As the world marks Customer Service Week, CUTS International Accra has drawn attention to the alarming state of customer service in Ghana’s public sector, outlining some customer service “sins” that must be addressed with urgency.
The consumer protection organization is calling for what it terms a “Public Sector Service Reset” to put public institutions on their toes on how they treat their customers and clients.
CUTS International says many government ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) have drifted far from their mandate to serve citizens efficiently, citing a mix of technological neglect, weak institutional discipline, and outdated bureaucratic habits that continue to frustrate both citizens and investors.
Below are the key failings CUTS says must be urgently addressed if Ghana’s public institutions are to deliver responsive, transparent, and citizen-centered services.
Broken Communication Channels
According to CUTS International’s release cited by The High Street Journal, basic communication systems in most Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs) are in disarray.
“Telephone lines listed on most MMDAs’ websites are out of order, and if you manage to get through, no one will answer your call,” Lawyer Appiah Kusi Adomako, the West Africa Regional Director of CUTS International, lamented.
This underscores a disturbing trend of unresponsiveness to emails and electronic communication, despite the legal requirements of the Electronic Transactions Act. This digital silence, the organization argues, erodes public confidence and discourages citizen engagement.
Outdated, Paper-Based Bureaucracy
Ghana often touts itself as making significant strides in digitization, but many public institutions are yet to catch up. CUTS International points out that several agencies still insist on physical documents and in-person follow-ups, even for services that could easily be handled online.
The Director indicated that it appears the only place where electronic filing works is at the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA). This overreliance on manual processes, he added, defeats the purpose of the government’s digital transformation agenda and wastes citizens’ time and resources.
“Some agencies do not accept electronic filing. Now it appears the only place where electronic filing works is the payment of taxes to the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA). This defeats the purpose of digitization and reflects weak institutional discipline,” he said.
Weak Institutional Discipline and Accountability
CUTS observes that although nearly every public institution has a Customer Service Charter outlining response times and service standards, these commitments are rarely observed. There are no consequences for missed timelines, unanswered emails, or neglected complaints.
For the organization, the problem isn’t just about systems; it’s about attitudes and accountability. Without monitoring and enforcement, service charters risk becoming mere posters on walls rather than performance tools.
Unprofessional Handling of Official Correspondence
One of the most worrying revelations is the informal manner in which public officers handle official communication. Many, according to CUTS, frequently request that citizens send official documents to personal email addresses such as Gmail, Yahoo, or Outlook.
This practice, Appiah Kusi Adomako warns, undermines professionalism, exposes sensitive information to security risks, and weakens institutional credibility. To him, no serious country conducts government business through personal inboxes.
Lack of Public Feedback and Engagement Channels
Another area of concern is the absence of clear, accessible mechanisms for citizens to report issues such as faulty traffic lights, broken streetlights, unsafe roads, or poor sanitation. The result, CUTS International says, is a culture of neglect and a weakened sense of public accountability.
When citizens have no structured way to provide feedback, small problems are ignored until they become crises and costly both to the government and the public.
He added that, “the lack of public engagement channels for citizens to report issues such as faulty traffic lights, broken streetlights, or unsafe public infrastructure, resulting in a culture of neglect and weakened accountability.”
The Confidence Crisis
The consumer protection advocate warns that these inefficiencies send the wrong message to both citizens and investors. He warned that when citizens or investors cannot get timely responses from public agencies, they lose confidence in government institutions. This directly affects service uptake, tax compliance, and investment decisions.
Good governance, he emphasized, begins with good service delivery, and Ghana’s institutions must rebuild public trust by putting the citizen at the heart of every interaction.
Citizens as Customers, Not Subjects
CUTS stresses that citizens are not subjects to be managed but customers whose taxes sustain government operations. Customer service experts say this should be at the heart of democratic governance.
When people cannot get answers or institutions hide behind bureaucracy, trust in government weakens. Rebuilding that trust begins with listening and responding. The advocacy organization is calling on President John Dramani Mahama to demonstrate leadership by enforcing service delivery standards across all ministries, departments, and agencies.
It proposes linking service quality to the performance evaluation of Chief Directors and Heads of Agencies.
