By: Thaimu Bai Sesay
At the government press briefing held on Tuesday, November 5th, 2024, at the Electricity House, the Chairman of the Public Service, Kalilu O Bah, revealed the government’s effort to revamp the Public Service with a historic act, a process that will advance quality government service.
In his statement at the press briefing, the Chairman of the Public Service first intimated that the Public Service is one of the pillars the government uses to reform the entire governance system for smooth, efficient, and effective operations.
As one of the powerful mandates to advise the government on every appointment, he added that the Public Service was established in 1948 to advise the governor general on all appointments, but that had changed over time.
He furthered that the public service is broad. Unlike the Civil Service, which is just a small group of people, the Public Service has the sole mandate to regulate all human resources management offices regarding recruitment processes.
Speaking on the present Government’s vibrant decision to revamp the Public Service, Chairman Bah revealed that it had become a little bit outdated over the years and not quite responsible for current needs. “So the Government thought it, to render quality service to the people of this country, we need to overhaul the entire machinery, calibrate it, and maintain it as we go along,” he stated.
Describing the present situation as an anomaly, he said there had been inappropriate recruitment of officials. In contrast, people with lower grades receive higher salaries than people with higher grades. I heard others with the same education level, but different salaries work for the same government.
He assured that the revamp of the Public Service would adequately address such issues and harmonize the wages.
He underscored that Public Service is the vehicle that drives the entire process. He continued that they have the crucial mandate to recruit, supervise, and sack.
Marking the climax of his explanation at the press briefing, the Chairman said efforts have been underway to establish the historic Public Service Act. He revealed that a Public Service Act had never existed in the country’s history, though it has a constitutional mandate.
