The Minister of State in charge of Public Sector Reforms, Lydia Lamisi Akanvariba, says government is pursuing a one-stop shop system to address inefficiencies and corruption in Ghana’s public sector.
Speaking on Good Afternoon Ghana on Metro TV on Thursday, April 16, 2026, Madam Lydia Akanvariba said delays and frustrations in accessing public services continue to give the sector a “bad name.”
“That is why my office… we are advocating for the one-stop shop for public sector services,” she said.
According to her, the system will allow citizens to access multiple services such as passports, Ghana cards and business registration in one place, or even remotely.
“I want a passport. When I enter, I press this button… go to counter one for your birth certificate… counter two for your Ghana card… and within three, four hours, the person was able to get his passport at one location,” she explained, citing examples from other countries.
She added that a “no location” option is also being considered, where services can be accessed via short codes and delivered to users at home.
“I’ll go to the short code, I pay my money, my Ghana card can be delivered to me in my house… that is no location,” she said.
The Public Sector Reforms Minister acknowledged that while Ghana’s public sector is staffed with capable personnel, adapting to change remains a challenge.
“The good ones is Ghana’s public sector has a lot of brains… but there are challenges,” she said. “If you want to change, you need to push… and put resources in technology and innovation.”
She noted that digitisation could eliminate inefficiencies such as manual file movement between offices.
“Just a click of a button and everything is done,” she said.
Mrs Akanvariba admitted that service delivery remains a major concern, with many citizens forced to travel long distances or make repeated visits to access basic services.
“It’s a big challenge, and we are working on it gradually,” she said, adding that improving communication channels, including responsiveness to phone calls, is part of short-term reforms.
She also pointed to gaps in performance management, particularly the failure to reward hardworking staff.
“We do monitoring and evaluation every year, but what we are not doing is to reward excellence,” she said. “Somebody’s doing it right, let us award the person.”
On corruption, the Public Sector ReformsMinister said weak use of technology and lack of transparency continue to fuel problems such as ghost names and payroll irregularities.
“If we are using technology very well… there will be no salary issues. It’s just technology,” she stated.
She referenced Ghana’s commitment to the Open Government Partnership, noting its focus on transparency, accountability and citizen participation.
Still, she admitted that corruption remains widespread.
“Why do we still have corruption as a household name in Ghana?” she asked.
Mrs Akanvariba defended the pace of prosecutions, saying cases are being built carefully to avoid failure in court.
“We don’t want to take any case to court and be thrown out. We want to do due diligence,” she said.
She added that suspects have been identified and some are already before the courts.
“Our responsibility is to identify them… they are before court. Now everything is at the doorstep of the justice system,” she said.
While acknowledging public frustration, she insisted results will come.
“The wheel of justice… runs slowly. But what happened? Definitely, it will grind fine,” she noted.
Reflecting on her journey, the minister said her role is not about personal pride but service.
“It’s a privilege, not a right… it should humble you,” she said.
She also encouraged young women to pursue politics but warned that success requires effort and preparation.
“Don’t let anybody tell you that it’s on a silver platter. No. It’s hard work,” she said.
