Draft Civil Service, Pension Reform, Under Review
Thursday 13th March 2008

By Baboucarr Senghore

In a bid to ensure equitable and sustainable policies for a competent and efficient public service, the Department of State for Finance and Economic Affairs, in collaboration with partners, is reported to be on the verge of completing the review of the Draft Civil Service and Pension reforms.

Stakeholders recently converged at the Atlantic Hotel to review the draft civil service and pension reforms which, among other things, aim to critically examine and review the analytical study done by the World Bank and African Development Bank in the areas of salaries, allowances and pension reforms.

This study, a response to government’s request submitted a year ago for a comprehensive capacity assessment in the Public Service Sector, proposes salaries and pension benefits, strengthening payroll, establishment of controls, human resource management and training.

Among the key areas of the civil service reform is the improvement of the remuneration package, strengthening of institutional capacity for policy formulation, analysis and implementation, and the promotion of ethical values to ensure transparency, accountability and the introduction of meritocracy into the service.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Mr. Omar G. Sallah, Permanent Secretary at the Personnel Management Office, underscored the importance of Public Service Sector Reform under the supervision and control of a legitimate state authority. “Given the fact that it has now taken more than six years to come to this stage of the process, you will agree with me that Public Service Sector Reform is not an easy task,” Mr. Sallah said.

According to Permanent Secretary Sallah, the essence of the strategy highlights the urgent need for equitable and sustainable policies to provide for a cost-effective retention strategy, salary and allowance reform among other things.

For his part, Mr. Vitalie Muntean, acting UNDP Resident Representative, said civil service has become imperative in The Gambia owing to the need to develop an effective and result-oriented civil service to prop the implementation of the country’s development strategy and plans in a sustainable manner.

According to the UNDP representative, the dynamics of civil service reform and institutional capacity development require strong political will with a long-term perspective.

“In line with this principle and the need for an efficient, transparent public service as set out in the National Governance Policy, UNDP has supported and encouraged a continuous policy dialogue with the government, civil society and development partners, leading towards a strong commitment by all key stakeholders for a comprehensive civil service reform in The Gambia,” he concluded.