By Amadu Femoh Sesay
The Secretary to the Commission, Mr. Mohamed Jusu has said the Public Service Commission (PSC) has a key responsibility to Revamp the Public Service Architecture of Sierra Leone in line with Cluster Four of the Five Big Changers of Government. He was speaking during the budget presentation by the Commission at the Annual Policy Hearing of Financial Year 2025 on Thursday 22nd August, 2024 in the Conference Room of MoF.
Mr. Jusu furthered that revamping the Public Service is provided for under Cluster Four of the Five Big Changers of the Government of Sierra Leone. Delivering what looked like a ‘Public Lecture’ on the need to revamp the Public Service, he said recommendations had been proffered for a legislative reform of the PSC. He recalled that over the years, especially in the post-war era, the country has experienced the emergence of multiple players in the Public Service that are also performing human resource management functions.
“We have Act-based Commissions/Agencies that have been mandated by Parliament based on the provisions of their respective Acts of Parliament to also perform human resource management functions across the Public Service” Mr. Jusu reaffirmed.
According to him, this arrangement to a very large extent has led to the erosion of the PSC’s constitutional mandate provided for under section 152 of the constitution of Sierra Leone 1991(Act No.6of 1991) and mandate overlaps between PSC and Act-based Commissions/Agencies that are also performing HR management functions in the Public Service. This provision mandates the Commission “…to appoint persons to hold or act in offices in the public service (including power to make appointments on promotion and to confirm appointments) and to dismiss and to exercise disciplinary control over persons holding or acting in such offices…”.
He maintained that as a result of this mandate overlap and fragmentation of HR management in the Public Service, the Commission with support from the European Union conducted a legislative and institutional review on the existing legislations and policies that have to do with HR management across the Public Service. He recalled that extensive consultations were held across the country, leading to the development of a draft Public Service Policy earlier this year. He disclosed that the intent of the policy was to establish a legal framework for the management of the Public Service.
Dilating on the specific policy objectives articulated in this policy document, Mr. Jusu pointed out that the draft instrument has the following objectives, the need to clarify institutional roles and relationships between the PSC and other Act-based Commissions/Agencies with mandate overlaps; revisit the statutory role of the PSC, to enable the Commission to have regulatory and oversight responsibilities over the rest of the Public Service; enactment of the first-ever Public Service Act of Sierra Leone, a policy initiative that received Executive Clearance on 17th July, 2014; review and update of the Public Service Regulations of 1982 in line with the Public Service Act, to reflect current trends in HR management in the Public Service; mainstream Gender, Disability Issues and Digitalization into the Public Service reform; and modernize the systems, processes and procedures employed by the PSC to ensure effective and efficient public service delivery.
He added that the key features of the draft policy are definition of the Public Service and who Public Servants are in line with the provisions of the 1991 Constitution, disclosing that the policy intends to expand the mandate of the PSC so that the Commission can have oversight and regulatory role over the rest of the Public Service.
Mr. Jusu told the gathering that the PSC will continue to delegate HR management functions to MDAs. However, he was quick to caution that delegation does not necessary mean that the PSC will accede its authority to MDAs, stressing that delegation will enable the PSC to perform its oversight functions across the Public Service and it will enable the Agency to prescribe human resource management policy guidelines, enable the PSC to monitor, evaluate and enforce compliance with set standards. He added that the policy also makes provision for the establishment of an Advisory Committee that will advise on the periodic review of the Public Service Regulations when reviewed and updated. Mr. Jusu said the HRMO will develop specific environmental regulations for the management of the Civil Service.
On the handling of corruption related matters within the Public Service, the Secretary to the Commission said the anti-corruption agenda will be inculcated into the Public Service Reform agenda in order to distinguish administrative and criminal actions in the fight against corruption. He said the policy proposal was consistent with the provisions of the Gender Equality and Women Empowerment Act, 2022 and Disability Act.
Mr. Jusu concluded that these efforts when fully actualized, would transform the Public Service into a modern, professional merit- based and Service oriented entity.
The PSC will continue with its consultative engagement, validate and submit the policy to the Law Officers Department for the development of the Public Service Bill.
The Deputy Director of Budget in the Ministry of Finance (MOF), Dr. Ilara Mahdi said that the draft Public Service Policy recently developed by the Public Service Commission (PSC) in consultation with partners “is quite in place”. Attentively listening to the PSC’s budget presentation by the Secretary to the Commission, and briefly perusing the draft Policy, the Deputy Director Said “we need one central body that will be in charge of HR issues in the Public Service”. She advised that the Commission needed to ensure that the Public Service was properly defined in the draft Policy, adding that MoF looks forward to the validated policy.