Workers in Cameroon’s public service have been challenged to be agents of nation building through the quality of services they offer to users.

The challenge was laid before them by the Minister of the Public Service and Administrative Reforms Joseph Le, in Yaounde on Tuesday, June 23 in a message to mark the celebrations of the 25 anniversary of the African Public Service Day.

Addressing workers and users of the public service, Minister Joseph Le said, the government of Cameroon will continue with its reforms to modernize the public service in a bid to satisfy its users.

He said this can only be possibly if workers remain assiduous, professional and shun irresponsible behaviours, like corruption and tribalism that slow down the proper functioning of the public service.

Minister Joseph Le added that the government will leave no stone unturned in modernizing the public service by cracking down on such irresponsible behaviours.

“We must therefore fight (these ills) without hesitation to ensure the emergence of an innovative, more competent, flexible, more expeditious, less bureaucratic, less procedural, more dematerialized public service that fosters dialogue and social cohesion. In a nutshell, our Public Service must be a force for progress and not a force of inertia,” Minister Joseph Le said.

Celebrated under the theme “The role of Public Administration in Building and Sustaining peaceful co-existence among communities,” it was equally an opportunity to reflect on the role of the public service in consolidating national unity in Cameroon.

Minister Joseph Le thus used the theme to remind the workers of their role in promoting sustainable development and peace building by providing quality services.

As concerns the Cameroon public service, he stressed the government has always ensured the preservation of diversity and inclusive management of public affairs.

“Through the practice of good governance, the efficient and sustainable management of public resources, the constant improvement of services provided and the quality of production, our public service must contribute to the drafting and implementation of policies that guarantee an environment conducive to the development of individuals and communities,” the Minister said.

The day equally celebrated under a context marked by the outbreak of the COVID-19, Minister Joseph Le called on workers to continue respecting the barrier measures as they go about serving users on a daily basis.