THE Ministry of Communities (MoC) is scheduled to review the achievements and challenges of its 2015 –2019 year plan and will map out another five-year plan when it holds its Annual Senior Staff Conference and Action Round Table for Regional Development from January 14 – 17 at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre.

During the event the ministry is also scheduled to honour a number of staff and other longstanding local government officials at an inaugural Local Government Awards Ceremony, slated for Wednesday, January 14, also at the ACCC. The events will be held under the theme “Theme: Advancing Local Government and sustainable community development through enhanced collaboration for effective service delivery in a Green Economy”.

“We have a five-year programme that just came to an end, so the key objective of this conference is to review and plan for the next five years and beyond,” related MoC Special Projects Officer, Roger Rogers.

“We will be looking at achievements, lessons learnt and what will be some of the priority areas for the next five years. For lessons learnt we will be looking at both positive and negative, the positive we can replicate, the negative lessons we need to avoid. We’ll also have consideration for both activities to improve collaboration, coordination within and out the Ministry.”

Since its establishment in 2015, the MoC, headed by Minister Ronald Bulkan, has placed great emphasis on collaboration within the Ministry, as well as between the Ministry and other external agencies. “The Senior Staff Conference and Action Round Table for Regional Development will afford participants the opportunity to review the ministry’s performance, create and design solutions to challenges in the day-to-day functioning of the ministry and sectors to support a green economy, especially challenges regarding collaboration and coordination,” explained MoC Public Affairs Officer, Danielle Campbell-Lowe.

She highlighted the need for efficient collaboration within the Ministry being vital to its functioning. “The evolving demands of the public have necessitated the role of public agencies, supporting institutions to be more coordinated in their functioning. Well-coordinated systems are efficient and distribute resources in an equitable manner; positively impacting the public. Collaboration is also pivotal for the attainment of national and organization objectives in a sustainable manner,” she said.

“Sectors working efficiently are critical to service delivery; moreover, the work of sectors must be done in tandem with national objectives, goals and values. The data that feeds into monitoring the implementation of the ministry’s work programme requires a structured approach to overcome the challenges,” Campbell-Lowe said.

The award ceremony, which is being held as part of the Ministry’s celebration of Guyana’s 50th Republic Anniversary, will see the Ministry honouring some 50 persons total. Twenty-five staff members are expected to be honoured at Wednesday’s ceremony, while the other 25 will be honored next month, closer to the country’s Republic Anniversary date.
“It’s fifty years as a Republic we will be doing 50 awards The award ceremony is a part of a broader effort in the Ministry to add to the motivation of employees. One of the basic enabling factors for employee motivation is recognition, so as part of the overall transformation efforts of the Ministry,”Campbell-Lowe noted.

“There are different categories and different criteria, for awards to employees, long service was one of the considerations, performance, there are awards to NDCs and municipalities, in innovation and different categories, like the most improved local government areas, those kind of things,” according to the Ministry’s representative.