REPORT ON THE GOVERNANCE AND CIVIL SERVICE REFORM PROGRAMME PHASE 2 FOR THE PERIOD

MAY 2004 TO OCTOBER 2004

1.0 BACKGROUND

Under the Terms of Reference of the Coordinator of Public Service Reform, it is stipulated inter alia that he will report to DFID (West Africa Division and its Senior Governance Adviser) on a six-monthly basis and in writing, covering a forward plan of work activities, progress and problems. This report covers the period May 2004 to October 2004.

2.0WORK PROGRAMME

The work programme for the period November 2004 to April 2005 is attached as Annex 1.

2.1 MANAGEMENT AND FUNCTIONAL REVIEWS

Six management and functional reviews have been conducted so far in the Ministries of Education, Health, Agriculture, Local Government, Defence and Trade. Under this component, the intention is now to build on these pilot reviews by carrying out reviews in the remaining ministries and institutionalising and making permanent the process of organisational reviews and performance improvement. In addition, the Ministry of Local Government has been revisited to assess the changes that are required to cope with devolution of major functions to elected councils. Through a competitive bidding process a suitably qualified consultancy firm will be jointly selected by DFID and Government to undertake the management and functional reviews in all ministries for a period of up to three years. Seven firms have submitted technical and commercial proposals, and the evaluation of these bids will be done in November, 2004.

2.1.1 Ministry of Defence

The report submitted by the consultants on the fifth DFID-funded management and functional review of the Ministry of Defence (MOD) together with the Position Paper on the report prepared by MOD were laid before the Steering Committee on Good Governance at its meeting held on

Tuesday 15th June 2004. The Deputy Minister of Defence, the Director-General and the Chief of Defence Staff were co-opted into the Steering Committee for the purpose of discussing the report in detail. Annex 2 highlights the recommendations contained in the report as well as the position taken by the Steering Committee in each case. By Conclusion CP21(2004)11 of 15th September 2004, Cabinet approved inter alia the proposals of the Steering Committee for the implementation of the recommendations in the Report.

2.1.2 Ministry of Trade and Industry

During May and June 2004, a joint team of DFID and Sierra Leonean consultants comprising Messrs Peter Edmond and Llewellyn Ola Williams conducted a more holistic review of the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) to complement the initial work undertaken in December 2002 by a consultant commissioned by the Commonwealth Fund for Technical Cooperation. The methodology used by the consultants involved, completed questionnaires, individual structured interviews, data collection and field visits.

The report which was released in July 2004 was circulated to all the major stakeholders including MTI. The ministry prepared a Position Paper reflecting its comments and observations which together with the report were submitted to the Steering Committee on Good Governance for discussion at its meeting held on Friday 20th August 2004. Annex 3 is a matrix showing the recommendations contained in the report and the position taken by the Steering Committee on each of them. By Conclusion CP24(2004)11 of 13th October 2004 Cabinet approved inter alia the proposals of the Steering Committee for the implementation of the recommendations in the Report. Cabinet also agreed that the Minister of Trade and Industry should ensure that job classifications and descriptions were done, on which the various posts/job titles should be established, and factored into the budget for the necessary financial provisions

2.1.3Revisiting Pilot Reviews

The need was established to revisit the pilot management and functional review of the Ministry of Local Government and Community Development (MLGCD) to assess the changes required to cope with the devolution of major functions to elected councils. The review was conducted by a joint team of DFID and UK consultants comprising Messrs Hugh Marshall and Llewllyn Ola Williams during September and October 2004. The report is expected to be released in November 2004. It is also anticipated that the Ministries of Education, Health and Agriculture will be revisited when the next round of reviews are being conducted.

2.1.4IMPLEMENTATION ARRANGEMENTS

During the period 16th to 31st August 2004 the local consultant carried out a monitoring exercise in the Ministries of Education, Health and Agriculture. Under GCSRP Phase 2 the implementation mechanism and monitoring system created under Phase 1 will be further strengthened to ensure that the review recommendations approved by Cabinet are implemented in the ministries concerned. A new feature is the Essential Equipment Fund of ₤450,000 spread over three years that will cater for office equipment and other enabling requirements approved by the Steering Committee on Good Governance to improve performance in ministries. Annex 4 shows the status of implementation in the Ministries of Education, Health and Agriculture as at October 2004.

