Commonwealth Trains 150 Officials Across Seychelles and Ghana in Push to Strengthen Public Institutions

The Commonwealth Secretariat delivered two leadership training programmes over three weeks this year, one in Seychelles for the country's senior public service and one in Ghana for anti-corruption officials from across the continent, both part of a wider push on public sector governance ahead of November's Commonwealth summit.

From August 24 to 28, Seychelles hosted a workshop for 120 heads of the country's public service. From September 7 to 11, Ghana hosted a Senior Executive Leadership and Management Programme in Accra for 30 heads of anti-corruption agencies drawn from 21 Commonwealth African countries.

Dr Roger Koranteng, Head of Public Sector Governance at the Commonwealth Secretariat, led both sessions. He said capacity development is one of the most important investments governments can make in strengthening public institutions and improving service delivery, and that the training delivered in Seychelles and Ghana demonstrates the Secretariat's commitment to supporting public officials with the knowledge and skills they need to build agile, resilient and high performing public services.

In Seychelles, the programme ran in partnership with the Government of Seychelles and focused on the leadership, governance and management skills needed to improve how public institutions are led and managed. President Dr Mathew Herminie opened the workshop and thanked the Secretariat for its continued investment in the leadership and institutional capacity of the country's public service. Addressing the senior officers in the room, he said the moment carried weight because Seychelles is marking 50 years of independence this year, and that honouring the years behind the country means preparing to rise to the years ahead, a preparation he said begins with the people responsible for carrying its institutions forward. He told officials that citizens now expect public services that are efficient, responsive, transparent and increasingly digital, and that institutions must respond to changing circumstances, manage limited resources, work across institutional boundaries and maintain the confidence and trust of the people they serve.

The Ghana programme took a narrower but continent spanning focus, built around the distinct anti-corruption challenges facing African countries and organised in collaboration with the Chandler Foundation. Participants examined those challenges together and worked through peer to peer learning and practical skills development. Leslie Tsai, Director of Integrity Programmes at the Chandler Foundation, said the Foundation was honoured to partner with the Commonwealth Secretariat to bring training for leaders of anti-corruption institutions across Africa, and commended the Secretariat for building a trust filled community of leaders willing to engage in candid conversation about the challenges and opportunities in building cultures of integrity in Africa.

The Commonwealth Secretariat framed both programmes as part of its broader work on public sector governance, and said the priorities they addressed also feed into the agenda for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting taking place in Antigua and Barbuda this November, where leaders are set to focus on accelerating resilience, partnerships and investment for a more prosperous Commonwealth.