post of Superintendent of 0,& M. in order to make if more attractive to interest the right candidate for it.

Accordingly the post was graded as Principal Assistant Secretary or Deputy Principal Secretary and the title also redesignated as Director. The qualification that went with the new grading included a.University, graduate with a First

or a good Second class degree and 8-10 years practical

experience of which at least three years must have "been spent in directing the work of 0.& Me unit.

12. Another reason for upgrading the post of the head

of the 0.& M. unit was to ensure that the officer responsible was placed in a position which was high enough to enable him

to make personal contacts easily with heads of departments and organisations which is a necessary ingredient in direc ting the work of Central 0.& M. unit within the Government.

13- The final step initiated "by the Ministry of Finance may "be said to have "been prompted "by the report submitted

in March 1957 by a special Commission ( popularly known as Wough Commission ) which was appointed by the Government to

enquire into the salaries and wages of the Civil Service and non Government Teaching Service.

1U. In part II of the Wough report which dealt with matters

of general application, the following recommendations were made relating to the size of the Public Service :-

"The size of the public service shall be determined

partly by the number and scope of activities in

which the Government engages at any one time and

... 6/-

partly -"by a correct' assessment of the operations involved in such activities and of the number of

persons needed properly to perform each operation.

Reference has already been made to the possible curtailment of some of the activities in which the

Government is at present engaged. It is however, also probable that the number of staff employed'are

in any case excessive. This suggests that it would

"be advisable to conduct a thorough going "Organisation

and Methods11 survey of the whole administration and to make periodical re-survey after the first survey has

"been completed1'

1 5. Following the recommendations and decisions discussed above an expatriate Senior Administrative Officer in the grade of a Principal Assistant Secretary or Deputy Permanent Secretary was selected about September 1957 to establish and head the

long awaited 0.& M. Department.

1 6. A nucleus of the 0.& M. unit with a staff complement,

almost the same as thrt originally approved in 1953 was establi

shed af the beginning of November 1957 as a Division within the

office of the Establishment Secretary. The main objects of the unit as stated then were :-

(a) to improve efficiency In the Public Service by

specific assignments.

(b) to provide courses, for officers in the Administrative and Executive Grades on civil service organisation

and methods,

(c) to provide a source of information on 0.& M. for

general dissemination and

(d) provide specialized experience for selected officers.

"• • • • 7/ •

7

At Appendix 'a' is furnished an organisation chart

showing the present distribution of functions in the 0.& M.

unit which are based upon the objectives listed above.

Staffing.

Personnel

17. One of the difficulties which the unit has been facing since its inception has been shortage of adequate staff.

Though the posts recommended as necessary for carrying out the work of the unit have always been approved, it has not been easy to fill all of them due to one or more of the

following reasons:-

(i) Shortage of graduates and.similarly qualified

candidates needed to take up appointment as assignnont or team leaders. For example one

senior post and three junior posts in this category have been lying vacant for-more than two years and five years respectively, ,7vhereas the approved ;., •

establishment in this category has increased by $0%' since the unit was set up,. le.ss,-than k-0% of the

posts created have been filled at any one time, for the past four years.

(ii) Lack of suitably qualified non graduate personnel. -

For example a recruitment exercise carried out

between October 1959 and January 1960.to appoint

four assignment officers yielded only two qualified .

candidates out ofU6 applicants. Of the U6 applicants only 6 satisfied the qualification requirements on the

initial screening. The qualifications stipulated

included the following:-'

•■.8/.

(a) ability to seek, verify and analyse a mass of fact;

Ob) ability to master detail while at the same time preserving a picture of the whole;

(c) ability to exercise imagination at the same time preserving sound judgement;

(d) ability to seek solutions and not infrequently to invent them to problems not before encountered;

(e) ability to write a well balanced and well-argued report on the problems found and solutions

proposed;

(f) ability to establish and maintain good relations with other members of a team and with those for whom the assignment is carried out.

-18. To overcome partially some of the staffing problems

stated above, training of personnel has been seriously tackled.

Each member of the staff of the Unit has to undergo a local

training course which is usually followed by an overseas training course in-0.& M. and administrative practices. A

schedule of local training courses and seminars including - special 0-& M. courses is attached as Appendix "B".

In'addition to this schedule of courses I also append below a statement showing the number of officers of the 0,& M. unit who have attended training courses; the types of courses they have pursued and the number of the staff who have left the unit after training.

9/.

SCHEDULE OF _ COURSES, ATTENDS!) BY-O.& M.

PERSON N"E L

, Type of Course

Local O.& M.

Courses

Overs eas 0.

& M.

Courses

Public Admini stration Decree Progra

mme

Overseas tic Data Proce

i

Nov Atten

ded"

12

•No. Still iHo.left

on course J the

Division

13 .

No.Remai- j Present '

ning in -[strength the Div; of the

unit

. .18

18

18

Remarks

of the staff trained have

"been lost to the Unit only

13% have ac tua- 1-1'y left "Public

Service.

The countries visited are the United Kingdom

(8) Canada (2), United States (1) Yugoslavia (2)

and Ethiopia per

E.C.A.. (1) -

The trainee is expected to return1 home

July 1967.

ⁱⁿ

It. is hoped to send kt least two' more officers on courses abroad

in 1967.

.10/,

0 a 0 . I \JJ .

10

y 19. Another approach to combat staffing problems has-been

to introduce certain inducements which have made the staff stay

in the Division semi-permanently rather than move out after a

short stay. According to the United Kingdom Treasury, school .;

of thought upon which, the! Ghana Government 0.& M. was esta- ■ ■;

blished, service in an 0*.c: M. unit 'is not to1 be considered as ; a career; therefore after about five years o;F service in 0.& Si.