2.1.5ISSUES AND PROBLEMS

During the monitoring exercise carried out in August 2004 the following problems were identified:

  • Officials have been circumventing the implementation mechanisms initially approved by Cabinet. For example, the Ministry Working Groups do not seem to have been formally established and made functional. No Ministry has prepared a revised statement of objectives for each organisational unit in the new structure, setting out its functions and management structure. In the circumstance, implementation though being carried out, tends to be rather loose and ad hoc in nature, thus lacking the cohesiveness that was envisaged;
  • Lack of information flow between the top management level and the rest of the staff resulting in distorted interpretations of the findings and recommendations and reluctance in some instances to cooperate;
  • An apparent disconnect between the political leadership and the top management cadre in the implementation process;
  • Lack of interest by ministries to sustain the momentum gained, except when they are prodded into action by the Public Service Reform Unit;
  • Partial and incomplete implementation of some recommendations thereby diluting the desired effects.

By Conclusion CP 23 (2004) 16 of 6th October 2004 Cabinet agreed inter alia that the Minister for Presidential Affairs should liaise with the Coordinator of Public Service Reform to obtain his views and reactions on the following:

(i)The need to evaluate the continuous British assistance for good governance and public service reform for which a lot of money was being spent, so as to be able to determine the programme’s impact on governance structures in the country;

(ii)The observation that most of the reform agenda was limited to diagnostic studies, and that no effort had been made beyond that to address problems identified in the various Ministries/Departments where functional reviews had been conducted;

(iii)The directive that there should be a rethink of the various reform programmes so as to bring on board programmes which were presently on the priority list of the Government.

In response the Coordinator prepared a paper in which he outlined the following:-

  • The procedures embodied in the 10-year MOU between the Governments of the United Kingdom and Sierra Leone for an agreed third party to carry out an assessment of its impact;
  • The other areas of support covered by the reform programme in addition to the diagnostic studies. e.g. strengthening the capacity of the Cabinet Secretariat through the provision of equipment support, revamping the records and filing system and study visits for key staff; weekend training seminars; and support to provincial and district administrations;
  • Progress made so far in the implementation of recommendations contained in the review reports approved by Cabinet;
  • The flexibility allowed in the GCSRP Phase 2 for re-appraisal and re-design and even re-selection of targets for reform to respond to changing institutional needs.

2.2CONVERSION OF THE ESTABLISHMENT SECRETARY’S OFFICE INTO A HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT OFFICE (HRMO)

In June 2004, Mr Hugh Marshall DFID consultant, was commissioned to carry out a scoping study and prepare Terms of Reference for the conversion of the Establishment Secretary’s Office into a new Human Resources Management Office (HRMO) and the development of a records management improvement programme. During Mr Marshall’s initial visit, he held discussions with relevant stakeholders and thereafter submitted a report on the scoping study. On his second visit, he held consultations with key stakeholders on the draft Terms of Reference for the creation of the HRMO and their comments and observations were incorporated in a revised document. The revised Terms of Reference were further reviewed by the Steering Committee on Good Governance and suggested changes were passed on to the DFID Sierra Leone Desk in London. It had been earlier agreed that an experienced service provider would be selected through a competitive bidding process to support the Governance Reform Secretariat (GRS) in the creation of the HRMO and the development of a records management improvement programme covering the entire civil service. The bidding process (involving expressions of interest, shortlisting of firms, invitation to tender, submission of technical and commercial bids, evaluation of bids and award of contract to the successful bidder) is in progress and at the stage in which technical and commercial bids have been submitted by the British Council, Adam Smith International, Public Administration International and PriceWaterhouseCoopers. Evaluation by a joint DFID/GOSL panel will take place during the first week of November 2004. The consultancy firm that is selected will support the creation of the HRMO through the provision of technical advice, capacity building and mentoring skills. The assignment will have a duration of up to three years.

