Public Services Commission of Ghana
The Public Services Commission of Ghana is an independent, constitutionally-mandated, human resource planning institution tasked with managing the workforce of the Ghanaian public sector in a holistic manner. History. The Public Services Commission has its roots in 1947 during the British colonial period. It was set up upon the recommendation of the "Haragin Committee" for an impartial public services body to manage human resource administration and statecraft in British West African jurisdictions - Gold Coast, Nigeria, The Gambia and Sierra Leone. After the 1948 Accra riots, the "Coussey Committee" incorporate the setting up of the  Public Services Commission to train professionals in the African Civil Service. The constitution drafted in 1951 included clauses that granted the commission the opportunity to provide non-binding advisory services to the Governor-General in the personnel management of the Gold Coast public service. The 1954 constitution gave more authority to the commission. By independence in 1957, the head of state making appointments had to consult the PSC which had by then become free from Executive control. The commission's mandate was periodically interrupted by military juntas who wanted to control the allegiance of public servants. The constitutional assembly that  drafted the 1979 constitution of the Third Republic reportedly stated: “We remain convinced that the only dependable way of guaranteeing the independence and integrity of the Public Service is to remove them from the direct or indirect control of the Executive. We, therefore, propose that the Public Services Commission should be retained in the constitution as the controlling authority of the Public Services, with the responsibility and power to advise on the appointment of persons to hold offices in the Public Services, except in case where the power to advise is entrusted by the constitution to another authority.” they emphasized  as that “the only way of getting (our) Public Services back to the required level of efficiency is to propose that the Constitution should state firmly and unequivocally that no member of the Public Services shall be victimized or discriminated against, for having discharged his duties faithfully in accordance with the Constitution.”The 1992 constitution of the Fourth Republic has Article 194 (1) stating categorically “there shall be a Public Services Commission which shall perform such functions as assigned to it by this Constitution or by any other law. Article 196 of Constitution of 1992 further states, “The Public Services  Commission shall have such powers and exercise such supervisory, regulatory and consultative functions as Parliament shall, by law, prescribe, including as may be applicable, the supervision and regulation of entrance and promotion examinations, recruitment, appointment into or promotions within the Public Services and the establishment of guidelines on the terms and conditions of employment in the public services.” The Public Services Commission Act, 1994 (Act 482) stipulates the number of commissioners to be appointed, the PSC functions and the supporting secretariat for the institution. Core mandate and functions. The Public Services Commission exists to improve productivity in the Ghanaian public  service through meritorious appointment of public officials, remuneration, management oversight towards the realisation of the United Nations-sponsored Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). As defined by the 1992 Constitution of Ghana, the Public Services Commission's core functions include