Honorable Mr. Haiyan Qian, United Nations Under Secretary General, Economic and Social Affairs;

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1 SPEECH BY THE RIGHT HONORABLE MIZENGO PETER PINDA, PRIME MINISTER OF THE UNITED REPUBLIC OF TANZANIA, AT THE OPENING CEREMONY OF THE 2011 UNITED NATIONS AND AFRICA PUBLIC SERVICE FORUM, DAR ES SALAAM, 20 th June, 2011 Honorable Mr. Haiyan Qian, United Nations Under Secretary General, Economic and Social Affairs; Honorable Mrs. Julia Dolly Joiner Commissioner for Political Affairs-African Union; Honorable Dalmas Otieno Anyango (MP) Chairperson of the Pan Africa Conference of Ministers of Public Service; Honorable Hawa Ghasia (MP) 1

2 Minister of State, President s Office, Public Service Management, United Republic of Tanzania; Honorable Ministers of Public Service and Other Ministers Present; Honorable Members of Parliament; Heads of Public/Civil Service present; Permanent Secretaries present; Your Excellencies Ambassadors and High Commissioners; Distinguished Representatives of International Organizations; Distinguished Guests; Distinguished Public Servants; Resource Persons and Members of the Press; Ladies and Gentlemen. I stand on this platform with a deep sense of humility and pride. Sense of humility in the knowledge that you have invited me to officiate at this historic occasion of the 2011 United Nations and Africa Public Service Forum. Pride in the reflection that this event is taking place in our country, in the eve of celebrating fiftieth anniversary of our independence. I welcome you all to Tanzania and to the city of Dar es Salaam in particular, after your long travels. It is also my fervent hope that you will find your stay in this part of the world as comfortable and as hospitable as possible. Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen; I want to commend the United Nations and the African Union for making the decision to 2

3 celebrate every year the Public Service Day which includes a unique capacity-building global forum on emerging issues, challenges and trends in public governance; recognizing and acknowledging innovative practices; Public Service Day Exhibitions and Innovation Awards of Excellence Ceremony in public service. It is my hope that this annual event will help to build a shared understanding among all governance actors of the policies, practices and strategies as well as innovations Member States can adopt and adapt to revitalize public administration for a better life for all. Besides, I trust that this event will strengthen North-South and South-South cooperation to enhance delivery of quality public services; learning of the new innovations in service delivery; sharing of successful and transferrable experiences in serving our people; and understanding the new tools for enhancing public service delivery capacity. Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen; on behalf of the people and the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania, I thank the United Nations and the African Union for choosing Tanzania to play host to all the three events; the UN and Africa Public Service Forum, Public Service Innovation Awards Ceremony, and Public Service Day. It is an honour that we cherish and will live to remember. I commend the organizers of this event for a job well done. I have no doubt in my mind that this event and the ensuing activities will be a resounding success. Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen; I find the theme of this forum to be very opportune and, indeed, very relevant to mankind in the contemporary world. For us in Africa and the world in its entirety 3

4 Transformative Leadership in Public Administration and Innovation in Governance for Creating Better Life for All is timely and compelling. The theme sits well with the desire of the citizens the world over, in developed and developing countries, to demand effective, accountable, capable and responsive governments for the well-being and prosperity of our societies. Responsive and accountable governments are not God-given and they do not come by chance. They are products of transformative and committed political leadership, effective public administration systems, including the institutions, and processes which are capable enough to drive and steer innovations. Regarding innovation it is important to take note of the remarks made by Edmund Burke way back in 1796 in his letter to a Noble Lord. He said that and I quote To innovate is not to reform. However, I do believe that reforms, including those in public administration milieu tend to lead to innovations. It follows, therefore that transformative leadership, public administration and innovations in governance are inextricably intertwined requirements for achieving a better life for all people in the world of nations. I am sure you will agree with me that the theme for the 2011 United Nations and Africa Public Service Forum was carefully chosen and well thought of. This forum and its theme gives us the opportunity to look back, reflect and renew our thinking on leadership, public administration and innovation for the betterment of service delivery to the people we are entrusted to serve. My address will, by and large, focus on the theme particularly the transformative leadership component. 4

