By: MoPAPA Communications Unit
In a meeting with stakeholders from the Cabinet Secretariat, the Human Resources Management Office (HRMO), the Office of the Chief Minister, and the Public Sector Reform Unit (PSRU), Hon. Amara Kallon, Minister of Public Administration and Political Affairs (MoPAPA), emphatically informed that MoPAPA remains committed to transforming the Civil Service Training College into the Public Service Academy.
Minister Kallon made this disclosure on Thursday, November 7th, 2024, at the Ministry’s conference hall, where he mentioned that the transformation of the Civil Service Training College remains an established priority in the 2024-2030 Medium-Term National Development Plan (MTNDP), outlined precisely in Pillar 5 of the Big 5 Game Changers of President Bio’s New Direction Administration.
Minister Amara Kallon recounted that the Institute of Public Administration and Management (IPAM) was established primarily to provide much-needed education befitting the public service architecture.
However, he went on to state that over time, IPAM transformed into a university, thus prompting the Government of Sierra Leone (GoSL) to not only resuscitate but transform the training college into a public service academy.
He affirmed that MoPAPA, along with all concerned institutions, remains keen on having a reform or reforms dedicated to capacity building in the civil/public service architecture, which is thus considered critical for effective service delivery.
John Sumailah – who doubled as Secretary to Cabinet and Head of Civil Service, underscored robust commitments of GoSL geared towards positioning the College – to meet the needs of all in the civil/public service.
Sumailah advised that the Civil Service Training College should not be seen as an academic institution but rather it should be seen as a training institution, committed to providing the requisite skills needed in the public service.
Statements of commitments were also made by the leadership of HRMO, PSRU, Office of the Chief Minister, etc., and the following action points were noted: spot visitation – to ascertain the present state of the training college; and the establishment of a technical team – committed to the transformation of the Civil Service Training College into a Public Service Academy.
