Supporting the Establishment of the Emoluments Commission

Performance management systems sit at the heart of strong organisations and an effective civil service. A critical component of performance management is civil service wage policy. Done well, it can shape the right motivations to support better performance. Conversely, poorly set wages can demotivate and create perverse incentives for individuals to justify unethical behaviour.

The Government of Zambia has identified emoluments reform as a strategic avenue for cultivating a professional public service. It established an Emoluments Commission (EC), with the mandate to determine, harmonise and rationalise wages and benefits across the entire civil service, judiciary, and state-owned bodies and corporations.

While supporting the Emoluments Commission (EC) in the operationalisation phase, CIG facilitated workshops on the various stages of the strategic planning process. We also conducted sessions to equip the Commission’s secretariat with the tools and templates to source content from a variety of resources, including existing literature, multiple stakeholder groups and internal sources, all of which were instrumental in shaping its strategic plan. CIG also worked closely with the EC to architect its organisational structure, in alignment with its mission and strategy.

Formulating Public Sector Pay Policy

In addition, CIG worked with the EC to equip its leaders with knowledge and skills to formulate a clean and principled pay and benefits system for the entire Zambia public service. This involved facilitated expert consultations and briefing sessions on international good practices in pay, benefits, pension and performance management policies.

Overall, CIG’s initiatives were aimed at strengthening an organisation that will play a critical role in building a strong performance management system across the whole Zambian government, for many years to come.

Supporting the Operationalisation of the MSG

The Malawi School of Government (MSG) was established under the 2022 MSG Act through the merger of two existing institutions – the Malawi Institute of Management (MIM) and the Staff Development Institute (SDI). The MSG’s mandate is to develop and deliver human resource development programmes to build capacity for the public service and the private sector.

CIG worked closely with MSG leaders to conduct international benchmarking workshops. CIG also conducted a series of stakeholder consultations to gain an understanding of the current operating context and ground sentiments, as well as the potential challenges and opportunities facing the MSG.

Following the sessions, CIG produced a comprehensive evaluative report analysing the current situation, and offered recommendations for the MSG’s future strategic direction – particularly in the area of professional training.

In addition to supporting the development of the MSG’s strategic plan, CIG worked with MSG to develop its new organisational structure, in alignment with its strategic priorities and mandate. In doing so, we drew upon good practice from other national schools of government globally.

Establishing an Ongoing Partnership

Over and above these collaborative activities, CIG has established an ongoing partnership with the MSG to develop staff capabilities in core areas such as conducting training needs assessment, and pedagogical skills for curriculum design and delivery.

Supporting Integrity Institutions in Zambia

Trust is the foundational currency for strong nations, and a culture of integrity is essential to building and sustaining trust. At CIG, we believe that building high-trust nations starts with the government – by building trust with citizens and businesses, governments foster deeper societal trust.

CIG works with governments to support and build integrity institutions that champion transparency, accountability and the rule of law, such as anti-corruption agencies and audit and ombudsman institutions.

In Zambia, CIG established a partnership with the National Prosecution Authority (NPA), the nation’s key public prosecution institution. Given its important constitutional and legislative mandate, the NPA is determined to demonstrate the highest standards of integrity. As part of a Memorandum of Understanding with the NPA, CIG facilitated a workshop focusing on organisational culture and development. This is part of a broader set of envisioned collaborative activities to champion good governance and integrity in Zambia.

Customised Tools for Measuring Corruption Risks

Government leaders also need tools to build cultures of integrity. To that end, CIG is developing the Chandler Integrity Assessment Scorecard (CIAS), which aims to provide governments and anti-corruption agencies with a practical, non-ideological and customisable framework and toolkit to understand and assess the quality of integrity institutions, initiatives, and anti-corruption controls and measures. This will support leaders to take practical steps to address risks and vulnerabilities within their organisations and in their operations.

Collaboration in Programme Design and Delivery

CIG’s engagement with the Vietnamese government started as early as 2019, with the signing of several MOUs with various Ministries, departments and agencies. Public sector capability building was identified as a focus area.

In 2022, CIG collaborated with the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA) and the Ministry of Home Affairs (MOHA) in Vietnam, to design and deliver a training programme for specially selected public service leaders from across the country, at the national and local government levels.

Named the Modern and Effective National Governance Programme for Emerging Leaders (MENGPEL), the programme was co-designed and co-delivered with NAPA, drawing upon CIG’s unique revelations of good governance, but contextualised to the needs of the government and the national operating environment in Vietnam.

Unique Curriculum and Pedagogy

The four-week long programme was delivered over several months, covering important themes such as ethical leadership in the public service, building strong government institutions and systems, and analytical skills for effective policy design and implementation.

The programme included expert-led discussions, learning journeys to see policy implemented in practice, and a capstone project to help participants apply what they have learnt. Part of the programme was held in Singapore, where the Vietnamese participants could understand the Singapore context and draw relevant lessons for Vietnam.

Since its inaugural run, MENGPEL has become a lynchpin for talent development in the Vietnam public service, and a model for expanding the partnership between CIG and the Vietnamese government.