A 70-million-dollar World Bank project targets a shift towards a competence-based civil service by leveraging technology and modern human resource management systems. The four-part governance modernization initiative is slated for full funding by 2029, bringing comprehensive upgrades to the country’s public service.
Signed by Finance Minister Ahmed Shide and newly appointed WB regional director Mariyam Salim, a steering committee will be formed within two months to oversee the project, under the guidance of the Council of Good Governance in the Prime Minister’s Office. Although the Council is part of the government’s broader reform program, it will not be directly involved in the implementation structure.
Ethiopia’s civil service has ballooned from around 190,000 in 1991 to nearly 2.5 million individuals today, with teachers and medical workers accounting for nearly half of the workforce. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s (PhD) administration has presaged a thorough civil service reform over the past few years as it grappled with a public sector wage bill that swallowed nearly half of public expenditures.
Around 25 million dollars will be allocated towards upgrading public administration capabilities, which includes an integrated Human Resource Payroll System (IHRPS) with online transaction and analytical processing functionalities. Specialized training of HR units within selected government bodies in addition to systems for performance evaluation, career development criteria, and regulations for outsourcing are envisaged by the project. An HR analytics unit within the Civil Service Commission that focuses on assessing gender-disaggregated data collection is also planned as part of reducing gender disparities.
Low salary satisfaction, inadequate resources, lack of professional development opportunities, and low prestige for civil servants are cited as being drivers for low levels of motivation.
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