■an'dfficer shopld be sent out to otiher duties outside Q.& M. =:

..-■-' _ ■ t

.-20.' The .United Kingdom- Treasury approach is ideal where ' ;' there are enough men with' the right experience, aptitude and

qualification po be selected with e;ase for 0.& M. work .which j

is rather specialized. Such men are not readily available in ,

Ghana and If therefore requires some period of training1 before!

they can become productive 0.& M. practitioners. Accordingly \ an interim .scheme was introduced-in July 1 961': whereby those m"

the Methods Officer grade: who originally wer0 to leave -jthe uni;t

on promotion to the next higher grade in their class have been made' to stay on, so that their training and experience is not ■:{

lost to the 0.& M. service. , ; _ ;

■' - " : i

: ' I

Q_*ji - -fei-fc-g a Sepa_re.jteM_Caree_r_ ' ' ?

21 .Though {he above device has lielpe.d a i;ot to retain the )

experience, which was needed to build up the O5.£ K. Serv:ice? the.

position could;, still be improved if i the 0.& K. service was i.

accepted-as-a-separate specialist career, with opportunities to

rise within the class. This of course, implies that the 0.& Mi..

Service must expand. ' ] _ | ;

:: . ! ■ I i ;

- : ' ...11:/. j ;

11

. 22. By establishing 0..& M. service as a sep.arate career the staff could settle down properly and so develop a "better interest in the work for which there is plenty of scope and great need.

'23* 0.& M. as a separate service offering conditions of work and pay sufficiently attractive and not inhibited by some of the common problems, has the added advantage of drawing first class people into it. As a new and developing service, 0.& M. needs better st-.ffin-1- than perhaps ruiy of I the well established

servises within the Government machine,to help in a sound growth.

2U. A memorandum defining the staff structure, qualifications

and duties of a separate* O.ob M. service i's attached as Appendix

'C*. The memorandum excludes salary scales since these may vary

from time to time and also from country to country depending on prevailing circumstances.'

Years

Present.Strength

25«>. The present, strength of the O.&.M. unit excluding the.

supporting clerical staff is 18 as analysed in.the table below in which, .a comparison is made between the.present strength, the current approved establishment.and the establishment approved, for the .Unit when it was first set-up in November 1957.

1 966/67

Approved Estb. .,

Strength

1 957/58

approved

& Actual

Director Asst. Dir Adm. Officer or Assignment

Leader

Methods Officer

(Executive Class)

16

16

k

Total Stren gth

22

1.8

7

..12/.

-12

Overseas Personnel

26. In addition to its regular and permanent local staff the

Unit also need some external aid to plan its growth and develop ment. Accordingly outside assistance was sought and 0.-?: M.

experts were made available.

27. A team of three experts were made available during 1958 who helped to launch and establish the unit at its inception.

They were "generalists" and their work therefore covered the general aspects of ()•<& M, work. Much of their time was devoted

to planning and training. They also operated as assignment, leaders.

The leader of this team, who was provided by the United Nations arrived in January 1958. The remaining two arrived in July. and.

October 1958 respectively.

28. Two other experts followed later. They were Automatic. Data

Processing (ADP) specialists. One was provided through the Uni.ted

Kingdom Government Technical Assistance Programme and he worked in '

the Unit for about 18 months between August 1961 and February 1963.

Though this expert was required initially to help in assessing the automatic data processing needs of the Government and.advise

on the best form of office automation, he had to spend the best

part of his time in an executive capacity, re-organising some of the unit record installations in the Government and their procedures, because at that time local experience in this field"

was severely limited.. One major installation, for example had then abandoned some useful and needful", machine applications in favour of manual processes because of lack of qualified and-

skilled local personnel. "' " ".■

29. One useful achievement arising out of the ^reorganisation

.work of this A.D.P. specialist was the up-dating ,of the 'Govern- " ..

meht's monthly financial and accounting information which at' the- tim'e was some six months behind schedule. The revised procedures''

-i ' . ■-■■'■.

recommended and installed by this expert reduced the time la'g from

six months to about five weeks. , 'J ' :''"',■•■t*-1

3

30- Another useful contribution"which the first A.D.P.

expert made was re-establishing mechanised procedures for : processing' Government payroll centrally, which had "been di's--

condihued for some time, Hi's reorganisation of the pay roll

procedures also made it possible for the mechanised system which was originally limited to some departments in Accra to be extended to cover the whole country. Thus the number of civil servants whose pay was processed "by means of A.D.P. ■

systems was increased from i+,'000 to 1+1 ,"500•

31 • The third useful service which the first A.D.P. -expert rendered was the drafting of a Scheme of Service for the

employees engaged regularly in data processing work', -generally known as the Machine Class.- Though this original ^scheme of

service is in the process of being revised it has served as a useful guide in operating and managing the Machine -Class.

32. The second A.D.P, expert was a Computer Systems Analyst

who was provided by the "United Nations through its technical":

assistance programme. He worked iri the 0.& M. unit for six months between July and December, 1966.

33» The second A.D.P. expert like his predecessor was required

to advise the Government on its A.D.P. -needs and'how "to -optimize the use of A.D.P. equipment and machinery that were installed in Government departments and agencies. He-"was able to adhere to his terms of reference because considerable improvement had taken place since the re-organisation introduced by his

predecessor. ■ ■«-.

■ ...1U/ ■ /

3U. He conducted a country-wide A.D.P. feasibility study as his main preoccupation.. His report is still "being considered ■

"by the- Government. In it he stressed the need for a Control Board to "be established "by la?/ to check against imprudent and - lavish acquisition of•data processing machines. Other important recommendations -he made are that:-

(a) A Central Data Processing Department should "be.,

established to co-ordinate data processing work in the Government and also to train A.D.P,

personnel who are in short supply..

(b> Additional A.D.P. experts or specialists should

be recruited to help improve the existing

installations and their work and also to expand A.D.P. applications for which there is plenty of

scope.

(c) The existing installations should be reorganised . . in order to achieve economy with regard to the

acquisition of equipment. Two main recommendations in this connection have been made. The first is

that some of the existing unit record installations .

should become subscribing v/ings to a central

computer installation. The second recommendation is that certain orders which have been placed for . computers should be reviewed.

