As part of efforts to implement the strategic roadmap for revitalizing the public service architecture, the Country Director of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Norihito Yonebayashi, met with the Honourable Minister of Public Administration and Political Affairs, Amara Kallon, on Tuesday, February 4, 2025. The meeting took place at the Minister’s office on the 9th Floor of the Youyi Building in Freetown.
The primary focus of their discussions was to strengthen partnerships for capacity building within the public service. Minister Kallon emphasized the importance of a well-defined strategic roadmap for public service reform, aligning with the Government’s Medium-Term National Development Plan (MTNDP) 2024–2030. He reaffirmed that public service reform is crucial for improving service delivery.
Highlighting key areas of reform, Minister Kallon outlined eight (8) priority focus areas, including:
Structural alignments and rationalization of mandates in the public service, Human resource management and manpower planning, Performance management, Pay and incentives, E-governance, Gender and social inclusion, Communication and citizen engagement, Public sector coordination and management
He further stressed the need for a restructured public service with clearly defined mandates and the integration of digitalization to enhance efficiency.
In response, JICA Country Director Norihito Yonebayashi expressed his appreciation for the warm reception and commended the Ministry’s commitment to public sector development. He reiterated JICA’s dedication to supporting institutional capacity-building initiatives, emphasizing that human capital development remains central to JICA’s mission.
Yonebayashi assured the Ministry of JICA’s continued collaboration in implementing capacity-building programs to enhance public service delivery.
