Training Public Administrators in Africa: A Case Study of Civil Service Employees in Ghana

Abstract

Much of the dialogue on public administration training in Africa is about how to prepare administrators to cope with pressures global forces exert without considering how to educate individuals to meet also the unique demands of public service. This essay examines the nature of training in Africa, drawing on Ghana's experience with management training programs. It first describes and critiques training based on bureaucratic and managerial perspectives, which emphasize the acquisition of rational, technical, and managerial skills comparable to international and global standards, and argues that such training does not necessarily provide career professionals with a broad work ethic suitable for the local context. It then concludes by suggesting the possibility of developing a composite training program that takes account also of the need to provide non-traditional skills and experience-based knowledge professionals need to be able to operate in the unique historical, social, and political conditions of Africa.