Leadership and Management in the Public Sector
Lead a public sector unit with confidence: set clear targets, motivate staff within fixed pay, make fair decisions, stay ethical and deliver with limited resources.
What you'll learn
- Explain how public value, accountability and the political-administrative interface shape your role as a public sector leader in Ghana
- Write performance targets and run appraisal conversations that are fair, specific and honest
- Motivate and develop staff using tools you control, even when pay and promotion are fixed
- Delegate and supervise work with clear authority, deadlines and check-ins
- Plan your unit's work around limited and late budget releases, and make decisions that meet the standards of administrative justice
- Apply Chapter 24 of the Constitution to conflicts of interest, gifts and everyday integrity choices
- Lead change, manage stakeholders, run meetings and write minutes that produce action
- Handle conflict in your team and build a succession and mentoring plan for your unit
Who this course is for
- Directors and deputy directors in ministries, departments and agencies
- Heads of departments and units in Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies
- Supervisors and senior officers in the Civil Service, Local Government Service and other public services
- Newly promoted officers taking charge of a team for the first time
- HR and training officers who design leadership programmes for public institutions
Course content
8 sections · 39 lessons · 6h 52mModule 0: Start here 3 lessons · 15 min
Module 1: Leading in the public service 5 lessons · 49 min
Module 2: Managing performance in the public service 5 lessons · 50 min
Module 3: Leading, motivating and delegating when pay is fixed 6 lessons · 1h 4m
Module 4: Planning on a thin budget and making fair decisions 5 lessons · 52 min
Module 5: Integrity, ethics and leading change 6 lessons · 1h 2m
Module 6: Stakeholders, meetings, conflict and the next generation 6 lessons · 1h
Final module: Your first 90 days as a better leader 3 lessons · 1h
Before you start
- You supervise at least one person, or expect to within the next year
- Basic familiarity with how your MDA, MMDA or public body operates
- About 7 hours, spread over two to four weeks, plus time to try the tools at work
About this course
You were promoted because you were good at the work. Now you are responsible for other people doing the work, inside a system where you cannot set salaries, cannot fire quickly, cannot promote at will and often wait months for a budget release. Many heads of units in Ghana's public service are handed this job with no preparation at all.
This course is written for directors, deputy directors, heads of units and supervisors in the Civil Service, the Local Government Service and other public bodies. It starts from how the Ghanaian public service actually works: the role of OHCS and the Public Services Commission, the line between the political head and the administrative head, performance agreements and the annual appraisal cycle, Chapter 24 of the Constitution and the expectations of CHRAJ.
Every module gives you something to use on Monday morning: a performance target template, a delegation checklist, a decision record that will stand up to a complaint, a stakeholder map, a minutes format and a simple succession plan. You will work through two branching scenarios, including the one many new directors face: taking over a unit where people have stopped trying.
You finish with a personal 90-day leadership plan for your own unit, and a certificate once you pass the final assessment. No hype and no foreign case studies that do not fit our reality. Just the practical craft of leading public servants well.
Your instructor
SkillsPillar Faculty
Practitioners and trainers in strategy, public service, enterprise and workplace compliance
SkillsPillar courses are written by practitioners who have trained graduates, managers, public servants and business owners across Ghana. Every course is built around real situations, practical tools and activities that test judgement, not memory.
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Frequently asked
How do I pay for a course?
Pay securely with MTN MoMo, Telecel Cash, AT Money, Visa or Mastercard through Hubtel. You get access straight after payment.
How long do I have access?
For life. Once you enrol, the course stays in your account and you can learn at your own pace, including any updates we make.
Do I get a certificate?
Yes. Finish every lesson in a course and a certificate is issued automatically. Each one has a QR code and a public link employers can use to check it.
Can I learn on my phone?
Yes. Everything works on a phone, tablet or computer, and your progress follows you between devices.
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