35. Lastly the second A.D.P. expert submitted on request, a draft scheme of service to cover a new cadre of computer

Systems Analysts, Programmers and Machine Operators. This

approach has been adopted in order to attract and build up-the*

right personnel who are so urgently needod "but so short in supply to man data processing installations into which huge sums of money are "being invested "by Government Departments., to-day. The draft scheme of service is now "being considered by the Government.

OPERATIONAL ACTIVITIES

36. In consonance with the objectives of O.cc M. in general

the -0.& M. Service in the Government of Ghana has engaged in the following activities :-

(i) TRAINING

(ii) ASSIGNMENT WORK

(iii) COST CONTROL FUNCTIONS '

(iv) INFORMATION DISSEMINATION .& PROFESSIONAL CONTACTS .' "'

TRAININ.G

37- Training for 0.& M. personnel has already "been discussed earlier in this paper. The types of courses which have "been . attended."by the Staff are as listed in Appendix "B".

38. G.& M. objectives are hard to achieve, if not althgether ■.

impossible unless the people who are actually engaged in carrying out a specific job or in discharging a'specified responsibility fully understand what-they are doing and have the ability and the skill to do it. Secondly the image Of O&M anti the good and valuable service which ' O&MJ' stands for will be completely destroyed if 0.& M. work is assigned to people who lack the necessary know-how? expertise and technique.

• • ■ .1 6/.

16

39. Proper training is the most obvious approach to satisfy the two conditions stated above. Thus 0.& Mo and training are indispensably inter-related functions, each of which should be made to complement the work of the other.

J+0. It is pertinent at this stage to mention that one of*

the problems facing the 0.& M. service in Ghana has been the failure to implement several-0.4 H. recommendations which have been accepted.■ One basic reason for this failure has been the glaring absence of an effective follow up in Government depart ments after 0.& H. recommendations have been accepted in principle

U1 • In almost all the major assignments which have been

concluded by the 0.& M. unit, O.&.M. personnel from the central unit have been requested or expected to stay on in the departments concerned to implement the recommendations they had made,

U2. Where the staff resources permitted, the 0.& tf. men went

in and installed their recommendations but the results in most cases did not last long because there was no one to maintain the changes introduced after the 0.-<b M. personnel had with-drawn.

U3- Results have been most encouraging where 0o& Ho men had

to stay--on in departments or where departments-had their own trained men-to pursue 0.& M. recommendations. 3acked by this experience and also encouraged by theGovernment's decision to expand the 0.& M. service by having men assigned permanently to the larger departments to pursue 0. &.K. work, the central 0.& M. unit has organised and run a number of courses aimed at' producing enough men who would appreciate and apply basic 0.& M.

techniques to improve work in their departments. Details of such courses are furnished at Appendix "B:t

kh. The courses that have been initiated and prosecuted "by the central O.c: K. unit as the list at Appendix "B" indicates fall into three categories as follows:-

(a) courses designed to train-and develop O.'& M. practitioners (b) courseg. designed to develop departmental officers to

practice 0.& M. in their respective departments.■ ,

(c) courses designed to improve the operational proficiency

of Public Officers generally. These have included

courses in both general and specific management subjects.

The most recent of this type of course was a series of three two-week seminars on office administration which

was concluded on 20th March 1967« Some 60 officers-in

supervisory grades from about 30 departments attended these seminars.

U5. The unit has also been maintaining very active- part in

training activities.pursued by other organisations in the country interested in training. The main organisations are:-

(a) The, Institute, of ^blic._Admini.sJ^r_^ipn_whej^ ■

0.& M. is a fixed subject on the curriculum for the regular Diploma and Certificate courses.

In addition 0.& M. is represented on almost all ad hoc courses9 seminars and symposia which the Institute organises or sponsors. Lecturers from the Institute also help at 0.& K. courses.

The Training, Division of the Establishment ■

iSPX^iSiCiSi* ^ae 0#& *■■-• uni"t has on a number of

occasions been invited by the Training Division to nominate lecturers to participate in its

courses. The 0.& V1, unit has also been supplying

lecturing material to the Training Division.

.... .18/.

(o)

-

(i)

:. : (il)

(iii)

-

(d)

-18

>

The staff of the Training Division have also

assisted at some of the courses organised by O.& M unit.

^J?^Na 1^onal___ ProductjLvit_v_ Centre :-

This Centre was established in June 1 961; with

the following as some of its objectives:

mV

Train managerial and supervisory personnel.who should be the main carriers of new ideas and methods into the working of enterprises.

Give assistance to other ^management training bodies in the development of new management personnel.

Build up and provide information on most modern developments in. management, and organisation.

The 0,& M. unit has been co-operating fully with the Centre in its training activities by

inviting lecturers from the Centre to participate ".

in the courses it has been organising and also

by sending some of its staff to attend the Produc

tivity .Technician Courses-it has been running.

The Director of O.i M. also lectures at some of courses which the Centre organises.

"The School of Administration'of the University

-of Ghana has also been co-operating with the. 0..& M.

unit by making available facilities such as class

rooms, lecturers, liabrary services and residential

accommodation to assist the unit in carrying out some

of. its training programmes. In i96H.the School and

the Q,& M. unit jointly organised and. ran.a six week

.-.*19/-

19

residential course in 0.& ¥■. and Business Management

Techniques for 15 O.-k >."". officers. The School and the 0.& M. unit also worked together with "other

assistance to mount^an exhibition of office Machines ":"

and Equipment in 196.2.

(e) Ghana. _ As so c i ati onjfo r .Adya n_c ernen t of Managein ent

(GAAM). This is a voluntary organisation established

in July 1961 to promote managerial .skills and standards.

in Ghana. The 0.& ft. unit in conjunction with the

Association and the School of Administration ofithe . ;

University of Ghana in August 1962 organised a week

long office Machines Equipment Exhibition, the first of its kind in Ghana. The object of the exhibition was to promote the knowledge of the role that office machines and modern gadgetery can play towards management effi ciency.

(t) Office Machines suppliers have also assisted a great

deal in the training programmes of the 0.& M. .unit.

