اخبار السودان – وطن نيوز
اخر اخبار السودان اليوم – اخبار السودان العاجلة
W6nnews.com ==== وطن === تاريخ النشر – 2026-04-15 11:25:00
21 hours ago Dr. Nazik Hamid Al Hashemi 310 visits Dr. Nazik Hamid Al-Hashemi The public service in Sudan (like in other countries) constitutes a fundamental axis for understanding the relationship between the state and society, as the quality and efficiency of government institutions reflect the level of interaction between public administration and citizens’ behavior. Over the past decades, Sudan has faced great challenges in developing its public service. Deep-rooted bureaucracy, weak strategic planning, and the complexity of procedures have contributed to the low quality of basic services and other aspects of public service and their decreased effectiveness in meeting the needs of citizens. This reality has prompted many people to search for informal alternatives, whether through tribal and social networks, relying on the private sector, or resorting to mediations (or other “innovative” means) to bypass administrative complexities. With the multiplicity of ruling regimes and their differing ideologies, the public service in Sudan has witnessed great fluctuations; Some of these systems attempted to impose administrative centralization without an effective administrative organization, which led to the weakness of local state institutions and the weakening of accountability mechanisms. Recruitment into the public service (especially in senior positions) was often based on political loyalties and nepotism, which negatively affected the efficiency of the overall performance of the government sector. This situation was reflected in the behavior of society, as citizens became more dependent on intermediaries to obtain services, and informal practices emerged that reflected a loss of confidence in government institutions. This period has shown that tight bureaucracy and a lack of transparency can lead to a deterioration in the relationship between the state and society, which weakens adherence to laws and increases the tendency toward individual or informal solutions. The impact of public service is not limited to providing basic services only, but extends to the formation of a culture of compliance with laws and the promotion of civic participation. When government institutions are efficient and transparent, the level of trust in the state increases and cooperation and commitment to public policies rise. The relationship between public service and community behavior in any country is a relationship of mutual influence, as each of them constitutes a decisive factor in the development of the other. Effective public service supports positive behavior and builds confidence, while disciplined and conscious social behaviors enhance the ability of government institutions to perform better. Therefore, any reform strategy aimed at improving public service must take into account the social dimension, so that the development of government institutions ensures the dissemination of a culture of commitment and civic participation, and ultimately achieves a society that is more stable and interactive with the state. Public service in Sudan has been greatly affected by complex economic and political challenges, including administrative divisions between central and local, lack of financial resources, and weak trained competencies. These conditions have led to the continued deterioration of some basic services, especially in different regions, which has been reflected in the behavior of society and made it more dependent on intermediaries to meet its service needs. On the other hand, some indicators of improvement have emerged as a result of the efforts made to introduce modern technological systems and improve human resources management, which helped simplify some transactions and facilitate access to services, although this is not yet sufficient to achieve comprehensive efficiency. It can be said that the development of the public service in Sudan was closely linked to the political systems and economic and social conditions that the country witnessed. Each stage has left a clear impact on the quality of services and community behavior. An effective public service enhances trust in government institutions and encourages citizens to participate civically and abide by the laws, while its weakness leads to the spread of informal behavior (mostly corrupt) and a decline in trust between the state and society. Therefore, the performance of public service and the failure or success of political systems cannot be studied in isolation from the tribal structure of society, which constitutes an essential part of the social fabric in Sudan. Sudanese society depends on strong tribal ties, which often outweigh family loyalties and institutional or national affiliation, which creates a special pattern of social behavior towards government institutions. Even in the short periods of democracy that Sudan experienced, the short duration of these governments and political instability made government institutions unable to impose an effective administrative system, which prompted citizens to resort to their tribal and party networks to obtain basic services, so that tribal loyalties compensate for the weakness of the state, and tribal mediations become a major tool for obtaining rights and services. Despite the profound historical influence of the tribal structure in Sudan on shaping patterns of power distribution and access to public services, the continued reliance on these loyalties as an alternative mechanism for state institutions reflects a structural defect in the performance of government agencies and a weakness in their ability to achieve justice and efficiency in providing services. The effect of this reliance is not only limited to weakening state institutions, but also extends to undermining the principle of the rule of law, and perpetuating patterns of discrimination and inequality among citizens, as opportunities to obtain resources and services become linked to tribal and/or social affiliation rather than legal entitlement. Among the important research references regarding public service in Africa, the book “Public Services in Africa: Challenges and a Vision for the Future” stands out, issued by the African Association for Public Administration and Management (AAPAM) and published by Vikas House in New Delhi in 1984. This book highlights the structural challenges that hinder effective service delivery, such as limited resources, weak infrastructure, lack of transparency, and varying institutional capacities between countries. The book also discusses the role of good governance, digital transformation, and administrative reform in improving the quality of services and enhancing citizens’ confidence in state institutions. This book gains special importance when studying the Sudan experience, as it provides a comprehensive analytical framework for the structural challenges facing African countries, which allows understanding the broader context in which this experience falls. Benefiting from other African experiences contributes to making systematic comparisons about common problems, such as limited resources, bureaucratic complexities, and weak institutional competencies, and at the same time highlights the local peculiarities that distinguish each country, including the Sudanese case, where the influence of the tribal structure clearly appears in the behavior of citizens and patterns of public