BY Daniel Bampoe
Chief of Staff Julius Debrah has opened the 7th Africa Public Sector Conference and Awards (APSCA 2026) in Accra with a direct challenge to public sector leaders across the continent – that governance must be judged not by policy documents, but by the daily experience of citizens.
Speaking on behalf of President John Dramani Mahama, the Government and people of Ghana, Dr. Debrah officially declared the conference open on Tuesday, October 14, 2026, at the Kempinski Hotel Gold Coast City.
The three-day continental gathering, organised by InstinctWave Group led by Group CEO Akin Naphtal, is being held under the theme “Governance 2030: Resilient Institutions for a Digital, Green and Secure Africa.”
The event has drawn over 500 delegates from more than 10 African countries, including Ministers, Heads of Public Service, CEOs of state enterprises, Directors-General, regulators and development partners. High-level delegations are being led by Kenya’s Chief of Staff and Head of Public Service Felix Koskei, alongside teams from Nigeria, Botswana, Rwanda, Tanzania and Liberia. It is billed as the largest gathering of public sector leadership on the continent.
In his keynote address titled “Leadership, Coordination and Institutional Resilience: Building Public Institutions That Work,” Dr. Debrah set the tone for the conference.
His core message was that the true measure of governance is the difference it makes in the lives of people. Citizens, he argued, do not experience government through institutional structures or cabinet memos, but through the quality of services they receive at the clinic, the classroom, and the passport office.
To that end, he said Ghana’s Reset Agenda under President Mahama is anchored on building a public service that is responsive, efficient and people-centred.
The agenda, he explained, prioritises four pillars: digital transformation to simplify services, skills development for the public workforce, fiscal discipline in the use of public resources, and institutional accountability.
He stressed that good policies must be matched with effective coordination from the Office of the Chief of Staff, disciplined execution across ministries, and accountability to citizens.
Moving from principle to practice, Dr. Debrah urged every participating country to leave Accra with at least one practical commitment to improve a citizen-facing service before the next conference.
That, he said, could mean cutting unnecessary steps in a business registration, eliminating delays in land administration, listening more deliberately to citizen complaints, or publishing clear service standards and deadlines. Trust in institutions, he noted, is not built by slogans but by predictable, dignified service.
This year’s APSCA comes at a critical moment. Across Africa, governments are under pressure to deliver digital systems that are secure, climate policies that are green and realistic, and security institutions that can respond to cyber threats and cross-border crime.
The theme Governance 2030 was chosen to force a shift from campaign promises to durable institutions that can survive political transitions.
Dr. Debrah’s appearance also has historical context. As Chief of Staff, he is the coordinator of Ghana’s government machinery, and his role as Chief Host underscores the positioning as a convening hub for governance reform.
In February 2026 at the Africa Prosperity Dialogues, he had already called for practical reforms on free movement and continuity of good policies started by predecessors – themes he echoed at APSCA. He has consistently argued that Africa’s integration architecture exists, but citizens are yet to feel it in visa approvals, SME trade and job creation.
He commended InstinctWave Group for sustaining the APSCA platform for seven years and congratulated all nominees and winners of the APSCA Awards, which recognise excellence in public service delivery across the continent.
He closed with a reflection that has become his trademark: “Ultimately, our legacy will not be defined by the offices we occupy or the conferences we attend, but by the lives we improve and the confidence we restore in our institutions.”
“Together, let us build a public service that delivers with competence, serves with humility and treats every citizen with dignity,” he said.