.They included the International Business Machines':

Incorporated, International Computers and'Tabulators, National Cash Register,. 1 Burroughs and Olivetti

U6, ,.In. order.-to carry out properly its training objectives the

0.& M.unit has appointed since about one year ago, a full time training, co-ordinator. In the past, training received but an ad hoc attention and the results were not satisfactory.

U7t With the appointment of the full time training co-ordinator, steps are now being taken-to improve the Division's trainning

programmes by properly co-ordinating its work with that of the Institute of Public Administration, the Training Division of

Establishment Secretariat and the National Productivity Centre.

.. • 20/

20

i|8. The Division is at present concentrating on two areas in

training as follows:-

(i) the training and development of 0.& M. Practitioners.

(ii) the training of middle' management personnel especially those in suppervisory positions", in management principles and techniques as applying to office administration.

ASSIGgMEMT_OR_INVESTIQATI_ONAL WORK . ,, 1+9. Some of the' important projects which the 0.& M. unit has undertaken are listed in Appendix "D" attached to this paper.

Broadly these projects may "be classified Into three categories as

follows:-

(a).

00 (o)

Working Special

Parties

Committees

Solo Reviews

Working Parties

50. Working Parties are teams of' experts/specialists- which are established with full top level backing to study specific problems usually extending over several departments. Thus the membership of a.working party has always" consisted of represen

tatives of organisations which have enough interest in the subject to be studied. This corporate approach facilitates the imple-'"'- mentation of recommendations when accepted but it suffers'" the "

disadvantage-of taking too long or not being able -to complete' ■its""

work where the convenience of all the members of' the Working.- ■ ■ /;

Party cannot be reconciled to a planned programme.

.... 21 /

21

51 . The most important Working Parties on: which the ,0.& M.

unit has "been represented were associated with the following..

* subjects :-

(a) procedures relating to personnel records in the Civil '■ Service.

'•' ■ ■ . . ■ ■ ■

("b) registry procedures in government departments.

(c) accounting'systems and procedures in the Government„

(d) store keeping and supplies procedures in the

Public Services.

(e) Automatic Data Processing

Personnel Records Procedures ■

52• The details of the membership of the Working Party associated" with this subject are given in Appendix "E".

53.' As a result of the recommendations proposed by tiiis Working Party, a new personnel record card was evolved in

1962 to replace, more than 60 different departmental forms which were being used in some 26 departments.

5U« In~ order to ensure the proper implementation of the' recommendations that were made, 0.& M. unit on behalf of the Establishment Secretariat ran a government-wide seminar to

educate departmental personnel officers on how to apply the

new procedures.

55. Due^ to. the., lack of an effective follow-up machinery, which was to ensure that the new system was operating satis

factorily, some departments have failed to use the new personnel record card in the right way... .This supports my earlier view in

....22/.

22

which I stressed that unless the operating personnel are proficient, 0.& H. investigations cannot .hope to achieve

worth-while results* ' .

Registry Procedures

56. Again the details of the membership of the Working

Party'which conducted this project are shown in Appendix "E"♦

57. The investigations led to the publication in April

1 963 "by the 0.& M. unit of a Manual of Registry■ Procedures and Practices which is now a standard reference document on

registry work in the Public Services. .

58. As in the case of the recommendations regarding

personnel record procedures, the 0.& M. unit organised a • country-wide seminar to explain how to implement the new registry procedures. All the eight regions of the country were visited "by teams of O;cx M. officers who lectured on the new registry procedures to all grades and levels of staff from clerical assistants up■to the level of local heads of department,

53, Realising the importance of a good registry system .as

a "basis of an efficient administration and management, the 0.& M.. .unit, has follov/ed-up the first series of introductory

seminars on registry procedures and practices,1 with a repeated number of courses and special lectures on the subject. The effect ha.s been most ^encouraging with several, requests, reaching

theO;& M. unit- from departments to help them to reorganise or to set up registry systems.. . . ' ■

23

Accounting Procedures

60. The Working Party comprised an adviser on accounting and financial matters made available "by the Canadian Government

through its technical assistance programme; the Deputy Auditor General, the Deputy Accountant General and the Director of 0.& M.

The team was established towards the end of 1962 and completed its"work by the middle of 1963-

61. The recommendations of the Working-Party led to a

large scale devolution of accounting work which was hitherto highly centralised and presented some problems. The new system

of accounting procedures involved the creation of semi-autonomous.k accounting entities each of which serves a group of Ministries . ■ and Departments. Each accounting entity under the new system is headed by a Chief Treasury officer who is authorised to dispose

of all accounting work in his parish with very little interference from the "'Accountant General's Office, There are now eight1 (8)' Chief Treasury parishes to serve the Accra area as opposed to only two District Treasuries that existed in -1962 to serve the

same area.

62. Another improvement to be achieved as a result of the

work of the Working Party on accounting procedures has been' ' ■ the re-introduction and expansion of the mechanised pay-roll .

system which as mentioned in the section dealing with-staffing

in 0.& M.,'had to be abandoned at one time because of staffing .'

problems. ■ . ■ -r

Stores- and Supplies Re-organisation

63*. The detp.ils of the membership of the stores and supplies ■ reorganisation Working Party -are also .furnished in Appendix "E".

The Working Party appointed in June 1 961 and led by the 0.& M.

unit, recommended in December 1962 that a new department should

"be established within the Minis.try of Finance to "be responsible for.the unification and overall administration of Government -

stores and-supplies functions, but excluding stock-keeping

■ functions which should be left to departments to exercise."

After all the departments and organisations interested in the subject had studied the original recommendations a final submi-

„ ' u ,unit

ssion was made m July 1 96U by the C.& M./that the new depart ment that had .been proposed should be known as the Supply Control

and Stores Inspectorate.

6U. The recommendations accepted in principle by Government in March 1 965 are now to be implemented with effect from 1st;

July, 1967. ■

65. The 0.& M. unit has been empowered to provide the

necessary administrative guidance in setting up the new depart

ment and ■''■running' i t in.". For this, prupose a post for Senior

Technical Store-keeper has boon provided temporarily on the

establishment of the unit. This post was created initially in the unit in 1962 to provide technical guidance to the Working

Party.

