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Amara Kallon, Sierra Leone’s Minister of Public Administration and Political Affairs, met 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 meeting underscored the robust partnership between Egypt and Sierra Leone,
Minister Kallon expressed gratitude for Egypt’s significant support and highlighted that the visit aimed to advance pillar 5 of President Bio’s “Big Five Game Changers – Transforming the Public Service Architecture” initiative. This pillar focuses on enhancing efficiency and professionalism in Sierra Leone’s public sector. Discussions centred on reengineering public service priorities to better serve the public and included the establishment of the Ministry of Political and Public Affairs, which is working on defining its vision, responsibilities, and the development of a comprehensive public service act. This act addresses civil service appraisal systems, promotion, incentives, and a mortgage system to help civil servants own property, thereby reducing corruption. The minister emphasized that cooperation with Egypt will enable Sierra Leone to implement necessary workforce reforms to meet its Medium-Term National Development Goals. Egypt’s contributions will be pivotal in promoting south-south cooperation for Africa’s development.
Prof. Dr. Saleh El Sheikh welcomed the Sierra Leonean delegation, stressing that modernizing human resource management is critical for reforming public administration. He noted that civil servant wages account for a significant portion of public spending, necessitating a more efficient, transparent, and service-oriented civil service. He confirmed that Egypt is eager to collaborate with Sierra Leone in this regard.
Kalilu O. Bah, head of Sierra Leone’s Public Service Commission, highlighted the commission’s longstanding role in service delivery management. He noted the public’s demand for more efficient administration, better human rights protection, and improved governance. He 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. 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 and monetizing the system, strengthening performance management, and operationalizing the Wages and Compensation Commission.
The meeting also covered access to international support for the new Public Service Law’s implementation 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.