2.3RECORDS MANAGEMENT REFORM

Under GCSRP Phase 2, the records management reform component is subsumed under the HRMO programme. To that end all the consultancy firms that submitted bids for the HRMO programme included technical proposals for the development of a records management improvement programme covering the civil service as a whole, and based at the HRMO. The programme will among other things include decongesting registries and updating the registry classification and control system in line with current best practices, designing and producing new Retention Schedules, a new Registry Procedure Manual, the User Manual for the Records Centre, designing training courses for registry staff, drafting a new law for the comprehensive and holistic management of public records and archives, and establishing a new Department for Public Records and Archives.

2.4TRAINING SEMINARS FOR SENIOR LEVEL CIVIL SERVANTS

Due to a number of inhibiting factors, no training seminar was held during the period under review. This included the unavailability of the British Council Hall which was being refurbished and the delay in approving GCSRP Phase 2. It is now envisaged that the GRS will collaborate with the Establishment Secretary’s Office and the SES Implementation Unit in the Office of the President to organise in-service training for senior civil servants in the areas identified in the following reports:

-Report of the Presidential Commission on the restructuring of the Senior Civil Service

-Report on capacity building plans for the Institute of Public Administration and Management (IPAM) and the Civil Service Training College (CSTC).

The core areas to be covered will include:

  • Leadership and strategic management
  • Managing change
  • Policy formulation, analysis and implementation
  • Public sector financial management
  • Understanding the economic and cultural context of national development
  • Human resource management
  • Personal organisation balancing social and professional life style
  • Negotiation management skills
  • Setting priorities and time management
  • Communication

Funds allocated under GCSRP for training are now available and will be used for the intended purpose.

2.5DEVELOPMENT OF A TRAINING POLICY FOR THE CIVIL SERVICE

Necessary inputs were obtained from the Office of the President, the Establishment Secretary’s Office, Ministry of Development and Economic Planning and Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation for the preparation of draft terms of reference for development of a training policy for the civil service. Although requested to do so, the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology did not provide any input. The draft terms of reference have been forwarded to the Minister of Presidential and Public Affairs for discussion at the Steering Committee on Good Governance. The Development Secretary and the Director-General, Ministry of Foreign Affairs who are not members of the Steering Committee will be coopted for that purpose. The approved TOR will then be forwarded to DFID for necessary action.

2.6DEVELOPMENT OF A PUBLIC SECTOR REFORM STRATEGY FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF SIERRA LEONE

Draft terms of reference for this activity have been prepared and discussed with the Minister of Presidential Affairs, the Permanent Secretary in that Ministry and the Senior Governance Adviser, DFID. The Minister intends to take the matter to Cabinet because of its over-arching importance. Thereafter the approved TOR will be forwarded to DFID who have indicated their willingness to fund the consultancy.

2.7REAPPRAISAL OF TARGETS FOR REFORM

By Conclusion CP23(2004)16 of 6th October 2004, Cabinet agreed inter alia that there should be a rethink of the various reform programmes so as to bring on board programmes which were presently on the priority list of the Government. In the Project Memorandum and Framework it is stated that the uncertainties in the current and foreseeable Sierra Leone environment have made for a phased work programme for GCSRP Phase 2. Separate components will be carefully appraised before they are begun for likely impact and success in the current circumstances. There will be opportunities for re-appraisal and re-design and even re-selection of targets for reform. The project design allows for substantial flexibility in responding to changing institutional needs. Therefore, other activities can be introduced based on the Government of Sierra Leone’s changing strategic needs especially those flowing from the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper. However, the Bilateral Technical Cooperation MOU for the project stipulates that if any changes occur which in the opinion of the UK Government, impairs significantly the developmental value of the project, the two Governments will normally consult on measures to resolve the problem and agree possible courses of action. In the event of such changes the UK Government reserves the right to modify or terminate its financial contribution to the project. There is a contingency provision of ₤275,000 to allow Government to introduce such other activities (more likely in the years 2005 to 2007). It is anticipated that in undertaking this particular activity there will be some synergy with the independent review of the Sierra Leone/UK Ten-year MOU which will lead to possible re-selection of targets for reform in the light of GOSL’s changing strategic needs.

