The National Centre for Good Governance (NCGG), an apex-level autonomous institution of the Government of India, commenced a Two-week Advanced Leadership Development Programme on Public Policy and Governance for Civil Servants of the African Region on 22-01-2024 afternoon. 36 senior officers from six countries, namely Eritrea, Kenya, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Gambia, and Eswatini are attending the programme.

The inaugural session was addressed Shri V. Srinivas, Secretary DARPG and Director General NCGG. In his address, V. Srinivas highlighted the careful curation of the program based on recommendations of ministries from participating countries. The special focus of the capacity building program is on Land Management, Digitization of Land Records, Urban Land Management with lectures covering the SVAMITVA Scheme, rural property survey programs, and Land Records Modernization Programme, Real Estate Regulatory Authority, PM Gati Shakti etc. Emphasizing India's commitment to digital transformation, V.Srinivas highlighted the role of technology in bringing citizens closer to the government. India's policy maxim of  “Maximum Governance, Minimum Government" has focused on Digital Empowerment of Citizens and Digital Transformation of Institutions to bring Citizens and Government using technology.  The focus has been on effective grievance redressal using CPGRAMS, secretariat reforms focused on e-services and improving service delivery through integrated service portals. India was providing over 16000 services as e-services benefitting millions of citizens. The Capacity Building Program seeks to present India’s strides in technology, zero tolerance to corruption and ethics in governance to the delegates in addition to the focus on Land Reforms.

Mr. Lamin E Singhateh, Deputy High Commissioner of Gambia, expressed gratitude for the knowledge-sharing collaboration between Gambia, India, and NCGG. He emphasized the importance of continuous learning for professional and personal growth in today's world.

Dr. A.P Singh, Course Coordinator and Associate Professor at NCGG, provided a comprehensive overview of the two-week program, detailing the diverse topics covered. The program includes sessions on governance paradigms, digital technology in housing, Aadhar for good governance, land records modernization, transparency in government procurement, rural property survey programs, public-private partnerships, effective office administration, climate change policies, sustainable development goals, agriculture in India, public policy perspectives, and India-Africa relation along with institutional visit to PM Sangrahalaya, DMRC, AIIMS and Visit to Taj Mahal.

The capacity-building program will be supervised by Dr. A.P Singh, Course Coordinator, Dr. Mukesh Bhandari, Associate Course Coordinator, Shri Sanjay Dutt Pant, Programme Assistant, and the dedicated capacity-building team of NCGG.

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