Automatic Date. Processing

66, The Government Statistician and the Director of 0.& M.

constituted the Working Party 'to which -this, pro ject was assigned.

The Central Bureau of Statistics is the largest and most expe rienced department using automatic dr.tn processing systems and equipment, and -the 0.& M. unit is the agency responsible for

advising the Government on office automation and on :the acquisition

of office■machines and equipment* '. .

25

67. The Working Party was formed in December 1 963 to follow up an earlier step initiated "by the Ministry of Finance. In 1959 the Ministry set-up a Working Party

to study and consider the introduction of an Electronic

Computer to serve the growing needs of Government Depart ments, Universities and other organisations, "but this

Working Party was unable to arrive at any definite proposals except stating that if there should "be an electronic computer, it should be installed in the Central Bureau of Statics.

68. With the fast growing volume of Government work involving the processing of massive and complex data, it became necessary for the O.cb M. unit to pursues the : step which was initiated in 1959 by convening a meeting in December 1 963 of representatives of all Government

Departments and Public Corporations" interested in! Automatic Data Processing to consider what further action to take on the subject. The meeting was preceded in November 1 963 by a half day appreciation seminar on.A.D.P. to brief . -.

properly the representatives nominated by departments

to attend the meeting'.

69. The 0.& M. unit obtained the necessary Government

approval in March, ■ 1 96U to proceed with the recommendations of the Working Party to conduct a Government-wide Feasibility study with the necessary overseas Technical Assistance into A.D.P. systems and the utilization of A.D.P. equipment in the .Government. Due to the world-wide shortage of .A.ib.P.

specialists, it was not until July, 1 966 that the 0.& M. unit on behalf of the Government secured the services of an A.D.P.

Systems Analyst through the United Nations Technical Assistance Programme to lead the Feasibility Study. The result of this study was submitted to the Government in February, 1 967 for consideration, as mentioned in paragraph 3k above.

...26/.

Special Committees

70. 0.& M. activities in Ghana have embraced work on

Special Committees which are appointed to investigate

special problems. Though special Committees operate on a

corporate basis as working parties the two differ from

each other as explained in the table "below:-

COMPARISON BETWEEN SPECIAL COMMITTEES & WORKING PASTIES

FEATURES IN WHICH THERE ARE DIFFERE NCES.

Sources of Creation

—r

SPECIAL COMMITTEE

Generally ordered

"by the Government

WORKING PARTY

Initiated through mutual

agreement betv/een interested departments & organisations

Composition

Members not necessarily actively & immediately

connected with the subject to bo reviewed

Members must be actively connected.with the subject to be reviewed. Usually an 0.& M. man either chairs the group or acts as its jSoctetary.

Authority

Powers are wide and strong.since they arc invariably derived direct from the top.

Powers are restricted to the extent in which'mutual interest is shown by all concerned.

Method of W 27/.

27

COMPARISON BETWEEN SPECIAL COMMITTEES & WORKING PARTIES

■Continuation

Method of

Work

Since committees as a general rule have' to- work as one "body absences and problems of quorum which some times occur tend to delay progress. At times the (committees f;ind it

necessary to coopt :■

tecnnical and professional

people to assist,1. Some

times this approach also causes some delays, since, thecoopted professional

and .technical me'n lack?

adequate time far such t-■

ad-hoc assignments.

Hie- pace of action is comparatively faster because of the c ommon

interest, and technical - - know-how which-each ((. .-. -, member hag in the subject.

Usually to expedite action and facilitate the workLi - each-member is*-assigned--a*

section vof the project for

-which he had the riglit3--

-exi^ertisei and skill.

Acceptance

aijid implemen

tation of ■ rfecommenda-s*!

ions.

Though the'recommendations may be accepted and their implementation directed from- the top, they are

^sometimes looked upon as

an imposition an'd there

fore1 do not win the.-. - necessary support.

Since working party --■' '■■"

recommendations_,are based-;. <~

on corporate effort and

mutual understanding^ahd -:

are deemed to serve a group ' interest it is much easier to implement! them.

71 • There have been-vsry iew special committees on which the"1 .-'- '' O'.& 'M'.' unit;: has served.. Most of these committees either did !'

■not "complete their work or where they -did,-; their recommendations' -

were no't -implemented due to some of .they difficulties stated.in .the

table 'above'. ' ■ ''■;-:;;■■'■

'' 1 . .:.■-»■, 1 .

t' , > ."■ : ,

:■ '" •••28/. . ■ ' "; ,-':'''. ■ S':

_{r ;■}

28

72. I list below some of the special committees with which jthe_O.& M. unit has been connected:-

WHICH 0.& M. HAS SERVED

| Nature of Committed.

', (terms of Reference ' in brief) .

[(A) Committee to .

examine the esta- blishment and

j

salaries of all grades in Public - Boards and State Corporations and- ' to make r.ecommen- ..

dation's.' • ■' l ■ -

(B). Committee to

nquire into and report on the

organisation, stru- ture and methods of operation of Mini stries, Government Departments, Public Boards and Corpora tions and to recommend

hanges for improve ment.

Membership

1 , Principal Secre-

tary Establishment Secretariat.

2. Principal Secre

tary Sfate" Plan

ning -Commission •

■ *

3 "Deputy Director of Audit

U- Director of 0.& M.

5.'Principal Assista-

ant Secrbtary,

Budget Secretariat

■ • as Secretary. ** ~

1 . Economic Adviser

'to the Government

;2.- Executive ' Secre

tary ? State Control Commission

3» Principal Secretary Establishment

Secretariat*.

*4. Director of 0,& M.

t Date appointed

^ U/2/62

October

1962

Results Achieved

An interim

■report was issued in

April 1 962

but not published'.

An interim report was issued in

March 1963,

but not published

...29/,

29

SOME SPECIAL COMMITTEES OFT WHICH O&M. HAS SERVED

(C) Committee to review

Civil Service rules

and regulations

1 . Managing Director

State Publishingi Corporation; formerly

Deputy Secretary to

the Cabinet..