3.0OTHER DFID-FUNDED ACTIVITY

3.1PUBLIC EXPENDITURE TRACKING SURVEY (PETS)

It had been agreed that the special imprest account should be closed down and the outstanding balance transferred to the DFID Account in Freetown. This decision was arrived at because it did not appear likely that further funding of the PETS was forthcoming from DFID. Circumstances have changed since then and there is evidence that the Ministry of Finance has submitted a funding request to DFID for the FY 2003 PETS which will cover the Agriculture, Education and Health sectors. The survey will examine the following:

  • The distribution of seed rice in the agricultural sector
  • essential drugs in the health sector
  • distribution of text books for primary schools in the education sector.

A subsequent exchange of correspondence with the DFID Sierra Leone Desk has resulted in a decision that we stay action in closing the PETS Imprest Account until we know whether further funding will be forthcoming for the FY2003 PETS.

4.0OTHER DONOR SUPPORT FOR PUBLIC SECTOR REFORM

4.1WORLD BANK

As stated in the last report the design of a comprehensive pay and grading reform strategy for the Government of Sierra Leone was undertaken by CoEn Consulting, Ghana Ltd with funding provided by the World Bank under the Japanese Trust Fund PHRD Grant. The Secretary to the President set up a Task force under the chairmanship of the Chairman Public Service Commission to review the final report and discuss relevant comments and observations with the consulting firm. The outcome of the discussions was a modified final report incorporating the comments and observations of the Task Force. Due to the inadequacy of funds allocated by the Bank for this study, the original terms of reference were modified so that the scope of work would not include the development of salary structures. However, the detailed work undertaken on grading and classification (using a job analysis and evaluation process), the salary survey covering 45 benchmark positions and 28 participating institutions (public, private, donor and NGOs), the critical skills gaps and needs identified in government Ministries, and the pay policy guidelines highlighted in the report would all contribute to the development of sustainable salary structures.

The CoEn report which was submitted in June 2004 has the following major recommendations:-

  • That 7 job family clusters be established within the civil service for the purpose of carrying out job evaluations and developing grade and classification structures. Compensation levels for job family clusters should take into consideration supply and demand for particular skills.
  • Based on the level of differences in job value, a grading structure with a total of 17 grades would be more appropriate for the Sierra Leone Civil Service instead of the current 14 grades.
  • Government should endeavour to reduce the gap between the public sector and private sector compensation using a formula that considers productivity growth in the economy and public sector.
  • A Civil Service Compensation Committee comprising the Head of the Civil Service, the Establishment Secretary, the Financial Secretary and the Secretary, Public Service Commission should review and recommend to the Office of the President the compensation increases for the civil service. This Committee will take into consideration the total compensation concept, allowances and benefits policy, monetisation of non-cash benefits, salary structures for the various job families with supply and demand considerations, special categories of staff, and future staffing requirements. Such compensation increases should be affordable and within the national budget and should take into account the anticipated growth in public sector revenue.

Concerning the implications for the Senior Executive Service (SES) and the rest of the civil service, the Report of the Presidential Commission on the Restructuring of the Senior Civil Service of March 2004 recommends a clean wage policy for the SES, which will be a composite salary that incorporates monetised allowances such as rent, transport, medical and entertainment allowance. This is identical to the total compensation concept recommended in the CoEn Report of June 2004. While acknowledging that the salaries proposed for the SES would have a ripple effect on the rest of the public service, the Commission envisages that the clean wage policy can be extended to the rest of the civil service. It is pertinent to mention that the CoEn Report goes further to observe that the perpetuation of many of the existing allowances in the Civil Service Code and Regulations and Rules of the Civil Service (2003) will create difficulties for Government in managing its finances related to personnel. It states that it will be important to review the financial implications of aggregated allowances before they are implemented.