The New South Institute’s webinar on public service reform in Africa, held to mark Africa Public Service Day, brought together more than 60 participants from across the continent for a lively and wide-ranging discussion on the future of public institutions, state capability and service delivery.

The online event formed part of the 11th Continental Africa Public Service Day commemorations and was hosted under the broad theme of transforming public institutions through innovation, accountability, participation and inclusion. The discussion reflected the urgency of this agenda: across Africa, citizens continue to demand public institutions that are capable, professional, responsive and accountable.

The webinar featured contributions from Rorisang Lekalake, Director of Analysis at Afrobarometer; Ivor Chipkin, Director of the New South Institute; and Jacob Nato, Policy Analyst at the Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis. Together, the speakers examined public service reform from three complementary perspectives: citizen experiences of service delivery across Africa, South Africa’s current institutional reform moment, and lessons from Kenya’s efforts to professionalise and improve public administration.

Ivor Chipkin opened the substantive discussion by reflecting on South Africa’s “Third Transition” and the significance of reforms to the public service. His presentation focused on the relationship between political authority and administrative capability, arguing that the separation between policy direction and administrative appointments is central to building a more professional and merit-based public service. The discussion located South Africa’s current reforms within a broader democratic challenge: how to create public institutions that are capable of implementing policy while remaining accountable to citizens and elected leadership.

Rorisang Lekalake then presented Afrobarometer findings on public service delivery across 38 African countries. The data pointed to a persistent delivery gap: citizens continue to identify health, unemployment, education, the cost of living, infrastructure, water and security among their most pressing concerns, while many report difficulty accessing basic services. The presentation also highlighted continued challenges with corruption in public service interactions, including experiences of bribery when seeking identity documents, medical care or police assistance. These findings underscored the importance of grounding reform debates in citizens’ lived experiences.

Jacob Nato brought a comparative perspective from Kenya and other African experiences, focusing on the professionalisation of the public service. His presentation highlighted reforms aimed at improving performance, productivity, decentralisation, digital transformation and citizen-centred service delivery. Kenya’s experience pointed to the promise of digital public services, performance-based management, participatory governance and human capital development, while also raising questions about implementation, institutional readiness and the risks of reform remaining only on paper.

The audience discussion was rich and engaged. Participants raised questions about the institutional readiness of South African public institutions for professionalisation, the role of municipal services in public service research, the potential of artificial intelligence to accelerate policy implementation, and the importance of moving from legal and policy reform to visible improvements in everyday service delivery. Several interventions also reflected on political-administrative relations, public service hierarchy, accountability, civic education and the need to strengthen democratic legitimacy through better services.

The success of the webinar showed the depth of interest in public service reform across the continent. It also confirmed the importance of creating spaces where researchers, practitioners, public servants, civil society actors and citizens can engage directly on the future of public institutions in Africa.

The New South Institute thanks all speakers and participants for contributing to a thoughtful and timely discussion. The webinar recording will be made available soon.