Minister of Public Administration and Political Affairs – Amara Kallon stunned parliamentarians in a detailed presentation on the positive strides MoPAPA has taken in the path to revamping the public service architecture, on Friday November 8th, 2024.
The Hon. Minister’s address in Parliament was ignited following President Bio’s Address to Parliament on the Occasion of the State Opening of the Second Session of the Sixth Parliament of the Second Republic of Sierra Leone.
In his remarks, Hon. Minister Kallon disclosed that MoPAPA was established to oversee and coordinate the revamping of the public service architecture and that the Ministry remains pivotal in the developmental aspirations of the Government and people of Sierra Leone, with a clear objective to streamline and professionalize the public service – to enhance service delivery, promote accountability and foster a workforce committed to upholding values of integrity and transparency, amongst others.
Minister Kallon enlightened that MoPAPA has a keen vision of efficiency, inclusivity and accountability of the public service and thus, committed to providing the political and strategic leadership in the revamping of the public service.
Since inception in 2023 as an integral Ministry in President Bio’s Administration, Minister Kallon elucidated that MoPAPA has engaged in 3 distinctive phases in the path to revamping the public service, amongst which he disclosed, has to do with – the scanning and development of a strategic master plan; and resources mobilization.
The Minister informed that with the 3 phases, the following activities have been undertaken: multi-stakeholders dialogue on the revamping of the public service architecture (to determine the sort of public service needed); and symposia were held with universities across the country – to determine same.
Hon. Amara Kallon disclosed further that MoPAPA and partners have completed the development and validation of the strategic master plan, and now await President Bio’s approval date for the launch of the strategic master plan.
Minister Kallon in his discourse, highlighted 8 key pillars of the master plan which includes: structural alignments and rationalization of mandates; human resource management and manpower planning; e-governance; pay and incentives, etc.
The Minister further expressed that MoPAPA is committed to reviewing the civil service codes, rules and regulations of 2011, and he went on to disclose that hopefully in the next cabinet, such would be approved and thus, becoming the framework for regulation of the behaviors and characters of civil servants.
He furthered by recalling that in 2014, an Executive Clearance was issued for the development of the Public Service Policy and Act, but was not actualized.
In the same vein, he noted that MoPAPA has championed the same document which is to be tabled in Cabinet for approval, and come 2025, the first Public Service Bill would be tabled in Parliament, and then make way for the first Public Service Act – keen on regulating the public service architecture of Sierra Leone.
Credit – MoPAPA Communications