Freetown, 8th February 2025 (SLENA)
Delivering the keynote address over the weekend at a convocation ceremony of civil servants from the Civil Service Training College (CSTC) on Tower Hill in Freetown – Amara Kallon, Honourable Minister of Public Administration and Political Affairs stressed government’s commitments in revamping the public service architecture, describing such a move as a fundamental necessity for achieving good governance, efficiency and national development.
The graduation ceremony with theme, “Capacity Building for a Result-Driven Workforce under the Revamp of the Public Service Architecture of Sierra Leone,” saw Diploma and Certificate graduates in Public Administration and Human Resource Management.
The Honourable Minister in his statements disclosed that the graduation event happened to be the first since the college was reopened in 2012 and furthered that coincidentally, the ceremony is the first since the establishment of the Ministry of Public Administration and Political Affairs (MoPAPA) – with the principal mandate of transforming the public service.
The Minister described the theme as timely and in line with government’s vision of having a professional, effective and accountable civil service.
Minister Amara Kallon highlighted challenges that have overshadowed the country’s public administration, some of which he stated cut across bureaucratic inefficiencies, skills gap and limited service delivery capacity.
In the same vein, the Minister proffers solutions to these challenges where he mentioned that government is putting in place what he referred to as comprehensive reforms with the aim of fostering innovation, institutional capacity building and to see to it that public service delivery aligns with Pillar 5 (Transforming the Public Service Architecture) as hierarchically outlined in the 2024-2030 Medium-Term National Development Plan (MTNDP).
On the path to revamping the public service, Minister Kallon noted that MoPAPA in partnership with the leadership of the public service, have undertaken the following:
- Strategic roadmap for the revamp of the public service architecture
- Cabinet approval of the 2024 Civil Service Code and Rules
- The development of a chapter for the public service to be included in the revised 1991 Constitution of Sierra Leone
- Ongoing development of the first Public Service Policy and Act
- Assessment of the regulatory public service institutions
- Reviewed of the Individual Performance Appraisal System (IPAS)
- Setting up of a technical team to plan the transition of the CSTC to the Public Service Academy
- Undertake Management and Functional Reviews of Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDAs)
- Signs MoU with the Central Agency for Organization and Administration in Egypt – to develop and deploy the first digital recruitment and human resource management system
- Public Service Commission (PSC) signed MoU with emerging leaders for the next generation of ethical public sector leaders
“This is why the Civil Service Training College plays a crucial role in equipping civil servants with the necessary skills, knowledge and ethical foundation required to serve the people of Sierra Leone effectively,” Minister Amara Kallon underscored.
He furthered by informing the graduates that the training received has mentally equipped them with a deeper understanding of public administration, governance, leadership and service delivery – crucial in building a civil service that is responsive, transparent and accountable.
Minister Kallon therefore urged them to observe the following in their respective MDAs:
- Apply the knowledge acquired
- Uphold integrity and professionalism
- Embrace innovation
- Accountability and transparency
- Support public service reforms
Musa Kamara
SLENA Correspondent
Contact: kaymuzay222@gmail.com /+232 78 155260
