By Amadu Femoh Sesay
Communications Manager, PSC
The Deputy Director of Budget in the Ministry of Finance (MOF), Dr. Ilara Mahdi has said that the draft Public Service Policy recently developed by the Public Service Commission (PSC) in consultation with partners “is quite in place”. Dr. Mahdi was speaking during the budget presentation by the Commission at the ongoing policy hearing on the 2025 Budget on Thursday 22nd August, 2024 in the Conference Room of MoF.
Attentively listening to the PSC’s budget presentation by the Secretary to the Commission, Mr. Mohamed Jusu 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 finalized policy.
Presenting the budget, Mr. Mohamed Jusu said the Commission was mandated by Section 152(1) of the 1991 Constitution of Sierra Leone (Act No. 6 of 1991) to handle recruitment processes for the Public Service of Sierra Leone. According to this provision, the PSC is under authority “…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…”.
Mr. Jusu maintained that the Commission was furthered empowered by Section 152(2) to execute appointment functions delegated to it by the President.
Speaking on key achievements recorded by the PSC in 2023 and 2024, he said for 2023, 32 critical positions were filled in 6 Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), 353 Civil Servants were confirmed in various positions in the permanent establishment in 9 MDAs, 254 officers were promoted to higher grades in the Civil Service and refurbishment of the PSC’s headquarters in Freetown.
On the achievements recorded so far in 2024, the Secretary to the Commission maintained that 141 officers were appointed to various critical positions from Grades 7-11 across the Civil Service, 22 officers were confirmed in various positions across 3 MDAs, 117 officers were promoted from one grade/position to another across the Service, completion of rehabilitation of PSC’s headquarters building in Freetown. He further noted that the Commission received a ‘No Objection’from the Law Officers Department during the period under review, to submit Cabinet Memorandum on the Policy on HR Management in the Public Service for consideration of Cabinet. He added that the Commission developed a draft Public Service Policy, successfully held Five consultative engagements on the policy in Bo, Freetown, Kenema, Makeni and Port Loko cities and also took measures to deepen PSC’s decentralization effort, with a view to taking the Commission’s services to the door-steps of job seekers, young people or young university graduates. On the conduct of the Civil Service Entrance Examination, he observed that 2,430 applicants in the East, North, North-West and South Regions applied for various positions advertised by PSC during the review period.
Speaking on plans for the Financial Year 2025, Mr. Just disclosed that the Commission intends to recruit 250 officers across the Service, facilitates the confirmation of at least 150 Civil Servants in the administrative, managerial and professional cadres in the Civil Service, enact the first-ever Public Service Bill and deepen the decentralization process of the PSC operations in the Regions.
Impressed by the Commission’s successes and plans for 2025, including the ongoing efforts to revamp the Public Service with a view to sanitize HR management within the Service and also ensure that the PSC is properly positioned as the regulatory and oversight institution for HR management in the Public Service, both non state actors and MoF immediately and unanimously adopted the budget.
