Office of the Head of the Civil Service

What Office of the Head of the Civil Service does

The Office of the Head of the Civil Service (OHCS) is a constitutional government agency of Ghana, established under Article 190 of the 1992 Constitution and the Civil Service Act, 1993 (PNDCL 327), and headquartered in Accra. It functions as the Central Management Agency for the Ghana Civil Service, providing unified leadership, human resource management, policy coordination, and organizational development across 28 Ministries, 2 Extra-Ministerial Organizations, and 23 Departments of the Executive arm of government. Its mandate is non-commercial: OHCS coordinates career management, performance management, procurement standards, records management, and reform initiatives for the Civil Service.

OHCS delivers its mandate through four core departments — Internal Audit, Management Services, Public Records and Archives Administration (PRAAD), and Procurement and Supply Chain Management (PSCMD) — together with three training institutions: the Civil Service Training Centre (est. 1953), the Government Secretarial School (est. 1952), and the Institute of Technical Supervision (est. 1958). It also operates seven directorates covering career management, finance and administration, planning/budgeting/M&E, recruitment/training/development, research/statistics/information, reforms coordination, and public relations. Digital touchpoints include the Civil Service Recruitment Portal (ohcsghana.com) and an RTI service desk operationalized under the RTI Act 2019 (Act 989). The current substantive Head of the Civil Service is Dr. Evans Aggrey-Darkoh, appointed November 2023.

OHCS has no commercial revenue model; it is funded through Government of Ghana appropriation and supplemented by donor-supported capacity-building partnerships with JICA, the World Bank, KOICA, MOFCOM (China), GIMPA, and the Chartered Institute of Marketing Ghana (CIMG). Staffing is in the 251-500 range. The entity is not investable in the conventional PE/VC sense, but is included here as a structured assessment of a constitutionally anchored public-sector institution.

Name

Office of the Head of the Civil Service

Legal name

Office of the Head of the Civil Service

Website

https://ohcs.gov.gh

Company type

Private

Founded year

1960

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

OHCS is the Central Management Agency of the Ghana Civil Service, constitutionally mandated to coordinate human resources, training, procurement, and policy implementation across 28 Ministries, 23 Departments, and 2 Extra-Ministerial Organizations of the Government of Ghana.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Accra

HQ country

Ghana

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

OHCS is the Central Management Agency of the Government of Ghana that provides unified leadership, human resource management, training, procurement oversight, records administration, and organizational development for the Ghana Civil Service. It delivers these services through three training institutions (Civil Service Training Centre, Government Secretarial Schools, Institute of Technical Supervision), four specialized departments, and multiple directorates serving 28 Ministries, 2 Extra-Ministerial Organizations, and 23 Departments, plus a public Civil Service Recruitment Portal and a Right to Information Service.

