Distinguished Visiting Professor at the University of Johannesburg, Professor Robert Ebo Hinson, has expressed serious concern over what he described as widespread poor customer service delivery within Ghana’s public sector and across Africa.
Speaking during a session of the Citi Business Festival on X Spaces (formerly Twitter), with Channel One TV/Citi FM’s Head of News, Vivian Kai Lokko, on Monday, June 10, Prof. Hinson noted that many public institutions in Ghana lack a fundamental understanding of customer service and marketing.
He stressed that the sector is largely performance-deficient due to entrenched bureaucratic practices and a lack of service innovation.
“Customer service experience and marketing are important in the public sector, but in Africa, customer service is difficult to achieve,” he said. “Those who run the public sector don’t appreciate it. Newcomers simply follow the old norm instead of driving improvement.”
Prof. Hinson criticised senior leadership within the public sector for failing to prioritise customer experience, stating that many lack knowledge in marketing, have no service blueprints, and are not performance-oriented.
He added that despite support from international development partners such as the World Bank and Danida, inefficiencies and poor service delivery persist.
“World Bank, Danida have been supporting Ghana, still bureaucracy and lack of service performance still exist in the public sector,” he said.
He further highlighted the absence of digital marketing, internal marketing strategies, and media platforms to assess customer satisfaction in most public sector institutions.
This, he said, hinders the ability to track performance and build trust with citizens.
“Public sector offices need to adopt a marketing audit approach to help shape a 2026 strategy—leveraging digital and social media, developing KPIs, and creating dashboards to monitor service delivery,” he advised.
Professor Hinson called for the establishment of data-driven structures and a clear service blueprint to ensure seamless service delivery, improved customer experience, and a shift in public perception.
He proposed a national branding agenda for Ghana aimed at reshaping the narrative around poor public sector service delivery.
“This will enable us to better attract trade synergies and investment into the country,” he said.
The 2025 Citi Business Festival, powered by Citi FM and Channel One TV, is a month-long initiative dedicated to driving business growth and economic transformation.
It is held in partnership with Absa Bank Ghana and MTN, with sponsorship from Zonda Tec Ghana.
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