Public Sector Governance and Administration Fundamentals Training Course

Course overview

Public agencies, development programmes and humanitarian organisations operate under intense scrutiny: decisions must be lawful, transparent, documented and defensible while still delivering services on time. Staff moving into governance, administration or coordination roles often understand their programme area but need a practical grasp of how authority, accountability, controls and public value fit together. This course addresses that gap, helping participants work confidently across policy, finance, procurement, service delivery and stakeholder oversight.

Participants examine the operating architecture of public institutions, including mandates, delegation, ministerial and administrative accountability, governance structures, administrative law principles and ethical decision-making. They learn to map decision rights with RACI, prepare governance terms of reference, maintain decision registers, identify control weaknesses, build risk registers, manage conflicts of interest and use performance indicators to monitor public-service results. The course also applies the PEFA Framework, OECD public integrity principles, COSO internal-control concepts and ISO 37001 anti-bribery controls to realistic public-sector scenarios.

Delivery combines instructor-led briefings with case analysis, document reviews and facilitated workshops based on a fictional public-service reform programme. Participants draft practical governance artefacts rather than only discussing theory: a governance map, committee terms of reference, delegation matrix, risk and control register, and accountability dashboard. They leave with an integrated Governance and Administration Improvement Pack that can be adapted for their department, municipality, ministry, public agency or development-funded programme.

The course is designed for professionals who already work with public programmes, institutional systems or administrative processes and now need to strengthen governance discipline. It is equally valuable to managers approving staff development because it creates more consistent decisions, clearer escalation routes, stronger audit trails and earlier identification of integrity and control risks.

Course objectives

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

• Map institutional mandates, accountability relationships and decision rights using a public-sector governance map
• Draft committee terms of reference that define membership, quorum, authority, reporting and escalation routes
• Build a RACI matrix and delegation-of-authority schedule for a public programme or administrative process
• Assess control gaps using COSO Internal Control Integrated Framework components and a control self-assessment checklist
• Create a risk register with owners, inherent and residual ratings, mitigation actions and review dates
• Apply OECD public integrity principles to conflicts of interest, gifts, whistleblowing and ethical dilemmas
• Design a performance dashboard linking service-delivery indicators, accountability owners and review meetings
• Produce a Governance and Administration Improvement Pack for implementation in a participant's workplace

Benefits of attending

Target competencies

Who should attend

• Public Sector Programme Managers — who must deliver services while maintaining clear accountability and oversight
• Government Administrators — who coordinate approvals, records, committees and cross-departmental processes
• Development Programme Officers — who manage donor-funded activities and need defensible governance arrangements
• Municipal and Local Government Officers — who support service delivery, council decisions and community accountability
• Internal Audit and Compliance Officers — who review controls, integrity risks and management responses
• Policy and Planning Officers — who translate policy commitments into governed implementation arrangements

Requirements and prerequisites

Participants should have at least one year of experience working in a government body, public agency, municipality, state-owned entity, development programme or humanitarian organisation. Familiarity with basic organisational structures, budgets, project activities or administrative approval processes is useful. Participants should be able to read policy documents, work with simple tables in Microsoft Excel and contribute to group case discussions. Prior knowledge of public law, internal audit, PEFA, COSO, ISO 37001 or formal risk-management standards is not required; these are introduced and applied during the course.

Training methodology

The instructor uses short, targeted teaching sessions to establish governance concepts, then moves participants into applied work with public-sector documents and scenarios. Teams analyse a fictional ministry service-delivery programme, diagnose blurred authority and control gaps, and redesign its governance arrangements using RACI, risk registers, committee terms of reference and dashboard templates. Participants compare their approaches against PEFA, OECD, COSO and ISO 37001 reference points. Each day closes with a structured work product, culminating in an individual application plan and Governance and Administration Improvement Pack.

Course outline

Day 1: Public-sector governance architecture

• Public value, legitimacy and administrative accountability
• Institutional mandates, enabling instruments and statutory functions
• Political oversight versus administrative management responsibilities
• Governance bodies, executive committees and technical working groups
• Decision rights, delegation and reserved powers
• RACI matrix construction for public-service processes
• Governance maps and accountability chains

Workshop: Participants map the governance architecture of a fictional national service-delivery programme and produce a RACI matrix for its approval process.

Day 2: Ethics, integrity and administrative controls

• OECD Recommendation of the Council on Public Integrity principles
• Conflict-of-interest identification and declaration procedures
• Gifts, hospitality, revolving-door and undue-influence risks
• Whistleblowing channels and protection arrangements
• COSO Internal Control Integrated Framework components
• Preventive, detective and corrective control design
• ISO 37001 anti-bribery management system control measures

Workshop: Participants conduct an integrity-risk review of a grant approval case and produce a conflict-of-interest and control response plan.

Day 3: Risk, assurance and accountable administration

• Public-sector risk appetite and tolerance statements
• Risk identification across finance, procurement, operations and reputation
• Inherent and residual risk scoring methods
• Risk register fields, ownership and treatment actions
• Three-lines assurance roles in public institutions
• Control self-assessment and evidence requirements
• Audit findings, management actions and follow-up tracking

Workshop: Participants build a risk and control register for a municipal infrastructure project, including ratings, owners, mitigations and assurance evidence.

Day 4: Performance, transparency and stakeholder accountability

• Results chains from policy objectives to public-service outcomes
• Performance indicators, baselines, targets and data sources
• PEFA Framework dimensions relevant to public financial governance
• Management dashboards and exception reporting
• Transparency obligations and proactive disclosure practices
• Citizen engagement, grievance mechanisms and feedback loops
• Committee packs, decision logs and action trackers

Workshop: Participants design a one-page accountability dashboard and committee reporting pack for a public health service improvement initiative.

Day 5: Governance improvement planning and implementation

• Governance diagnostics and prioritisation criteria
• Terms of reference for boards and oversight committees
• Delegation-of-authority matrix design
• Administrative procedures and standard operating procedures
• Change-management stakeholders and implementation sequencing
• Governance maturity indicators and periodic review cycles
• Ninety-day governance improvement action planning

Workshop: Participants assemble and present their Governance and Administration Improvement Pack, including a governance map, terms of reference, risk register, dashboard and 90-day implementation plan.

Tools & standards covered

PEFA Framework, COSO Internal Control Integrated Framework, OECD Recommendation of the Council on Public Integrity, ISO 37001 Anti-bribery Management Systems

A typical training day

Live online deliveries follow the same structure in the East Africa Time zone, with shorter screen blocks and longer breaks.

What the fee includes

How you can take this course

Certification

Participants who complete the full five days receive the Skillset Development Certificate of Completion, stating the course title, course code, dates and delivery format — suitable for professional-development records and employer reimbursement.

Frequently asked questions