5 Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen; The current state of the world is characterized by serious endemic maladies and flaws which, by and large, are consequences of poor leadership and ineffective systems of public administration in both the public and private sectors. The consequences of poor quality leadership in the contemporary world are many, and I must mention some of these. Excessive abject poverty in most countries is partly a product of poor leadership. The Human Development Report 2010 for example, shows at page 8 that about 1.75 billion people in 104 countries live in multi-dimensional poverty. Yet the world s multi-dimensionally poor live in south Asia (844 million people) and more than a quarter live in Africa (458 million). Abuse of entrusted power, which Transparency International generally refers to as corruption is a serious problem in the world particularly in African countries. The 2010 Corruption Perception Index shows that nearly three quarters of the 178 countries in the index scored below average, indicating a chronic corruption problem. Unfortunately, no countries on the African continent are in the top twenty with the highest scores. Human insecurity, including inter-state and intra-state conflicts and violence are related to problems with governance in many countries. Economic crises and gender disparities are a characteristic feature of many countries. The rule of law, democracy and good governance are very rare values in many developing countries. Human insecurity is phenomenal in many countries. Expansive waves of international migration characterize the contemporary world. There is a consensus 5

6 that the world s most pressing endemic problems are partly outcomes of a lack of transformative leadership and innovation in most countries. This underlines the fact that the leadership in all nations need to bolster their good governance mechanisms and strategies. Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen; The importance of high quality leadership, especially in Africa, cannot be overstated. Anecdotal and compelling evidence show that the delivery of public goods and services to citizens by the state and non-state actors is not impressive. A recent assessment of governance in Africa by the Mo Ibrahim Foundation which was carried out in 2009 reveals serious weaknesses in the quality of public administration in Africa. The performance of most African countries in enforcing accountability and transparency is weak. Dismal performance is seen in the manner elected and appointed public officials are carrying out their entrusted duties and responsibilities. There is scant participation of the citizenry in governance. Overall, twenty six African countries were rated below average in the governance milieu. Partly for this reason, since 2008 the Mo Ibrahim Foundation has not been able to award former African Executive Heads of State or Government who had demonstrable excellence in leadership during his/her tenure in Office. As you exchange knowledge and experiences on leadership, public administration and innovations in this useful forum, you may wish to discuss the mechanisms and strategies for rethinking, 6

7 reinventing and repositioning leadership for better service delivery to mankind in the contemporary world. Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen; Transformative leadership as well as innovative, efficient and responsive public administration are essential prerequisites for the achievement of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). There is a consensus across the world on the fact that the MDGs cannot be achieved without effective, transparent, accountable, participatory and citizen-centric public governance. The nations of the world require a departure from arm-chair thinking to actionable, result-oriented and committed leadership; the leadership which does not only talk the talk but which is capable to also walk the talk. We need to shift from transactional leadership to transformative leadership which is at the heart of the theme for this useful forum. This is more urgent for while the transactional leadership concerns the ability of and skills of individual leaders, transformative leadership involves encouraging participation, sharing power and information, and enhancing the self worth of others to stimulate enthusiasm about work. But what does it take to build, nurture and consolidate transformative leadership especially in public administration? What do we require to cultivate avenues for steering innovations in governance? It is my fervent hope that this forum will help to answer these twin questions 7

8 and devise strategies and a road map to transformative leadership for sustainable innovations in governance. Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen; As you set to engage in serious discussions consonant with the theme for this year s forum, I am reminded of what Steven Covey, the author of 7 Habits of Highly successful people wrote regarding the concept and practices associated with transformative leadership, and I quote: The goal of transformational leadership is to transform people and organizations in a literal sense to change them in mind and heart; enlarge vision, insight, and understanding; clarify purposes; make behavior congruent with beliefs, principles, or values; and bring about changes that are permanent, self-perpetuating, and momentum building. The discourse on leadership has been around for thousands of years, and continues to evolve. As you grapple with the deliberations on transformative leadership for responsive and efficacious public administration through innovations in governance, you need also to know that the concept transformative leadership is complex and contextsensitive. However, I do believe that there are convergences in the interpretive criteria of transformative leadership that I feel obliged to share with you. A transformative leader must: i. provide a vision and sense of mission, and must have the ability to inspire and motivate the led and subordinates to achieve something extra-ordinary; 8

9 ii. communicate a vision to the led and struggle to align people and systems towards a shared vision; iii. enhance genuine trust between leaders and the led in our case the citizenry; iv. empower the people to act as effective leaders and followers based on core values and a unifying purpose. v. act always as role model, doing honestly what is right in the eyes of the led. vi. pay concern to the development needs of the led and continuously influence and energize the people to achieve a common goal. In the Twenty-First Century and beyond the world will need to replace transactional leadership with transformative leadership. Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen; I am sure you will agree with me that nobody is born with the required traits and competencies required of a transformational leader. Potential transformational leaders are identified and groomed; they are continuously trained, empowered and nurtured. Nobody is born to become transformational leader. I trust that this forum will provide the opportunity for you to: i. deepen your critical thoughts on what it takes to create a transformative leadership; ii. articulate relevant ways and means that can be used across the world to transform transactional leadership into transformative leadership; 9

