NIPA toast 60 years of public and civil service training

By Jessica Mwansa

THE Zambian Government has issued a directive to us to revitalize public and civil service training and certification, with the commencement date set for January 2024, National Institute of Public Administration (NIPA) Executive Director Amb. Prof. Royson Mukwena has said.

Speaking to The Scoop, Prof. Mukwena said this directive from the Government symbolized the Institute’s unwavering commitment to continually enhance its programs, embrace innovation, and adapt to the evolving needs of the dynamic society.

He said the decision aligns with the Government’s commitment to strengthening public service performance management systems, promoting effective leadership, professionalism, meritocracy, performance, and accountability among public servants and institutions.

 “This directive includes various types of training including pre-service for individuals seeking Government employment, in-service for current public and civil servants, ministry training targeting various Government departments and senior management training catering for assistant directors, Permanent Secretaries and ministers.

 “Our goal is to create a competency framework that reflects the skills, competencies and behaviours required to provide high quality services to the public and to enable career advancement within the public service,” Prof. Mukwena said.

He said NIPA had attained 60 years of service adding that it has been 60 years of unwavering dedication to excellence in the provision of quality training, research, and consultancy services to both the public and private sector.

“As we commemorate the National Institute of Public Administration (NIPA) at 60 years, with our theme being “looking ahead to a new era of excellence in the provision of mandatory public and civil service training and certification” which captures our collective vision and aspirations for the future, we want to do more.

“Looking back, NIPA was originally established under the name Staff Training College with the primary objective of preparing Zambians for the responsibility of managing the country’s civil service upon its impending independence in 1964,” he recounted.

“It is worth noting that the commercialization of NIPA was as a result of the 1993 public sector reform program (PSRP). By the year 2000 NIPA began operating as a semi-autonomous commercial entity. This transition brought about the formulation of new policies and structural adjustments in line with its new status. NIPA was no longer reliant on the Government financial support and instead started generating its income,” he said.

He said from 2015 onwards, NIPA expanded its training to include bachelor’s degree programs, Postgraduate Diplomas and in 2020 launched its Master’s degree programs.

“Currently, NIPA boasts an impressive array of 57 academic programs comprising 41 undergraduate and 16 postgraduate programs, all registered and accredited by the Zambia Qualifications Authority (ZAQA).

“This achievement makes NIPA the Institution with the highest number of accredited programs by ZAQA among all higher learning institutions in Zambia,” he said.