By Chernor Alimamy Kamara
To shape the future of public service delivery in Sierra Leone, the Public Service Commission (PSC) has held a stakeholders consultative meeting on the draft Public Service Policy.
The meeting was to gather insight and feedback from key stakeholders on the draft policies across the Public Service.
During the meeting at the Foreign Service Academy in Freetown on the 13th of August, 2024, Secretary to the Cabinet, John Sumailah noted that the Policy represents the cornerstone of government commitments for enhancing equality, transparency, and accountability of public service in the nation. He said the public service sector is the backbone of the nation’s governance and as such it is essential that they constantly strive to improve its operations and service delivery.
He stated that the public service policy sets forth several key objectives among which are enhancing efficiency and productivity, promoting transparency and accountability, professional development and capacity building, strengthening ethical standards, embracing innovation, and citizens’ engagement and participation.
In his statement, the Director-General of the Human Resource Management Office (HRMO), Ansu S. Tucker expressed delight to be part of the second round of the consultative process concerning the public service policy that is a sequel to the enactment of the Public Service Act. He recalled that in 2021 PSC in collaboration with stakeholders embarked on a consultative process of the public service Legislative review for the same purpose of enacting the Public Service Act.
“This enactment is in the same view but with a strategic force deeply in consultative process on the draft public service policy that will form the proposed Act. This is due to emerging issues bordering on the review of the Sierra Leone constitution and to creation of a whole chapter of the public service, the establishment of the Ministry of Public Administration and Public Affairs, the policy of revamping the public service architecture, the enactment of the GEWE Act of 2023, the Employment Act of 2023, the establishment of the Wages and Compensation Commission amongst others,” he said.
He affirmed that as a sequel to the medium-term national development plan, revamping the public service sector aims to consolidate the public service reform by focusing on delivery and a culture of professionalism, meritocracy, and continuous improvement to enhance its effectiveness and efficiency in serving the people of Sierra Leone.
The Director of the Public Sector Reform Unit (PSRU), Sulaiman Phoray-Musa said that the public service policy is a key action in the medium-term national development plan that seeks to restore the constitutional authority of the PSC, quoting the 1991 constitution of Sierra Leone. He added that the occasion presented a unique opportunity to put the thoughts of stakeholders for innovative ideas in further enriching the content of the draft policy which is a culmination of their collective views and aspirations.
He said the engagement was to also address one of the most critical challenges that have undermined the public service productivity for the most of years of our time in the public service. He said it was to also “collectively map the way forward and reemerging a public service where the human resource processes and procedures are streamlined, standardized, harmonized and coordinated,” he said.
In his keynote address, Chairman of the PSC, Kalilu Umar Bah noted that the commission now has a single focus to ensure there is a Public Service Act that will stand the test of time and lay a solid foundation for service delivery in the country.
He was mindful of cluster 5 of the medium-term national development plan and issues emerging from Gender mainstreaming and the ongoing constitutional review process.
He said the emergence in recent years of new players in Human resource management in the public service has resulted in mandate overlaps between the public service and other commissions and agencies that are performing Human Resource (HR) management functions in the public service, in contravention of a section of the constitution.
Chairman Bah expressed concern that the commission no longer has the ultimate authority over the management of HR issues in the sector.
The stakeholders’ engagement aims to ensure that the public service policy reflects the diverse needs and perspectives of all stakeholders involved.
Copyright © 2024 Politico (16/08/24)
