Amara Kallon, Sierra Leone’s Minister of Public Administration and Political Affairs, held a significant meeting with Prof. Dr. Saleh El Sheikh, head of Egypt’s Central Agency for Organization and Administration (CAOA), at the Public Administration Centre in Cairo. This engagement marked a strengthening of the partnership between Egypt and Sierra Leone, focusing on public administration reforms and efficiency improvements.

Minister Kallon expressed profound gratitude for Egypt’s support and highlighted that the visit was aligned with President Bio’s “Big Five Game Changers – Transforming the Public Service Architecture” initiative. This initiative, particularly its fifth pillar, emphasizes enhancing the efficiency and professionalism of Sierra Leone’s public sector. The discussions were aimed at reengineering public service priorities to better serve the populace and included plans for the establishment of the Ministry of Political and Public Affairs. This new ministry is tasked with defining its vision and responsibilities, as well as developing a comprehensive public service act. This act will cover civil service appraisal systems, promotions, incentives, and a mortgage system designed to help civil servants own property, thereby reducing corruption.

Minister Kallon underscored the importance of Egypt’s cooperation in enabling Sierra Leone to implement the necessary workforce reforms to meet its Medium-Term National Development Goals. He emphasized that Egypt’s contributions would be pivotal in promoting south-south cooperation for Africa’s development.

Prof. Dr. Saleh El Sheikh welcomed the Sierra Leonean delegation and stressed that modernizing human resource management is critical for reforming public administration. He pointed out that civil servant wages represent a significant portion of public spending, making it essential to develop a more efficient, transparent, and service-oriented civil service. Dr. El Sheikh confirmed Egypt’s eagerness to collaborate with Sierra Leone in this regard.

Kalilu O. Bah, head of Sierra Leone’s Public Service Commission, highlighted the commission’s long-standing role in managing service delivery. He noted the public’s increasing demand for more efficient administration, better human rights protection, and improved governance. Bah also mentioned the creation of the Wages and Compensation Commission to address wage imbalances within the public service.

Sadiq Silla, Sierra Leone’s Ambassador to Egypt, affirmed the embassy’s commitment to facilitating this partnership, which aligns with a broader military agreement between the two nations. He stressed that introducing an efficient human resource management system is vital for achieving President Bio’s “Big Five Game Changers.”

Sulaiman Phoray Musa, Director General of the Public Service Reform Unit (PSRU), expressed eagerness to learn from Egypt’s public sector reform model. The PSRU aims to attract more talent to the civil service by improving incentives, monetizing the system, strengthening performance management, and operationalizing the Wages and Compensation Commission.

The meeting also covered access to international support for implementing the new Public Service Law and advancing digitalization and e-government initiatives. This strategy is expected to help redesign Sierra Leone’s performance management system, enhance training in human resource management, and align qualifications to foster organizational development.

Other notable participants included Ambassador Ashraf, National Chairman of the Africa Peer Review Mechanism (APRM); Samuel Alie Kargbo, Counsellor/Head of Chancery at Sierra Leone Embassy in Cairo; Mohamed Abel, Judge and Legal Adviser; Assistant Minister of Restructuring Abel Haggag; Media Adviser Dr. Sumaiya Hanafi; Head of IT Dept. Dr. Ahmad Bashion; and Mona Zaghloul, Secretary to the Ambassador.

This engagement underscores a significant step towards improving public administration in Sierra Leone, fostering international cooperation, and enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of the country’s public sector. Through these efforts, Sierra Leone aims to achieve substantial progress in its public service delivery and governance, aligning with its broader development goals.