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 high-level meeting emphasized the growing partnership between the two nations, particularly in public sector reform.
Minister Kallon expressed gratitude for Egypt’s ongoing support and highlighted the visit’s significance in advancing President Bio’s “Big Five Game Changers” initiative, specifically pillar five, which focuses on transforming Sierra Leone’s public service. The discussions aimed to reengineer public service priorities to better serve the public, including establishing a comprehensive public service act to enhance efficiency and reduce corruption through improved civil service appraisal systems, promotions, incentives, and a mortgage system for civil servants.
“We are committed to implementing workforce reforms essential for achieving our Medium-Term National Development Goals, with Egypt’s support being pivotal,” Kallon stated.
Prof. Dr. El Sheikh welcomed the Sierra Leonean delegation, emphasizing the importance of modernizing human resource management to reform public administration. He highlighted that civil servant wages constitute a significant portion of public spending, necessitating more efficient, transparent, and service-oriented civil services. “Egypt is eager to collaborate with Sierra Leone to achieve these objectives,” he affirmed.
Kalilu O. Bah, head of Sierra Leone’s Public Service Commission, underscored the public’s demand for efficient administration and better governance. He mentioned the creation of the Wages and Compensation Commission to address wage imbalances in the public service.
Sadiq Silla, Sierra Leone’s Ambassador to Egypt, emphasized the embassy’s commitment to facilitating this partnership, aligning with a broader military agreement between the two nations. He stressed the importance of introducing an efficient human resource management system to achieve President Bio’s reforms.
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, strengthening performance management, and operationalizing the Wages and Compensation Commission.
The meeting also explored international support for implementing the new Public Service Law and advancing digitalization and e-government initiatives. This strategy is expected to enhance Sierra Leone’s performance management system, training in human resource management, and align qualifications for organizational development.
Notable participants included Ambassador Ashraf, National Chairman of the Africa Peer Review Mechanism (APRM); Samuel Alie Kargbo, Counsellor/Head of Chancery at the 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 collaboration marks a significant step towards strengthening south-south cooperation for Africa’s development.