Delivering the keynote address at the graduation ceremony of civil servants from the Civil Service Training College (CSTC) in Freetown, the Honourable Minister of Public Administration and Political Affairs, Amara Kallon, underscored government’s unwavering commitment to revitalizing the public service. He emphasized that strengthening public sector institutions is a cornerstone of good governance, efficiency, and national development.

Themed “Capacity Building for a Result-Driven Workforce under the Revamp of the Public Service Architecture of Sierra Leone,” the ceremony celebrated diploma and certificate graduates in Public Administration and Human Resource Management.

In his remarks, Minister Kallon highlighted that this was the first graduation since the CSTC’s reopening in 2012 and coincidentally the first under the newly established Ministry of Public Administration and Political Affairs (MoPAPA), whose mandate is to drive public service transformation. He described the event as a milestone in the government’s agenda to build a professional, effective, and accountable civil service.

Addressing the challenges facing Sierra Leone’s public service, the Minister cited bureaucratic inefficiencies, skills gaps, and limited-service delivery capacity as key obstacles. However, he reassured the graduates that the government has embarked on comprehensive reforms aimed at fostering innovation, institutional capacity building, and aligning public service delivery with Pillar 5 (Transforming the Public Service Architecture) of the 2024-2030 Medium-Term National Development Plan (MTNDP).

As part of these reform efforts, Minister Kallon outlined key initiatives undertaken by MoPAPA in collaboration with public service leadership, including:

Development of a strategic roadmap for public service reform.

Cabinet approval of the 2024 Civil Service Code and Rules.

Drafting a public service chapter for inclusion in the revised 1991 Constitution.

Ongoing development of the first Public Service Policy and Act.

Assessment of regulatory public service institutions.

Review of the Individual Performance Appraisal System (IPAS).

Establishment of a technical team to facilitate CSTC’s transition into the Public Service Academy.

Management and Functional Reviews of MDAs.

MoU with Egypt’s Central Agency for Organization and Administration to develop and deploy Sierra Leone’s first digital recruitment and HR management system.

Public Service Commission’s MoU with Emerging Leaders Initiative to nurture the next generation of ethical public sector leaders.

Minister Kallon emphasized CSTC’s critical role in equipping civil servants with the necessary knowledge, skills, and ethical foundation to serve effectively. He reminded graduates that their training has prepared them to contribute meaningfully to governance, leadership, and service delivery.

He urged them to uphold the following principles in their respective MDAs:

Apply the knowledge acquired.

Uphold integrity and professionalism.

Embrace innovation.

Promote accountability and transparency.

Support ongoing public service reforms.

Credit – MoPAPA Communications