23 June
Africa Public Service Day is an event entrenched in the African Union calendar. It originates from the conference of African Ministers for Public or Civil Service held in Tangier, Morocco in 1994.
It was agreed at this conference that 23 June should be celebrated annually as Africa Public Service Day to recognise the value and virtue of service to the community. It is also a platform to reflect and share practical recommendations on women empowerment in public service nationally and across the continent.
The Pan-African Ministers’ agreed that the 23rd June of every year should be celebrated as APSD through annual national and biennial continental events as part of the continental strategy to boost public administration programmes, public sector performance and governance as well as recognise the value and virtue of service to the community.
The APSD is driven within the Agenda 2063 which is Africa’s blueprint and master plan for transforming Africa into the global powerhouse of the future. It is the continent’s strategic framework that aims to deliver on its goal for inclusive and sustainable development and is a concrete manifestation of the Pan-African drive for unity, self-determination, freedom, progress and collective prosperity pursued under Pan-Africanism and African Renaissance.
It aims to discover innovations, reward excellence in the public sector, motivate public servants to further promote innovation, enhance professionalism in the public service, raise the image of public service, enhance trust in government, collect, document and share best practices for possible replication within a country as well as across the African Continent.
The Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) is the custodian of the day in South Africa.
African Union anthem
Africa Union anthem music [mp3]
African Union anthem words [PDF]
