Hello,
The second interview I conducted was with Mr. Ghani Ghuriani,
the technical deputy minister for Ministry of Agriculture. Here is the summary:
Mr. Ghuriani is a middle aged man. He would be around 40. He
has studied in Kabul Agriculture University. He has been working in government
for almost 15 years. He has worked on numerous positions. His last job was as
Planning and Policy General Director for Ministry of Agriculture and now he is
the technical deputy minister for this ministry. He is a very dynamic person. He
is able to manage his tasks really well. Though he is a political appointee, he
is also a very technical person.
Q: How is your experience with public sector?
A: It is not bad. Actually, I would say it was good as I made
good progress politically and technically. I am not from a political family but
I managed to succeed to this level based on my skills and capacities. Public sector
is not that a bad place but you should be a little patient.
Q: What are some of the challenges?
A: Bureaucracy would be always a challenge. However, I do
not think capacity is a challenge. I believe it is the way capacity is used is
the challenge. Whoever you bring into this system, will not produce as expected
because here many things run according to the system and you have to follow
them.
Q: What would you like to change in public sector?
A: I would change the support deliver systems (Finance,
Procurement, Admin). They do not serve the customer but they follow the
regulations. We should change them in a way that they focus on customer satisfaction
rather than following red tape. In addition, I would change some of the
restrictions. We should enable our staff so they can take decisions and feel
responsible.
Q: Any suggestion for the new graduates?
A: Studies are always important. It is like you are building
a house and you have a sketch. You can build a house without a sketch as well
but you never know how it will look like. Meanwhile, you cannot rely only on
the sketch; you should build the house to see the reality of your sketch. So I would
encourage all to study and get a good sketch for their future career.
All the best,
Thank you,
Javid
Ok, Javid, I'm totally jealous!! Having an internship in Afghanistan must be a truly unique, and exciting, experience. There are so many different public administration issues involved; serving a domestic constituency that is geographically isolated and fiercely independent, working with international NGO's, as well as foreign security forces. I would be curious as to the gov't officials views on these things, as well as on-going negotiations with Taliban fighters. Would these officials, educated abroad, feel safe in a Kabul that is partially, or completely, in the hands of the Taliban? What are their views on the Opium Crisis, that seems to effect all levels of the Afghan state? Anyway, safe travels and congratulations on an amazing experience!
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