2. The Deputy Accoun tant General.

3 Representative of Establishment - Secretariat,

November

1966

<

■ -f

I

•-

-The- project is still in

progress.

The commi ttee succe eds a similar committee appointed in 1 96k to review the General Orders, but which' 'did not complete its

; work

*

'i

(D) National Advisory

Committee on Incen tive Bonus Scheme to consider and evolve a scheme for opera ting incentive sche mes in the Public

Services " :-

■

kh Secretary Civil Service Commission

5* Representative of the Attorney Gene

ral ' a Department.

C, Representative of,

the Institute of Public Administra tion.

7 ♦ Director of 0.& M.

co-opted Member

1 . Minister of Labour 2. National Secretary

T TT C1. . U . O <•

3. Director of National Productivity Centre U. Representative of

State Planning Secretariat

5o Representative of

■ State Enterprises Secretariat.

i

May,.

1965

-

li. ■

. V ■

This

project is still

pending;

very little progress has been made.

■30/. _{D. contd'}

30

Opftt_i_nue d *

Committee on:

Incentive Bonus Scheme . ■■

(E)Committee to

"advise on man

power develop ment and train ing within the Ghana Police Service.

6.Representative of Establishment

Secretariat

7.Chairman, Employers' Association'.

8.Managing Director, Mankoadze Fisheries 9c.Sepresehtp.tive of

O.'gc M. unit.

May, 1 965

-"1*J» ™l *■-1*.*-

Deputy Com/Police (Training)

Principal,

Institute of Public Adminis trati on

Commandant(Police Staff College)

Director, Insti-'

tut ion of Adult

Education.

Representative 9

Ministry of

Education.

Dire'ctor, O.cc M.

February,

1967.

The project is still pending

The project is still in

progress

Solo Reviews :

72'. Since the 0.& M. unit was established more than 8.

years, ago it ha's carried out more than 100'projects v/hich it has processejd alone. Some of these,have been ordered by the head of -the Government; some requested by"the .head of a department., and others on the initiative of the'o.&'M, unit.' A schedule listing some of the important assignments

that have been undertaken by the 0.& M, unit is attached

as Appendix "D".

'■ ! ....31/- \

73° As mentioned earlier most of the reports emerging from the solo 0.& M. investigations, some -containing useful and "•

accepted recommendations have not teen effectively implemented after they have "been submitted to the departments and orgahi- ' sations concerned.- This is a disturbing situation" for which a satisfactory solution is yet to be evolved. It is a problem not peculiar to Ghana alone9 and can be frustrating.

7U- The" paradox of the problem posed above is that the

failure to implement 0.& M." recommendations results in waste "

and a perpetuation of inefficiencies, the very' diseases ;an " ■

0.& M. service is established either to prevent or to 'cure.

The time in terms of salaries and wages of the 00& M. personnel spent in carrying out the project is totally wasted, and so also is the time of the staff, in the department -or the organi sation where the project is carried out. Wasteful expenditure on materials especially paper is also incurred.

75» It is not intended in this paper to list up 0.& M.

investigations which have been wasted, nor to discuss the details of the cost which such waste had involved. I wish however to rive one example to illustrate the extent -ttrwMch

funds can be wasted where' an O.ofc M. service is requested'

but its recommendations are irnored.

76. In 1.963, the Ci M. unit was requested to undertake-

a review which involved-the visit to certain countries over seas by an 0*& Mo officer, which lasted nearly four'month's.

The cost of air passages including the cost of excess barY'a're'

.was nearly £500. Subsistance and travelling; allowance's paid'

to the visitinr- O.cc M./officer amounted to about £900. In

addition to these allowances the officer's salary paid durin;::

the period covered by the project also amounted to approxima tely £700.

-..32/.

32

77*-. Thus .-without takinf into account.-the cost of-clerical.;.'

servic.es and material consumed, and also , the- equivalent in .

salaries and wares of the time of the staff totalling 200... ,

who were interviewed, during .the investigations the.cost of ■ , the. project stood at £2,100. - . ■■■- . ■ ■ ■.■■ ■■ ■ .■ ■ ...

78. The 0.& H- report submitted on the project in question

more than thr§e years. a[-o has. not yet "been implemented. In my view the following are .some of the r e-asons which have "been ■- accounting for the failure of 0.& H. recommendations beinr;

implemented- although they may have "been a ccepte.d in principle :■-

(i). Political influence,' ■ ;■. ■ ■. - ■ : . ■ •= -\- . _

■■:(;ii)-:' Insufficient support' and co-operation from the top management.

(iii) Poor staffing '; ... , ., . .

(iv) The time it takes to carry out O.&.F. investigations.

(v) . The unrecornised status of 0.& ?■'.

Political. Influence,

79. Some.useful 0.^ M. recommendations have "been supressed or ignored because of the political influence which could be.

wielded by the people directly affected "oy those recommendations.

The failure, of the 0,": M. project which involved .the overseas visit as .discussed above is an-example . Other instances .-are .

experiences rin^. Public Corporations where some key.^m.en, politically influential have succeeded in thwarting 0.% M. recommendations,

which coul.d have saved a -lot of public funds. ^ ■ ■

,»«33/•

- 33

80. fJhere strong political influences and other pressures

exist to frustrate 0.& H. work it would "be advisable not to set up an 0o& M. Department. Alternatively, v/here an 0.& M. Depart ment already exists it should "be closed down if its work is

thwarted by political pressures.

Insufficient Top Level Support

81 . The usefulness of 0.& M. as a helpful management tool is .not sufficiently-appreciated "by most key men in departments, who

rather need 0.& M. services most. As a'relatively new management technique .few people really know what 0.& M. stands for and what it can achieve. As a solution occasional appreciation seminars for toplevel administrators-have "been organised to explain the role of 0.& M. in Ghana. This in my opinion is not enough.