10 iii. identify strategies and policies that the community of nations requires in order to breed and nurture transformative leaders capable enough to revitalise public administration and steer desirable innovations in governance. The task of creating transformative leadership is a noble one. It is not at all impossible but it may be difficult due to resource constraints, intrastate conflicts and lack or little political commitment. I believe that where there is a will there is also a way, and together we can collectively play our part. Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen; Leadership development is a critical factor for sustainable development. Tanzania and African countries have, of recent, decided to establish the Institute of African Leadership for Sustainable Development, referred to as UONGOZI Institute ( Uongozi is a Kiswahili word for leadership). The bold decision to establish the institute with the support of the people of Finland was taken by my government in response to a growing demand from within the public service in Tanzania and Africa to support career development of employees entrusted with leadership responsibilities. I am happy to inform you that the President of the United Republic of Tanzania, H.E Dr. Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete inaugurated the first Board of Directors of the Institute of African Leadership for Sustainable Development on 18 th May, The institute will address issues of leadership in its entirety, including transformative leadership for public servants in Africa and beyond. Africa needs a strong and visionary 10

11 leadership as well as revitalised public administration system to stimulate innovation in governance. A leadership that is capable of identifying needs and challenges, as well as the ability to lead the people of Africa in responding positively and efficaciously to those challenges. A leadership that can react to situations with forthrightness, dedication, commitment and relevance. A leadership that listens and responds to the socio-economic challenges in a professional, timely and realistic manner. Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen; It is also prudent for public service leaders and practitioners to learn the best knowledge and experiences from others in the North and the South. The knowledge and experience to be acquired must be adapted to a style of leadership that is relevant to the specific context and challenges of each country. There is no doubt that for decades North America and Europe have had a wealth of knowledge in leadership and public administration and management systems that have stood the test of time. We can also learn from those countries which have newly emerged on the world s stage as major economic leaders such as China, India, Brazil, Korea, Singapore and now South Africa. These countries have complemented their leadership experiences with approaches from the North and adapted them to fit their local environment. In this regard, Mahatma Gandhi s wisdom is instructive and I quote Adaptability is not imitation. It means power of resistance and assimilation. Countries and public servants should not be passive receivers of knowledge; rather 11

12 they should be proactive and seek to contribute to the evolution of new styles of leadership suited to the specific circumstances of our societies. Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen; as I conclude my opening speech, let me say that the world in its entirety, developing countries in general, and specifically many African countries still face many challenges in enhancing the quality of leadership in public administration and innovation in governance. As we set to celebrate the value and virtue of service to the community, and as we engage in serious discussions in consonance to the theme of the Public Service Forum, I cordially invite you to provide reliable answers to the following paradoxical questions: i. First, how do we alter the mind set of our leaders from transactional leadership styles to enable them embrace the virtues of the transformative leadership philosophy? ii. How do we reposition our public administration systems to become pro-poor in the context of competing priorities? iii. What should be done to inspire and motivate sustainable innovation in governance? iv. To what extent and in what manner should we adopt, adapt and improve innovations that are alien to country specific cultures? v. How do we preserve the good innovations of the previous years while jettisoning the ones that have proven to be too costly or counter productive? 12

13 I believe the outcome of this forum will be critical not only in paving the way to attaining transformative leadership in public administration systems but also to eliminate the stumbling blocks on the way forward. Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen; I also believe that we are not starting from the scratch. In recognition of the fact that the public service plays a pivotal role in our countries socio-economic development, the African Heads of States in their 16 th Ordinary Session adopted the African Charter on the Values and Principles of the Public Service and Administration. This is a major step towards the realization of the African Union shared values agenda in its governance component. I am aware that this is one of the thematic areas that you will have opportunity to discuss. Any suggestion that helps to achieve the objectives for which this charter was adopted, will be highly appreciated. Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen; I wish you well with the deliberations in this learning forum; I also welcome you all to the Public Service Day Exhibition; and I congratulate in advance the winners of this year s prestigious United Nations Public Service Awards; I am certain that you will return home with fond memories of the wonderful Tanzanian hospitality and be enriched from the experiences and insights shared during these four days of interactions. Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen; after saying so many words, and sharing my thoughts on Transformative Leadership in Public Administration and Innovation in Governance. It is now my 13

14 honour and pleasure to declare that the 2011 United Nations and Africa Public Service Forum is officially opened. I thank you for your kind attention and forbearance. Ahsanteni Sana 14