In addition, the Finance Ministry will ensure results-based budgeting.
The signing at Munhumutapa Building in Hara-re coincided with the launch of the e-Government programme.
The contracts were signed between Chief Se-cretary to the President and Cabinet Dr Misheck Sibanda and the permanent secretaries.
"This critical milestone is the culmination of long-drawn efforts to modernise and reform our public services," Dr Sibanda said.
The performance contracts are premised on targets set by the heads of ministries themselves and outline major development goals and expec-tations within the fiscal year.
Although they are based on the 2010 Budget, Dr Sibanda said the targets were a useful frame of reference for the 2011 Budget performance cycle.
Heads of ministries are expected to effect necessary adjustments to the targets and ensure they cascade to departments in their briefs.
Dr Sibanda noted that Zimbabwe faced critical challenges in the areas of economic growth, eradication of poverty, infrastructure development and provision of essential services.
"Clients who seek services from Government offices frequently complain of lack of courtesy, poor services and lack of communication . . .
"These are the issues that need to be addressed urgently if our people are to realise significant improvements in the quality of their lives within the shortest time possible.
"We, therefore, need to be more focused and targeted in our approach in tackling these problems, hence the need for performance contracts," Dr Sibanda said.
He said the signing signified a crucial turning point in implementation of results-based management introduced by Government some five years ago as part of broader public service sector reforms.
RMB is a management tool comprising integrated development planning, results-based budgeting and the personnel performance system.
"These activities indeed dovetail with and are underpinned by the three public sector reform components, namely monitoring and evaluation, management information system and e-Government.
"In the coming year, we expect the Ministry of Finance to ensure that the results-based budgeting component is fully implemented thereby strengthening performance contracts," Dr Sibanda said.
He added: "For this to be a worthwhile process, ministries also expect follow-ups and feedback from Treasury and, of course, to receive funding on time for their output, otherwise this will turn out to be an academic exercise.
"More importantly, the Ministry of Finance should use the Zimbabwe Integrated Performance Management Solution to monitor and evaluate the performance of ministries."
He urged the Public Service Commission and Public Service Ministry to speed up implementation of the personnel performance system.
On e-Government, Dr Sibanda said Government had taken a serious and bold decision to implement the programme to catch up with other countries within the Sadc and Comesa regions.
He said the Office of the President and Cabinet — through the Modernisation Department — facilitated the formulation of an e-Government Framework and Implementation Strategy, which is now in place.
"A functional e-Government system facilitates delivery of critical services.
"It distinguishes a modern public administrative system from a traditional-cum-old fashioned system.
"We want to be part of the ICT world. We owe it to the populace. Let us get connected and move with the times."
The Office of the President and Cabinet will distribute top-of-the-range laptops and printers for use by Public Service Commissioners, the Health Services Board, heads of ministries and select principal directors next year.
Dr Sibanda said a training programme, to be co-ordinated by the Office of the President and Cabinet, will be put in place for those heads of ministries requiring it.
"Following the recent launch of the Corporate Governance Framework for State Enterprises and Parastatals, it is certainly hoped that the Ministry of State Enterprises and Parastatals will also proceed to ensure that all chairpersons and chief executive officers of State enterprises and parastatals adopt e-enabled operating systems for improvement of performance and quality service delivery in the institutions," he said.
The Public Service Commission hailed the introduction of annual performance contracts.
In a speech read on his behalf by Commissioner Mr Stephen Ngwenya at yesterday’s signing, PSC chairman Dr Mariyawanda Nzuwah said: "The Public Service Commission is at an advanced stage of modifying its performance appraisal system.
"In this regard, there was introduction of differentiated performance appraisal forms by level of responsibility. Three types of appraisal forms were developed for heads of departments, professionals and the lower grades."
Dr Nzuwah said under the human resources management module, the PSC prioritised provision of non-monetary incentives to compensate for the low salaries.
"In this regard, efforts continue to strengthen the PSC bus fleet, the personal issue vehicle scheme, the vehicle loan scheme and, most recently, the revival of the housing loan scheme. The skills retention fund, which had been negatively affected by hyperinflation, was resuscitated to retain staff in critical posts," he said.
However, Dr Nzuwah said there were already problems with the revived housing loan scheme.
"There are some people who are saying we have been working for Government for 20 years but have been sidelined."
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Autor(en)/Author(s): Takunda Maodza
Quelle/Source: The Herald, 04.12.2010
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