World Bank Group Resident Representative pays courtesy call on Minister Pentiah

The World Bank Group Resident Representative for Mauritius, Mr Sjamsu Rahardja, paid a courtesy call, yesterday, on the Minister of Public Service and Administrative Reforms, Mr Lutchmanah Pentiah, at his office in Port Louis.

The meeting provided an opportunity to discuss Government’s vision for public service reform and explore possible areas of support and collaboration with the World Bank.

In a statement, Minister Pentiah highlighted that bureaucracy should not constitute an obstacle to the economic development of a country, underlining the need for sustained efforts to make the public service more transparent, efficient and reliable for citizens.

He outlined five key areas being addressed as part of the reform process. The first concerns the establishment of a quality institution serving as a centre of excellence for training and capacity building, with the necessary legislation already in place. The second involves a review of the performance management system for public officers, with a view to ensuring that it is objective and transparent.

The third area relates to the development of a strategic framework for public sector reform. The Minister explained that this required a thorough evaluation of the existing systems and practices, a process which had taken time but had now been completed, paving the way for the next phase of the reform process.

The fourth area focuses on digitalisation and the use of information technology to replace paper-based processes and improve the speed and efficiency of public services. The Minister called for technical assistance and support from the World Bank and other institutions to accelerate the digitalisation of public services. While a pilot project is already underway, further digitalisation work remains to be undertaken across 23 ministries.

The fifth area concerns the Public Sector Reform Bill. The Minister indicated that work on the Bill had started last week with a two-day workshop and consultations involving a broad range of stakeholders, including civil servants, retired public officers, senior public officers, representatives of NGOs, the private sector, legal professionals, trade unions and academia. He noted that the consultations had generated considerable interest and valuable contributions on the future of public services and the reforms required.

The Minister also referred to India’s grievance redressal system, through which citizens can submit complaints online and have them addressed within prescribed timelines. He expressed interest in drawing on India’s experience and expertise, including that of the National Informatics Centre, in establishing a similar mechanism in Mauritius.

In this context, he referred to the proposed establishment of an Efficient Public Service Implementation Desk, which could provide a centralised mechanism for citizens to submit complaints and follow up on their resolution within defined deadlines.

For his part, Mr Rahardja said that the meeting provided a valuable opportunity to better understand the Government’s vision for public service reform. He stated that the World Bank valued the Government’s efforts in pursuing reforms and noted that, if properly and timely implemented, such reforms could contribute to productivity and economic growth, which are important for Mauritius.

Mr Rahardja affirmed that the World Bank would continue its engagement with the Government and explore ways in which the institution could potentially support the implementation of the proposed reforms. He added that the World Bank is regularly engaged in policy reform discussions and expressed its willingness to pursue further discussions with the Government on areas where its support could be provided.

17 September 2026

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Topics: Civil Service, Diplomacy, Bilateral cooperation