PSRU Initiates Reform Hour to Chronicle Public Service Transformation.

In a strategic move to enhance transparency, Public Sector Reform Unit (PSRU) has initiated a media programme titled "The Reform Hour that is televised and radio-broadcast forum assembles a diverse array of stakeholders from various Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) to illuminate the nation's transformative journey toward a more effective public service.

The inaugural broadcast on November 21, 2025, was moderated by Siaka Wusha-Conteh, Head of Communications and IT for the PSRU, where he brought the Minister of Public Administration and Political Affairs, Amara Kallon, to offer the public a comprehensive overview of the civil service's current state. The program was conceived to bridge the information gap, providing citizens with clarity on the extensive, yet often unnoticed, modernization efforts undertaken in recent years.

Minister Kallon commenced with a historical perspective, detailing the nation's prolonged struggle to establish a coherent framework for its public service since independence. He recounted a turbulent history marked by multiple military coups and a 27-year one-party state, which collectively fostered a legacy of institutional instability. Each successive governance model, he explained, imposed its own structural imprint, preventing the consolidation of a consistent and professional civil service aligned with global standards.

This systemic weakness, the Minister revealed, has been recognized at the highest levels. As Chair of the Africa Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), President Bio commissioned a continental study which identified deficient public administration as a fundamental driver of political instability. This finding has catalyzed a mandate for all member states to pursue foundational reforms.

In response, the Sierra Leonean government has positioned public service renewal as a central pillar of its national strategy. "Within our 2023 manifesto, we enshrined this reform as one of our Five Key Game Changers," Minister Kallon stated. The administration recognizes that sustainable progress in all other development sectors is contingent upon a robust, high-functioning government apparatus.

The Minister attributed the current administration's resolve to President Bio's unique insight, drawn from his personal history and a deep understanding of the nation's civil conflict. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) report had explicitly cited public service failures as a contributory factor to the war. This historical awareness, coupled with the President's firsthand experience within the system since 1992, fuels the commitment to this foundational overhaul, embodied by the creation of the Ministry of Public Administration and Political Affairs.

This new Ministry is tasked with providing the essential political and strategic direction for the reform agenda. Its political role involves championing the manifesto commitment, now being operationalized through the Medium-Term National Development Plan. Strategically, its purpose is to harmonize the efforts of established entities like the Public Service Commission and the Human Resource Management Office. "The ministry will provide the overarching strategic leadership to ensure all bodies are aligned with the President's vision," Kallon affirmed.

Sulaiman Phoray-Musa, Director of the PSRU, applauded the Minister's clarity of purpose. He clarified the PSRU's historical role, tracing its origins to the post-war Governor's Secretariat, which was instrumental in rebuilding pivotal institutions like the Anti-Corruption Commission. Evolving from that foundation, the PSRU has long served as the technical backbone and coordinating platform for government modernization.

With the new Ministry setting the policy direction, the PSRU now functions as its dedicated operational engine, tasked with driving the ambitious reform agenda forward.This support has shifted the focus from simple planning to achieving real, on-the-ground results. So far, the Public Sector Reform Unit (PSRU) has already conducted reviews for over 35 major institutions.

In simple terms, Director explained that an MFR is a comprehensive check-up for a government institution. It diagnoses its systems, workflows, and staff capacity to see if it can effectively deliver on its public mandate. The recommendations lead to better-designed organizational structures and help resolve overlapping responsibilities between different agencies.

These reviews have already proven transformative. For instance, they helped merge various corporate registration services into a single one-stop-shop for investors and guided updates to the nation's election management bodies.

As the technical arm of the Ministry, the PSRU is now tasked with building this new, more efficient public service, ensuring both new and existing institutions are structured for success.

In a significant step forward, the Cabinet has officially approved a strategic roadmap for public service reform. This provides a clear, multi-pillar plan to guide all future.

In essence, this initiative signals an unprecedented commitment from the highest office to a holistic revitalization of the public service, confronting deep-seated institutional challenges with a renewed and decisive political will.

Correspondent/News Editor-Amara Kargbo

Public Sector Reform Unit

Email: kargboamara079@gmail.com

Tel: +232 73111507