Public office structures in the capital foresee performance redesigns with hopes of improving the quality of service and increasing customer satisfaction while reducing waiting time. Under the Addis Abeba City Administration, the Public Service & Human Resource Development Bureau is set to restructure 23 offices implementing the Business Process Reengineering (BPR) scheme.

The federal government started reforming its public service organisations with hopes of improving the public sector service delivery system over a decade ago. The process began with the extensive reshuffle by the City Administration last year that reduced 71 bureaus to 45. The Bureau, under Hikman Hayreddin, streamlined the restructuring of the Trade and Land Management bureaus last year, among 20 others.

The directive prepared for the remaining bureaus is waiting for the green light from the Council of Ministers.

The Trade Bureau has reformed its structure by adding the number of employees and services such as giving online trade licensing and registration services, according to Meketa Adafere, advisor of the Bureau. The Bureau hired close to 6,600 public servants.

The 30-year-old textile products whole seller Umer Shemsu had issued his trade license at the City Trade Bureau five years ago. He recalls the long and tedious process of getting license renewal before the restructuring a year ago.

"This new system is a big relief," he said.

There are close to 162,400 public servants in the capital.  "The reform has brought a significant change to our institute," he said. He believes that the reform has enabled customers to get service with less hassle with much of the process getting done from the comfort of their homes. However, Meketa said many resigned unsatisfied with their paychecks.

The offices to be restructured are expected to prepare a new organisational structure, conducting a study by experts from within which will determine the number of employees and the time required to provide specific services.