Empowerment of Civil Servants In Improving The Quality of Public Services In Southwest Papua Province

This study examines the empowerment of civil servants and its contribution to improving the quality of public services in Southwest Papua Province, with particular focus on the Human Resources Development Personnel Agency (BKPSDM: Badan Kepegawaian Pengembangan Sumber daya Manusia). The research employs a qualitative descriptive approach to capture and analyze empowerment practices and their supporting and inhibiting factors. Data was collected through interviews, observations, and documentation, involving key informants such as the Head of BKPSDM. The data were analyzed using the interactive model of Miles, Huberman, and Saldana, consisting of data condensation, data display, and conclusion drawing. Findings indicate that empowerment at BKPSDM includes structured employee recruitment for both Indigenous Papuans (OAP) and non-OAPs, career development initiatives, education and training programs, and fair compensation policies. These efforts are designed to enhance civil servants’ competencies, professionalism, and motivation, thereby improving service delivery. Supporting factors include strong regulatory frameworks, leadership support, competency-based training, internal motivation, and collaborative work culture. Conversely, limited access to training, inadequate infrastructure, frequent regulatory changes, discrimination, and low digital literacy remain significant challenges. The study concludes that civil servant empowerment is a strategic effort to build professional, accountable, and responsive state apparatus capable of delivering high-quality public services. Recommendations emphasize strengthening training access, improving digital competencies, and ensuring infrastructure readiness to sustain empowerment initiatives and improve service performance.