A renowned stateswoman and the Executive Director of the Salt and Light Ministries, Rev. Dr Joyce Aryee, has called for a sense of urgency in the public service. She said that “within the seven hours spent in the office, you should be able to achieve a lot. Set personal goals. Do not sit on things or delay things unnecessarily.”

She said that “people have become cynical about what public service entails, and we must educate young people to have a positive attitude and changed mindset about this.”

Rev. Dr Joyce Aryee said this when she took her turn at the Bright Conversations series organised by MTN to celebrate distinguished personalities whose ideas, thoughts and services have helped influence the Ghanaian society positively. The conversation was under the theme: 'Rev. Dr. Joyce Aryee shares her life in Public Service: Defines parameters.'

Sharing her experience and views on the current state of affairs, Mad. Joyce Aryee encouraged citizens to engage their leaders at different levels and provide suggestions on how things can be done to improve conditions in the country.

She pointed out that “public service is self-explanatory… However, as a people, we have always placed people at the top on too high a pedestal. You go to a community and the chief is held in such high esteem, plus his officials, and everyone is angling to get the chief to be a friend and I think we have carried that into our political life, without recognising that, really, the politician is our representative. We have said, through our ballot, that he is capable of representing us, where the laws are made and where public policy is implemented.

Rev. Dr. Aryee said that “we must move away from demanding solely for our rights without accepting to uphold our responsibilities,” and that “accepting envelopes in order to do the work for which you are being paid is not a good thing.”

She noted that “there is a sense of nationhood, a sense of loving the country that the youth need to acquire because, you know, you go out to somebody’s country and you are always referred to us a Ghanaian ... you can never get rid of your 'Ghanaianess'”. I think it is important to first instil pride, first in our ourselves and then, our country’’.

Rev. Dr. Joyce Rosalind Aryee is the Founder and Executive Director of Salt and Light Ministries. A Management and Communication Consultant, she serves on the boards of diverse organisations including Newmont Ghana Gold Limited and Newmont Golden Ridge Limited. She has also received many prestigious awards including Ghana’s second highest national award, the Companion of the Order of the Volta which she received in 2006. She was recently conferred a Doctor of Communication Arts degree (Honoris Causa) by Central University (May 2021)

The discussion was moderated by Dzifa Bampoh of Media General.