Amman, Sept 1 (Petra) – Minister of State for Public Sector Development Badria Al Balbisi on Monday outlined the government’s vision for overhauling the civil service, stressing that a flexible and efficient public administration is key to improving the business climate through streamlined procedures, investment support and strengthened trust between the public and private sectors.
Speaking at a policy dialogue hosted by the Jordan Strategy Forum (JSF), Al Balbisi said the Public Sector Modernization Roadmap was designed to shift the government’s role from service provider to enabler of development. The strategy, she added, places citizens at the center, aims to boost spending efficiency and productivity, and adopts a “whole-of-government” approach to minimize duplication and improve coordination.
Al Balbisi emphasized private sector participation in the process, saying its representation has introduced new perspectives, ensured alignment of policies with market needs, and enhanced investment confidence.
The roadmap, she explained, comprises seven strategic pillars to be implemented through three consecutive programs. The first executive program (2022–2025) focuses on legislative and regulatory reforms, to be followed by a second program (2026–2029) dedicated to project implementation. She underlined the importance of human capital development based on competency frameworks to enable the government’s new role.
On leadership, Al Balbisi said the roadmap defines the qualities of future public sector leaders who can drive change and turn challenges into opportunities while strengthening partnerships with the private sector as a central development partner.
She pointed to progress in digitalization, with the Ministry of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship automating a significant number of services and establishing nine integrated government service centers. The legal framework for managing and developing all public services has also been completed.
Systematic impact assessment of policies, Al Balbisi added, will improve decision-making, stabilize legislation, reduce burdens on the private sector, and cut bureaucracy, costs and time for businesses.
The session, sponsored by PwC, brought together forum members and private sector representatives to review progress since the roadmap’s launch three years ago and to discuss future priorities.
Nisreen Barakat, JSF Executive Director, said the forum had been a key partner from the outset, contributing experts to the national committee that drafted the roadmap. She noted that international and local indicators show tangible progress since 2022, urging that these gains be translated into lasting outcomes that directly benefit citizens, the economy and investor confidence.
Barakat stressed that private sector feedback is vital in setting priorities and shaping policies. She outlined key focus areas for the next phase, including stronger governance and accountability, institutional culture to accelerate and sustain reforms, and clearer, more consistent legislation to build compliance and stability.
She also called for continued re-engineering of government procedures before digitalization and for objective evaluation of initiatives to measure real economic and social impact.
Fayez Nahar, head of the Service and Public Administration Commission (SPAC), said human resources are the foundation of modernization. SPAC, he explained, is replacing seniority-based hiring and promotion with a competency- and knowledge-based system to ensure the recruitment of qualified talent.
He outlined seven core areas of reform: human resources management, leadership, public services, institutional culture, performance development, shared services, and organizational structures. The transition from the Civil Service Bureau to the new commission, he added, has gone through three phases: establishing legal frameworks, strengthening governance through policies and partnerships, and advancing to stability and maturity with a stronger regulatory and developmental role.
Nahar said SPAC will adopt open competition for 70 percent of vacancies versus 30 percent from reserves starting in 2025, alongside the use of artificial intelligence in recruitment to ensure fairness and transparency. These reforms, he said, aim to match labor market shifts, improve government efficiency, and guarantee equal opportunity.
The dialogue concluded with an interactive exchange, as private sector participants presented their vision for the next stage and discussed ways to accelerate the impact of administrative reform on the economy and business climate, stressing the need for stronger public-private partnerships anchored in transparency, accountability and institutional efficiency.
//Petra// AF
01/09/2025 21:21:13
