Commonwealth conducts leadership training for Malawi’s top civil servants

More than 40 Principal Secretaries from Malawi have taken part in workshops to enhance their leadership and management skills

The ��̽��’s Public Sector Governance Division organised an intensive training programme aimed at preparing Malawi’s top civil servants with the right skills and knowledge to lead their respective ministries and effectively serve their citizens.

The three-day training programme on leadership development, which took place from 28 – 30 June 2022 at the Malawi Institute of Management following a request from the Government of Malawi, brought together 45 Principal Secretaries from various ministries to enhance their leadership and management skills.

The objectives of the workshop were to enable the delegates to:

Reflect on leadership, understand how to enhance people's performance, and support them to navigate through shocks, change and disruption
Help build a broader strategic mindset, improve innovation and performance, and ensure resilience and sustainability
Take a holistic approach to change and institutionalise participatory management and decision-making

The training was officially opened by Ms Colleen Zamba, Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet, who underscored the importance of regular capacity-building in public service given the challenges the world is currently facing and called upon civil servants to redouble their efforts toward the provision of efficient and effective service delivery. She lauded the ��̽�� for its continued support, adding that the workshop was timely given the recent changes in senior leadership in the civil service in Malawi.

Some of the key areas covered during the workshop included good governance, performance and risk management, building effective teams, mentoring and coaching. Delegates also learned how to pick a leadership style that is the ‘best fit’ according to their respective teams.

Dr Roger Koranteng, Adviser and Head of Public Sector Governance, who led the workshop, said:

“Strong and effective leadership is critical to achieving and sustaining a high-performing administration. As part of the Secretariat’s mission to improve government performance, we have been offering training for civil service and public sector leaders across the Commonwealth. I am confident that the Principal Secretaries present will be well equipped to deliver their essential responsibilities.

“The ��̽�� stands ready and is committed to continuing to support the people and Government of Malawi in building a capable and effective civil service.”

The workshops form part of the Secretariat’s ongoing mission to assist member countries to uphold transparency and accountability in public services by sharing best practices, training and capacity-building, technical assistance and policy research.

Last month, during the Secretariat’s Biennial Pan-Commonwealth Meeting of Heads of Public Service/Cabinet Secretaries, more than 250 top civil servants from across the Commonwealth unanimously endorsed the adoption of a sixteen-point Generally Accepted Performance Principles (GAPP) as a guide for governments to design an effective Government Performance Management System.

The adoption of the GAPP principles is a culmination of a long consultative process that began two years ago with the launch of a series of Advanced Online Training Programmes in Government Performance Management run by the ��̽��. So far, more than 2,000 senior officials and public servants from 44 Commonwealth countries have benefitted from this programme.

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