On a meeting with representatives from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Ministry of Public Administration and Political Affairs (MoPAPA) through the Deputy Minister and senior officials of the Ministry – provided an explicit account on the establishment, responsibilities, achievements and future plans of the Ministry.
On his opening remarks, Deputy Minister – Philip Tetema Tondoneh underscored the relevance of the Ministry – stating that MoPAPA came into existence following President Bio’s pronouncements in the Well of Parliament on the need to revamp the public service architecture, stressing that public service is at the core of governance, in line with having a dedicated civil service committed to translating policies into meaningful actions.
Deputy Minister Tondoneh mentioned that the Ministry’s objective has to do with modernizing, streamlining, and professionalizing the public sector.
Highlighting the responsibilities of the Ministry, Tondoneh mentioned the following:
– Coordination for the development and implementation of public service reforms
– Facilitate the establishment of institutions committed to public service administration
– Promotion of ethical public service
– Constantly engaging the public, traditional authorities, political parties, CSOs/NGOs and international partners
– Serves as liaison between the executive and parliament, and also monitor legislative programmes in parliament
– Identify issues of national concern, encourage public debates and give feedback to concerned institutions and the government
– Provides annual status report on public service
On what have been achieved so far by the Ministry, Deputy Minister Tondoneh outlined the following:
– Multi stakeholders dialogue at Bintumani Conference Hall – on the revamp of the public service
– Review of the Civil Service Code and Rules
– Development of a public service policy – to be referenced for the establishment of a Public Service Act
– Institutional assessment of key public institutions such as the Public Service Commission (PSC), Human Resource Management Office (HRMO), Public Sector Reform Unit (PSRU) and MoPAPA as well
– Signs Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Central Agency for Organization and Administration of the Arab Republic of Egypt – on the path to restructuring the public service
– Development of a Strategic Roadmap for public service reforms in Sierra Leone.
On what is to be achieved in 2025, the Deputy Minister disclosed the following:
– Conduct institutional reforms in terms of policies and legislation for all public service reforms
– Conduct at least 50% workforce audit
– Strengthen performance management and capacity building for the public service
– Coordinate the implementation of the Strategic Roadmap
– Enactment of the Public Service Act
– Coordinate to ensure Sierra Leone observes June 23rd as International Public Service Day
– To play host for the first ever African Public Sector Human Resource Managers Network Conference to be held in Sierra Leone
– Provision of annual status report on public service
– Establishment of an inter- agency committee for the coordination, formulation, implementation and monitoring of the eight (8) and twenty-two (22) targets of the Strategic Roadmap to be chaired by the Hon. Minister
– Establishment of a technical working group – to support the planning, formulation and implementation of public service reforms in line with the outlined targets of the Strategic Roadmap – to be chaired by the Director of Public Administration
In his submission, Momoh Conteh who is the Ag. Director Public Administration, emphasized that MoPAPA remains integral in the Big 5 Strategic Pillars of Government – as it draws it powers from Pillar 5, concerned with Transforming the Public Service Architecture.
Ag. Director Conteh disclosed that over the years there has not been a ministry with a specific mandate of overseeing the public service as a whole, and he went on to inform, MoPAPA yearn to achieving the twenty-two (22) key policy targets of the Strategic Roadmap by 2028.
Conteh in his statements, highlighted funding as a critical challenge in achieving the eight pillars and twenty-two targets of the Strategic Roadmap.
Another outstanding challenge mentioned by Ag. Director Conteh has to do with disparity in the salary structure but however, he disclosed that by 2026, the Ministry seeks to attain harmonization of salary in the public service.
Commenting on the significance of the Ministry, Paolo Dudine – Senior Economist, Fiscal Affairs Department IMF, expressed concerned on proper restructuring of the Ministry in ensuring the Ministry’s strategic leadership is observed.
Dudine raises concern on what needs to be done in bridging the salary structure that assures harmonization of salary.