service management. It seemed to me that this reference is indeed an important reference, as examining the Sudanese experience in this book is an analytical entry point for understanding the dimensions of administrative reform within the African context, and benefiting from lessons. Extracted from comparative experiences in designing more effective correctional strategies. It also highlights the contribution of author MA Bentil in providing an analytical reading of the Sudanese experience within the framework of African comparisons, which enhances the scientific value of this work. The book also presents successful examples of African experiences that were able to overcome some obstacles through innovative policies that depend on community participation, developing competencies, and improving resource management. In the final section, it presents a future vision for the public services sector based on adopting technology, strengthening partnerships between the public and private sectors, and developing human capital to ensure more flexible, equitable, and sustainable services. The book aims to provide policy makers, researchers, and those interested in public affairs with a cognitive framework that helps them understand the fundamental challenges and open new horizons for reshaping public services in line with the aspirations of African peoples and sustainable development. With regard to the Sudanese experience, the book showed that the public service was suffering from the spread of the phenomenon of bureaucracy, weak competencies, and low productivity, in addition to the absence of strategic planning and the spread of complex routines, which hindered the provision of effective services to citizens. Recruitment was often based on nepotism and political affiliations rather than competence, which greatly contributed to the poor overall performance of the government sector. The reforms aimed to improve efficiency and transparency in government institutions, develop human resources capabilities through training and restructuring, strengthen public service governance and link performance to accountability. The author’s experience also highlighted the importance of building human capabilities and the role of training in improving performance. Reform strategies included restructuring ministries and departments to reduce bureaucratic layers, adopting performance evaluation systems for employees and linking rewards to achievement, in addition to developing continuous training programs to build the capabilities of workers in public administration, and encouraging the use of technology to improve transaction processing and facilitate access to services. However, these reforms faced challenges, most notably resistance to change from some employees who were “accustomed” to the status quo, in addition to weak funding and reliance on foreign aid for some training programs, in addition to the disparity in policy implementation between the capital and rural areas. The experience of Sudan has shown that administrative reform requires a long-term vision and a comprehensive strategy, and that community participation and support of the political leadership represent two necessary elements for the success of any change. However, it can be noted that some of the solutions proposed in the book when dealing with the experience of Sudan, despite their theoretical importance, may not adequately take into account the varying geographical and social particularities within African countries. Sudan, for example, is distinguished from other countries by its wide geographical area and the distance of its parties, in addition to the presence of diverse population patterns that include settled communities and mobile pastoral ones, which makes applying a unified model of local government or providing public services extremely complex. Therefore, the success of administrative reform policies requires a more flexible approach that takes into account the nature of each region and the characteristics of its residents, rather than relying on general perceptions that may not be completely consistent with local reality. In this context, it becomes necessary for local government to be based on a careful study of the demographic composition and living patterns in each region, so that public services are designed according to actual needs that differ from one region to another, whether they are urban, rural, or pastoral areas. Neglecting these particularities may lead to a gap between the policies applied and the reality on the ground, which limits the effectiveness of reforms and reduces the state’s ability to achieve justice in the distribution of services. It can be said that the path of public administration in Sudan since independence has been characterized by clear fluctuations between centralization and decentralization, which was directly reflected in the efficiency and quality of services provided to citizens. In some stages, specific powers were transferred to local levels through councils, while in other stages power was concentrated in a way that limited the ability of these councils to manage resources and services independently and effectively. This fluctuation has often weakened local government institutions, while decentralization experiments have shown tangible possibilities for improving response to community needs and enhancing participation, especially when coupled with institutional support and adequate funding. Hence, achieving sustainable public service reform requires adopting a balanced approach that combines the role of the center in unifying policies and managing major resources, and the role of localities in responding flexibly to community needs, by empowering them with the necessary powers and resources, in addition to developing the capabilities of human cadres, enhancing transparency and accountability, and employing modern technology to improve the efficiency of government performance. This framework highlights the building of localities as a fundamental pillar of any real reform, as it goes beyond merely transferring powers to a comprehensive restructuring that includes organizational, financial, and human aspects. This requires supporting administrative and financial independence, and enabling localities to prepare and implement development plans that respond to the needs of the population, while investing in qualifying cadres and raising their efficiency in planning, managing resources, and following up on project implementation. This trend also requires the development of effective accountability and oversight systems that ensure proper use of resources, and direct decentralization towards improving government performance. The integration of technology, including digital management systems and electronic services, contributes to reducing bureaucracy and accelerating service delivery. Through this integrated empowerment, it is possible to achieve more balanced development between regions, reduce the gap between the center and the periphery, and enhance citizens’ sense of justice and participation. In general, it can be said that the success of administrative reform is linked to the state’s ability to achieve an effective balance between centralization and decentralization, ensuring efficient performance, fair distribution, and sustainability of development. nazikelhashmi@hotmail.com See also Dr. Nazik Hamid Al-Hashemi Before the entry of European colonial powers, Africa was not a land devoid of regimes…