82. One effective method of achieving and maintaining top

, level appreciation for 0.& M. would "be for all heads of depart

ments, their deputies and other officers occupyinr; key administra tive positions such as heads of regional "branches to.be formally i a.- inducted in 0.& M. and what it can achieve, .when a'decision is

taken \t-o set up an 0.& M," unit. Iniaddition, regular management and 0.& Mo appreciation courses should be maintained as a means, of preparing properly those in the run for promotion to" occupy " -

key administrative positions'.

83. 'The fear that a change Introduced by 0.& M. might disorga

nise the work of a department and thereby lead to delays and

reduced output has also made some heads of departments to shy away from 0.& M.

8U. An answer to the. forefroinf- problem is by ^ettinc- some .responsible and competent members of staff in the departments

concerned to work with 0,& M. officers to inste.il the new proposals.

In the process of implementation the operating personnel should

"be trained and assisted to improve their skills so 'that the necessary-experience needed for operating and maintaining the new systems after their installation can "be ensured.

Poor Staffing ."" -

85. Poor staffing is n double-sided problem. On the one side

is the problem of poor 0.& M. staff and on the other is the problem of poor supervisory and -operating staff in departments.

86. Poor staffing in 0.& .M. produces poor work that canobstroy

confidence in the 0.& M. service. Some heads of. departments have in fact not "been impressed with the output of some 0.& M. studies due mainly to lack of skillful and expert handling.

.87. The only answer to the foref-oinf; problem Is 'for the O.<& ,-M.

unit to refuse to proceed with any project for wiiich there is no competent person to carry out. Bat it is not always easy to decide

whether or not to reject a: project on the grounds o.f lack of ■

competent staff because the test of one's competence so far as.

0.& M. work is concerned is best achieved while- the project is actually in progress. However from ex£>erience . the head of an 0.& M. unit should be able to determine and r;rade- the competence of his staff so that he can deploy them to the best advantage

88. On the other side is the poor supervisory and operating

staff in departments. Due to inadequate.operational know-how . ■ in departments many useful Qc& M. recommendations have,been.

awaiting implementation indefinitely. Where the recommendations have been-installed it h^s been difficult to maintain them properly.

The Ghanaian experience is-that there are three' ways in which this problem may be solved. ■■These are discussed below:-

• -..35-

36

Train Departmental Personnel to Improve -foeir Operational Skills . 89. One solution is "by training clepar,traental supervisory-''■_

.staf.£ to improve "both their operational and supervisory skills-

•-. so "^tjiiey can "be wel1 equiped. to,supervise ,and:-:trai-nr-."'the.ir

subordinates, . . + ,i/(

Establish Departmental 0.& M. Units

9O,~The second solution is "by creating 0.& M. units in,depart-

"merits, especially in the larger ones, and "appointing Qualified

men to man those units. ' This scheme should "be so designed that only those officers who have sufficient working experience' of their department'and would be'reta'ined in the department,'

"are to be trained as departmental"©.& M, officers." Such Officers are expected to be more effective than "outsiders".

91 In October 1959 the first1 step at establishing ■•■-+-{-^L departmental 0.& M. units was ma-'de" -by'havini^ each of the * ; V ' following departments to nominate a candidate to be trained in 0.& -M. techniques:-' Ministry of Health,".Ministry of'' *■ -'S Agriculture, Ministry of .Education and the P.&'T. ■ The"':trainees

■from; the Ministry of Agriculture-and the ■P.'&'-Tlwere rec3Jdied;

by their departments after two years training in 0\& U. but - •• ' they were not put c:\ 0.5: M. -work-on their return due to the" . ppior;:claims of regular and routine departmental''work. ; "' "

{a) '■ ■■-' " ' ; " * ' ' " ' ^'-''•''"' 9\ ■ The remaining two trainees were absorbed on the 0.& M.

establishment but. the one from., the..:Min±.stry. of" Health/is -I'.l.^l. '- currently assigned to full time 0.& M. work, in.that Ministry. .

^ -,,, ■ ■ .- -.,- ■ ■■,■■■

92. The -1959 experiment was* followed by more "attempts to train" and-produce other departmental 0.& M. .officers. These subsequent attempts have also failed because the training was /

not \Long"br intensive enough to give the selected officers the' necessary experience 'and know-how ;that they needed to start

..-.3$./

- • 36 " -

off successfully basic 0.& M. studies on their return to their respective departments. Further-more those who -had the. interest were not'encouraged in their departments^ where on.their return

after'"their"-short O.'oc M. training, .they were assigned to.regular

and routine departmental work. , s .... ..,. -,.' _ ■;, ,,_ .

Post O':& M.r'Office re td'-De-p ar tmerits from ' the Central'' o'.'& "S'l IJrii t

""93-"'' Tn¥ third solution is by assigning ^traine^d and.exper.ien- ce'd d".(^""Kt. "Officers' from.jfche Central;,.0.& M..-.uni.t, tp, operate rm selecTted "departments for as long, as there is :scope .for, 0.-5:'M.

work "in .those departments'. This approach requires ..that, .the head

of the 0..& M. unit has the unqualified right to withdraw .the, 0.& M.

Officer" from the Central 0.& M, unit lent .to a department .where such officer!s time and experience are known to "be employed

"wastefully". on. jobs.not related, immediately to 0.& M. or l<i administrative improvement, work. . " ■" " :. •

9^4-- This approach, also has some .short-comi-ngs In that the 0.&--M.. unit-is so short of personnel that it can hardly spare ■ any one.to.be attached to a department for too long on full time

0.& M. duties. .A/rain'only first class men-who- can'be 'depended'

upon.to produce.good-quality work are those who should ■ be

assigned byf the ■ Central O.tS: M, unit for ''representational" wwrk

in-departments o ■* Such 'men 'are also'in'very short;-supply. •

The time, it takes to oar.ry out-Q-.& IJ,' .-.. Projects <x . \>\ ;■■;■. .'•■■"'f

"95» l" Inevitably '0.^ 'M, investigations take time to carry out .

but some 0.& M. customers do. .not seem to have .the. patience to wait. This problem can.however'fbe over-come by applying some.-

of the solutions which have been, suggested, above. .That is,

the top'men s'hould develop the. right appreciation for, 0,5: M. . ..

work so that'they may sympathise with the time i.t takes, to

complete an assignment. Also by establishing an internal 0.& M.

