Frontline public servants represent the face of the state – Julius Debrah

Chief of Staff Julius Debrah has underscored the critical role of frontline public servants. He noted that citizens judge the state by the quality of services they receive.

The Chief of Staff to the President urged public institutions to invest in frontline officers, stressing that their conduct and professionalism shape public confidence in government more than policies and official pronouncements.

Speaking at the launch of Citizen Experience: A Reset for Superior Public and Civil Service Delivery in Accra on Wednesday, Mr. Debrah said the success of public sector reforms depends largely on the people who interact directly with citizens every day.

He explained that although ministers and senior government officials formulate policies, it is frontline workers who ultimately determine how those policies are experienced by the public.

“Another important conviction in the book is that the frontline officer is not at the bottom of the hierarchy. In the eyes of the citizen, the frontline officer is the state,” he said.

Mr. Debrah noted that many Ghanaians may never have the opportunity to meet a minister, chief director or other senior public officials, but almost every citizen will encounter a public officer when seeking a government service.

“The citizen may never meet a minister. The citizen may never meet a chief director. The citizen may never read a policy document. But the citizen will meet the officer at the counter, the nurse at the desk, the clerk in the office, the security officer at the gate, the teacher in the classroom, the district official receiving the application,” he stated.

According to him, these daily interactions define the public’s perception of government and determine whether citizens trust state institutions.

“If that encounter is respectful, the state feels respectful. If that encounter is hostile, the state feels hostile,” he stressed.

Mr. Debrah argued that improving citizen experience requires more than demanding better performance from frontline workers, saying institutions must also provide them with the support needed to succeed.

“We therefore cannot speak honestly about citizen experience while neglecting the people who deliver it. Their working conditions, training, morale, dignity and accountability are central to reform,” he said.

He further called for reforms that ensure no section of society is left behind in accessing public services.

“The elderly person in the village, the person with disability, the citizen without a smartphone, the woman with limited literacy, the young person without connections — these citizens must be at the centre of the design, not at the margins,” Mr. Debrah noted.

The Chief of Staff maintained that every public institution should strive to build systems that are accessible, fair and responsive to the needs of all citizens.

He said Ghana’s efforts to reset public service would only succeed if frontline officers are empowered to deliver efficient services while treating every citizen with dignity and respect.

Mr. Debrah concluded that strengthening the capacity of frontline public servants is essential to building public trust and ensuring that government institutions serve as partners in national development rather than obstacles to citizens.