Product overview

The Office of the Head of the Civil Service (OHCS) operates as a government administrative body, not a commercial product company. It provides civil service management through a network of three training institutions (Civil Service Training Centre, Government Secretarial Schools, and Institute of Technical Supervision), four core departments (Internal Audit, Management Services, Public Records and Archives Administration, and Procurement and Supply Chain Management), seven directorates (Career Management, Finance & Administration, Planning Budgeting Monitoring & Evaluation, Recruitment Training & Development, Research Statistics & Information, Reforms Coordinating Unit, Internal Audit Unit, and Public Relations), and various application services including recruitment and RTI. The organization functions as a central management agency providing leadership, HR management, and organizational development for Ghana's Civil Service.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Civil Service Training Centre (CSTC) Training institution established in 1953 that provides management training, competency-based training, and promotion programs for civil and public service personnel. It aspires to become a Centre of Excellence in Public Service Training in Ghana and the Sub-region.
• Government Secretarial Schools (GSS) Training institution established in 1952 that trains high calibre secretarial staff for the civil service and public sector organizations. The oldest and largest secretarial training provider in Ghana with six satellite campuses.
• Institute of Technical Supervision (ITS) Technical training institution established in 1958 that develops indigenous lower and middle level technical manpower and supervisory management capacity for the government industrialization agenda.
• Internal Audit Department Department providing internal audit systems, policy review, risk assessment, and controls advisory services for the OHCS and Civil Service organizations.
• Management Services Department (MSD) Department providing consultancy and operational audit services for ministries, departments, public boards and corporations. Mandated to advise government on consultant selection and lead reform processes.
• Public Records and Archives Administration Department (PRAAD) Department responsible for managing records in all public institutions from creation to disposition, and preserving Ghana's collective memory through archival management as mandated by PRAAD Act 535 of 1997.
• Procurement and Supply Chain Management Department (PSCMD) Department responsible for coordinating procurement and supply chain management systems, procedures, standards, and guidelines within the Civil Service in accordance with the Public Procurement Act.
• Career Management Directorate Directorate providing leadership and guidance for effective career management, promotions, postings, and succession planning in the Ghana Civil Service.
• Recruitment, Training & Development Directorate Directorate responsible for recruiting, training, and developing human resources for the Civil Service, including overseeing training institutions.
• Research, Statistics & Information Directorate Directorate creating and managing evidence-based qualitative and quantitative information for civil service decision-making, including ICT implementation and HR database management.
• Reforms Coordinating Unit Unit facilitating development and implementation of reform initiatives, monitoring and evaluation of reform programmes, and coordinating NACAP activities across MDAs.
• Internal Audit Unit Unit providing assurance and professional evaluation of OHCS activities, risk management, and internal control assurance.
• Public Relation Unit Unit managing communications, media relations, social media presence, and multimedia product dissemination for OHCS visibility.
• Civil Service Recruitment Portal Online recruitment application system for prospective candidates to join the Ghana Civil Service.
• Right to Information (RTI) Service Service facilitating access to government information under the RTI Act 2019 (Act 989), processing applications through trained information officers.
• Planning, Budgeting, Monitoring & Evaluation Directorate Directorate coordinating sector planning and budgeting, performance management, and facilitating a performance-driven culture in the Civil Service.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Chartered Institute of Marketing Ghana (CIMG)coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 7 July 2026CIMG and OHCS agreed to strengthen institutional collaboration and discuss professional membership within the Civil Service. CIMG aims to help build professional capacity among public servants and support effective delivery of government policies. Plans include rebranding the Civil Service and enhancing visibility of both institutions. CIMG will participate in Civil Service Week celebration.
• Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJICA collaborates with the OHCS on training programmes and capacity building initiatives for the Civil Service. The partnership supports the Recruitment, Training and Development Directorate in implementing development programmes.
• Emerging Public Leaders (EPL) GhanacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEPL is an affiliate organization focused on enrolling graduates onto a fellowship and mentoring programme into the Civil Service. The partnership aims to produce highly initiative and reform-driven officers to enhance service delivery.
• Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKOICA partners with OHCS to support training and development initiatives for civil servants.
• Ministry of Commerce of China (MOFCOM)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMOFCOM collaborates with OHCS through Chinese governance training programmes and capacity building for civil servants.
• Ghana Revenue AuthorityminorOthersListed as a partner organization on the OHCS partners page, indicating institutional collaboration.
• Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGIMPA collaborates with OHCS on management training programmes. GIMPA designed new management training programs as part of the Civil Service Reform Programme. OHCS identifies and selects officers for training at GIMPA's Senior Management Development course.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Public Service Commission of Kenya: Kenya's central government HR and civil service management agency with an analogous mandate to oversee recruitment, training, and conditions of service across the national civil service — directly comparable in function to OHCS in Ghana.
• Federal Civil Service Commission of Nigeria: Nigeria's federal body responsible for civil service appointments, promotions, and discipline — comparable to OHCS as a Central Management Agency exercising HR authority across a national executive branch.
• Public Service Commission of South Africa: South Africa's constitutional oversight body for public service HR practices, recruitment, and integrity — closely analogous to OHCS's mandate as an independent oversight and HR administration body for the executive civil service.

Emerging players

• Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA): Ghana's leading public administration training institution and a Core partner of OHCS, delivering Senior Management Development courses for civil servants — overlapping with OHCS's training mandate and serving as a domestic capacity-building peer.
• Workday (Government Sector Practice): Major cloud HR and workforce planning platform used by government agencies globally — relevant comparable for OHCS's HRMIS modernization and HR information systems ambitions as it considers digital transformation.

Broad incumbents

• National School of Government (UK): UK's central civil service training and development body providing leadership, policy, and operational training for senior officials — internationally comparable in function to OHCS's Civil Service Training Centre.
• Civil Service College Singapore: Singapore's whole-of-government training institution for the Singapore Public Service, providing structured leadership and capability programmes — analogous in scope and aspiration to OHCS's three training institutions, particularly CSTC's Centre of Excellence aspiration.

Regional players

• Public Service Commission of Ghana: Ghana's constitutionally mandated oversight body for public service appointments and discipline. While OHCS manages HR systems, PSC exercises independent oversight — making it a closely related domestic peer in Ghana's broader civil service architecture.

Others

• African Development Institute (African Development Bank): African Development Bank's capacity development arm provides civil service training and governance reform support across Africa — overlapping with OHCS's reform and training delivery mission at a continental scale.
• Deloitte (Government & Public Services Practice): Global consulting firm providing civil service reform, organizational development, and HR transformation advisory — analogous to the consultancy role OHCS's Management Services Department plays for Ghanaian ministries.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/OHCSGhana
• Facebookfacebook.com/OHCSGhana
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/office-of-the-head-of-civil-service

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Subsidiaries7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Office of the Head of the Civil Service