Public service delivery in the Democratic Republic of the Congo : a case study approach

Abstract

This study examines service delivery in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It focuses specifically on the effectiveness of the Congolese Customs and Excises Office (OFIDA) in the provision of customs services. The main focus of this study is to examine the need of addressing the end product service delivery at OFIDA so that the organization can become more competitive, and then maximize revenues in order to support the governmental activities for the economic development of the country. In meeting the objectives, the research design was designed with the combination of qualitative and quantitative research methods. This design was motivated by the fact that the mixed-methodological design is not only the most suitable for this study, but it was also able to strengthen the findings of the study and provide adequate validation by means of both deductive and inductive research methods. However, documentary search and questionnaires were used as an additional set of tools of data collection. Consequently, it was essential for this study to gain insights into the changes that have occurred in public service delivery by examining the interrelations that exist between public administration, public policy, governance, leadership, organizational theory and strategic planning in the provision of public services. The management of a public organization ultimately involves achieving success in the following areas: determining how to fulfill the government’s workforce needs, acquiring the necessary personnel, developing their skills, motivating them to work in support of public ends, rewarding them for this behaviour, and improving remedial strategies to improve the performance of those who fail. The purpose of this study was to examine the performance of OFIDA in the provision of customs services and then attempt to point out the means whereby the delivery of customs services can be addressed so that the organization can render services in a more effective way. Therefore, an empirical study was conducted in order to collect the opinions of customs officers concerning the performance of their institution. This was effected by means of a questionnaire, which was filled in by staff members of the Head Office of OFIDA. From the findings, the study was able to enumerate some issues that need to be addressed, and suggest recommendations for the development and improvement of the provision of customs services in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.