■ ....37/. ■ " ■

unit or some machinery for reviewing and improving its work a department will avoid an accumulation of inefficiencies which '

is the cause of long and seemingly unending 0.& "M". studies*

96. It is however appreciated that some of the delays in carrying out a project may "be -due to' the slackness on the'part of the O.&M. staff some of whom may "be .inexperienced and-conse quently slowj and others incompetent and irresponsible. In this context I wish to remind that since 0.& M. officers generally work unsupervised, they a re-expected to have a»highpstandard of

integrity, honesty and conscientiousness. .'..'•■

The Status of 0.& Mb - - . ■ ' .-y ■ ■ • 97 • The strict adherence to the principle'of the'OiA M;

service being advisory and not executive is another reason

that neutralizes 0.& M« work. In my .opinion, in youngVand developing countries where lapses in administration are .,., inevitable 0,& M. and other agencies, for administrative, improvement should "be empowered to exercise some measure .of executive authority or should "be linked very closely,-to some executive machinery so that the necessary means can "be esta blished to ensure that maximum'usefulness can "be "defived'aT all, times from its existence.- " - ' '

" 9Q. An.attempt to achieve full effectiveness in the 0.& M#

service, in Ghana has "been made "by integrating 0.& M. wi-th,.the Estahliahment Secretariat which is the main personnel, agency; of the Government responsible for controlling staff establishments and complements in departments. Thus 0.&"M. recommendations resulting in staff increases .or decreases can "be expected to be implemented since the Establishment Secretariat will no.rdoubt use those recommendations as a guide in considering staff... „ proposals which the departments concerned may submit..to, it.-•

...38/.

99. Since O.& M. recommendations also lead to reduced costs or increased savings in areas other than personnel

considerations, it is necessary in my view that a direct link .should also be established "between 0.& M. and the Budget

Control Section of the Ministry of Finance. Accordingly, there should be established a controlling authority to be composed

r of-the Head of the Budget Division and the Head of Establishments (or the Central Personnel Agency) to which all cases of out

standing 0.& M. recommendations should be referred by the 0.& M.

unit. The Head of the Budget Division should service this

controlling authority since the prime objective of the proposed authority is financial savings and control.

COST CONTROL FUNCTIONS

'100. Though the central 0.& M. unit in the Ghana Government operates primarily as an advisory organisation, it is authorised to exercise certain control functions aimed at checking extra vagance in the acquisition and use of office machines, equipment

and formso

Control on Office machines and equipment

101. The power for this control is derived from the Ministry of Finance which in August 1961 directed thAt no bills in respect of -the purchase of any office machine and equipment should be accepted =for payment by the Treasury unless it has been approved

the 0.& M. unit.

102, The control is exercised by having each department

to apply to the 0.&W*unit for the necessary authority to

purchase an equipment. The 0.&'M. approval which must be in

a written form is preceded by a careful examination to justify

the request j&hat is made.

103. The control is further strengthened "by the .Budget Di-vision of the Ministry of Finance requiring each department to support its annual estimates proposals in respect of office machines and equipment with the necessary 0.& }$. approval. Another measure

that is applied in maintaining the necessary control is "by having the Auditor General to challenge any payment made by the Treasury in respect of office machines and equipment purchased without the requisite O.A M. approval.

10U. To enable it to discharge this control function

properly the 0.& Mo unit is building up records of some of

the common office machines such as typewriters, duplicating

.machines, and adding and calculating machines, that are held

by all departments. From the information contained in these

records the unit is able to justify more realistically, without having to conduct an on-the-spot investigation, requests submi

tted by departments,

105- With its extremely limited manpower' resources the 0.& M.

unit could hardly cope with this office machines purchase control work which requires a thorough study,.without the help of these

records which show how many of each type of an office machine are

held by each department and in which areas they are located.

There are according to current records about 2171 typewriters,

269 duplicating machines and 73I+ adding and calculating machines held in some Ij.8 departments with branches spread all over the

country.

Control on Forms,

1C6. A cabinet decision taken in June 1 960 granted the neces

sary executive authority to the 0.& M. unit to exercise control

on forms and their design. In the exercise of this control, the

O.cVM, unit is required to consult with the Auditor General and

the Accountant General on matters relating to accounting forms and the processes allied to them. Similarly the unit is required to clear with the Attorney General forms associated with legal

processes.

» 0 » / O

- Uo -

107. The Authority empowers the 0.& K. unit to screen any proposal.for modifications to common service forms and any

proposal for the production of new forms. Where necessary in

the interests of economy or effectiveness, the unit may also advise the Government Printer to discontinue production of an

existing form and to replace it by one of a design approved by the Division,

108. In conformity with the foregoing directives; the

Government Printer is not to accept proposals for new forns or

modifications to existing common service forms unless the 0.& r.

unit has given its approval-

109. This authority has not been exercised in full because of the time it takes to study forms and their related procedures and also because of limited manpower in the 0.& ?-t. unit. The unit has however been able to stop some extravagant forms from being printed and has also reviewed and improved some common- service forms in personnel and accounting fields.

1.10. Currently the unit is engaged in a programme to review the forms and procedures relating to revenue collection with.a view to reducing the arrears of public revenue which have been mounting at a disturbing, rate. The departments embraced by this project

are ^'ater and Sewerage Corporation, Electricity Corporation, ■ Posts and Telecommunications Department, Income Tax Department and Broadcasting Corporation.

I_ DISSEMINATION & PROFESSIONAL CONTACTS Informstion Pissemination

111. Awo_re of the fact that a large number of people in the

Public Services know very little about 0.& M. the O.oc K. unit ■

has been using the medium of a periodical bulletin and a monthly

news-sheet to spread the knowledge of O.A M. techniques and how

they a re being applied and also to explain what the unit is doing

....1+1,/