Minister of Public Administration Tables Public Service Policy at Sub-Cabinet Meeting

The long-awaited Public Service Policy has reached a major milestone as the Minister of Public Administration and Political Affairs; Hon. Amara Kallon on Wednesday, 10th September, 2025 tabled the policy before the Sub-Cabinet for consideration and approval.
In his presentation, the Minister underscored the policy’s importance in modernizing the Public Service of Sierra Leone, adding that it provides a roadmap for building a more responsive and accountable service that meets the expectations of citizens. He informed the gathering that the overall objective of the policy was to create a modern, coherent, and fit-for-purpose legal and policy framework for the effective governance, management, and performance of the Public Service.
Hon. Kallon recalled that over the past two decades, the Public Service has undergone significant institutional, legal and administrative changes, and these developments have created overlapping mandates; fragmented responsibilities, and in many cases, rendered legal instruments such as the Public Service Regulations, 1982 inadequate. He disclosed that there are multiple Act-based Commissions with similar Human Resource (HR) functions to those of the Public Service Commission (PSC) provided for under Section 152 of the Constitution of Sierra Leone 1991(Act No.6of 1991). This provision mandates the PSC “…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 emphasized that the legislative intervention seeks to unify the legal and operational frameworks, clarify institutional roles, and reposition the PSC to lead in policy formulation, oversight, and monitoring of HR functions across the Public Service.
The Hon. Vice President, Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh, Chief Minister, and other Ministers commended the Minister of Public Administration and the entire Service for developing the policy, and offered meaningful comments aimed at strengthening it further.
Responding to comments relating to the need for Public Servants to change their ways of doing things, attracting quality applicants into the Service, strengthening disciplinary measures, and building relationships with universities to train workers, the Chairman of PSC, Mr. K.O. Bah reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment to revamping the Public Service Architecture. He emphasized that “a well-grounded Public Servant would not be averse to change; he/she must welcome improvements in the Service. The PSC selects the best of minds from the thousands of applicants into the Service, and we will continue to build and maintain collaboration with universities to ensure continuous professional development.”
The Chairman stated that discipline in the Public Service is central to ensuring professionalism, accountability, and integrity, and it operates under a framework of rules and procedures that guide the conduct of its officers in order to build and maintain public trust and confidence in the Service.
The policy, which was the subject of extensive regional consultations, represents a collective vision developed through broad stakeholder engagement involving Ministries, Departments, Agencies, Civil Society, former Public/Civil Servants, and development partners.
It was recommended that the comments be incorporated into the draft and resubmitted for Cabinet consideration and approval before being forwarded to the Office of the Attorney General and Minister of Justice for the purposes of drafting the first-ever Public Service Bill.
The meeting was chaired by the Hon. Vice President. Also present were the Chief Minister, Ministers and Deputy Ministers of Government, the Secretary to Cabinet and Head of the Civil Service, Special Executive Adviser to the President on Public Sector Reform, Senior Management from the Public Service Commission (PSC), Human Resource Management Office (HRMO), Ministry of Public Administration and Political Affairs (MOPAPA), and the Public Sector Reform Unit (PSRU).
By: Amadu Femoh Sesay – Communications Manager, PSC