Baboucarr Bouy, minister of Public Service And President Barrow
By Buba Gagigo
The Ministry of Public Service has launched a series of reforms, including a pay and grading review, pension reform, and the introduction of loan recycling schemes. These measures are designed to attract, retain, and motivate skilled technical and professional personnel within the civil service.
These announcements were made as Honourable Baboucarr Bouy, along with his technical team, presented the Ministry’s key reform agenda at the Presidential Delivery Forum.
“The Director of the Ministry, Mr Sheriff Jallow reported that the Ministry has introduced pay reform, pay and grading review, pension reform, and recycling of loan schemes among others to successfully attract, retain, and motivate technical and professional personnel into the civil service. It was also reported that a new directorate has been established due to the new Public Service Pension Act, enacted in 2022,” State House said.
The State House further noted that one of the primary goals of these reforms is to enhance discipline, ethical conduct, and performance standards among civil servants.
“The team reported that electronic clocks have been installed in 20 Ministries and a further 100 procured to be installed in MDAs. This will instill discipline to promote good governance, transparency, and accountability among civil servants and improve the image of the civil service in time management,” they said.
According to the State House, the Ministry, with support from the World Bank, is leading a Public Administration Modernization Project (PAMP). This project aims to improve fiscal and human resource management, ultimately leading to better service delivery.
The project’s key contributions include:
✓ Strengthen the management of public revenue expenditures and audit reports of government to improve accountability and decision-making.
✓ Strengthen public administration.
✓ Improve transparency and citizen engagement in service delivery.During the session, President Barrow acknowledged the Ministry’s efforts and suggested establishing a monitoring team to provide professional guidance, ensuring Ministries and civil servants become more productive.
“Mr Jallow reported that the Ministry has developed recruitment guidelines that outline the processes, best practices, and strategies for recruiting and selecting candidates for a job to re-institutionalise meritocracy, due process, and professionalism in personnel administration. He added the Ministry is strategically reviewing the General Orders, the Public Service Act 1991, development and review of policies, among other reviews,” State House reported.
Honourable Bouy stressed that the reforms are intended to improve both service delivery and the welfare of civil servants. “What matters to us is the quality of service we are delivering,” he stated.
President Barrow praised the Minister and his team for their significant achievements, noting that the decision to transform the Public Management Office into a Ministry was indeed a commendable move.
“The Barrow administration saw the need to restore Public Service core values and create behavioural change, hence the Government of The Gambia established the Ministry of Public Service aimed at providing efficient and effective civil service,” they concluded.