The Performance Management System at the national level of South Sudan was launched yesterday by the Vice president, Riak Machar Teny under the theme, "Performance Management System for delivery of the vision 2040: Towards Freedom, Equality, Justice, Peace and Prosperity for all through an efficient and effective Public Service."

Machar said that the occasion gives a chance to the government to reorganize its public service system, "this occasion therefore marks another milestone in our efforts to reorganize the public service system," he said.

This reorganization is with the aim of enabling it to play its role effectively in the challenges it faces.

He further added that it's their duty as leaders of South Sudan to ensure that its public service attains the level of productivity required to meet public expectations.

According to the Deputy Minister of Labor, Public Service and Human Resource Development Kwong Danhier Gatlwak (now acting Minister), this system was adopted to facilitate effective management of the national development agenda.

"In view of the relevance of Performance Management System, it was resolved at the Vice President's, Ministers', Deputy Ministers' retreat which was held in Mombasa, Kenya last year that the system be adopted to facilitate effective management of the national development agenda," he explained.

In view of the importance of the strategy, Danhier said that each ministry and commission is expected is expected to set up their senior management teams headed by the undersecretary in the case of a ministry and executive director in the case of a commission to manage the role out of the performance management system in the ministry or the commission.

Furthermore, he said that there is a well -rained reforms coordinator in each ministry who is supposed to support the senior management in the role out and the day to day management of the performance management system.

Commenting on the importance of the system, Machar said that, "as a new nation we are faced with a number of challenges to urgently and effectively address," he stated.

In his view the major one being meeting the expectations of people, "if we don't watch out they may go to streets," he said.

Machar puts the second challenge at performing at per with the rest of the world in terms of the atmosphere of the development; furthermore, South Sudan is a consumer nation particularly in the urban set up.

"Our food comes from Kenya or Uganda in the urban set up," he added. Be it meat or vegetables, they all come from neighboring countries.

However, he advised South Sudanese to change this and become productive as well.

Kenya's State Minister of Public Service Dalmas Otieno Anyango reminded South Sudanese that in order to stay in competition with the rest of the world, it is important to enhance the performance of human resource since it is the only resource that can be expanded.

So in order to address the mentioned challenges Machar said that South Sudanese must define their vision and be very clear about what the political leaders need to do and those in the public service, all as a team.

The Vice President hence requested those who have not yet had the chance to go over the South Sudan Vision 2040 and its strategic plan 2013 to do so, if the strategy is to be effective.

Acknowledging the difficulty that may be faced in adopting the new system, Machar urged the ministry of Labor, Public Service and Human resource Development to provide the necessary support to the ministries to install and run the system as part of the initiative culture of the public service.

Machar requested the Kenyan Public Service Minister to kindly address the council of ministers today on the performance management system since the function was poorly attended by minister with only the South Sudan national minister of housing attending.