TANZANIA has become the first country in the region and among a few states globally that have set up an ‘employee self-service,’ where employees can access human resource services online, top officials say.

George Simbachawene, the Public Service Management and Good Governance state minister in the President's Office, made this remark at the launch of the system in addition to three other digital applications for improving operations in the public service.

Dubbed “e-watumishi,” the app entails access to the public employees’ performance management information system (PEPMIS) and the public institution performance management information system (PIPMIS).

The systems replace the use of an open performance review and appraisal system (OPRAS), he said, noting that the systems are open, formal and systematic procedures. 

They are designed to assist employers and employees in planning, managing, evaluating and realising performance improvement in an organisation, he said, asserting that Tanzania leads in that field of public service innovation.

It is above all other countries in the continent and is among the few globally that have adopted such digital systems enabling employees to access services online and help employers evaluate performance of employees, he emphasised.

Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa had at the weekend presided in launching digital accountability and performance management systems in public service including e-watumishi, (PEPMIS, PIPMIS), e- mrejesho and human resources assessment (HRA).

Standing in for President Samia Suluhu Hassan at the climax of the public service week events and digital systems launch in the capital, the premier asked senior executives and other civil servants to ensure that they prepare short and long-term plans and strategies on how to use digital systems to improve the provision of public services.

“These systems are new and will put pressure on underperforming employees,” he said, citing the need for inspiration to ensure that the systems are fully used. Underperforming people do not have the opportunity to prevent the systems from being used in any institutions, he stated.

Public institutions need to strengthen the management and operation of the systems at the levels, including setting up a management and leadership team to ensure that the digital structures are fully and efficiently used.

All public institutions need to ensure the security of the data and information so that they remain safe, as they hold vast sensitive information, in which case the security of information and systems to avoid privacy and cybercrimes is vital, he declared.

Top officials must mobilise and educate employees on the importance of the systems to improve public services and achieve goals set by the government, he said.

Each public institution has to set up systems for monitoring and evaluating the performance of digital systems, including monitoring performance indicators, reporting progress to higher officials and making adjustments according to the needs of the time, he stipulated.

The CCM election manifesto directs the government to ensure that science, technology and innovations are fully used in running sectors to develop the economy, with intent to achieve middle-income status that is competitive and inclusive, he reiterated.

He also urged people all over the country to participate in the local government elections in November by registering to vote and seeking out leadership aspiration forms.

He similarly urged support for the president’s clean cooking energy campaign by stopping the use of dirty energy and helping to protect the country’s environment.