By Politico Staff Writer
Cabinet Ministers together with their deputies have signed a performance contract, committing to deliver on the government’s manifesto.
During the ceremony held at State House on the 12th April 2024, President Julius Maada Bio spoke about the relevance of the contract for ministers to deliver to the people.
“The signing of the Ministerial Performance Contract underscores our commitment to transparency, accountability, and excellence in governance. As public servants, we must uphold the highest standards of performance and integrity, recognizing the immense responsibility entrusted to us by the people of Sierra Leone”, President Bio said.
He stressed that it is important that they can track their journey and render accounts to the citizens in whose stead they hold office, adding that the contract has allowed them set clear objectives, articulate strategies for their achievement, and to be held accountable for the outcomes.
“This performance contract signing serves as a crucial mechanism for demonstrating our dedication to effectively fulfilling our duties and responsibilities as public servants,” the president said.
Bio pointed out that one way to lay a strong foundation for an effective state management is to have core members of the executive along with their deputies, technical and administrative staff, commit to effective service delivery.
He warned that “As leaders and stewards of public resources, we must ensure their judicious utilization for the betterment of our nation. We must strive for excellence in service delivery, prioritizing efficiency, effectiveness, and equity in all our actions”.
Vice President Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh in his address said“We are here to continue with a process that was initiated by His Excellency, President Julius Maada Bio, in 2019. The President wants ministers to know that he has to deliver on the social contract the people of Sierra Leone entrusted to him while seeking their votes.”
Jalloh stated that the contract is aimed at tracking, monitoring, and ensuring the President, Minsters and their deputies get the ability to see their respective results in line with the government’s manifesto commitment to the people, emphasizing on delivering on the ticket of human capital development.
Chief Minister Dr. David Moinina Sengeh said the signing of the ministerial performance contracts has brought him a profound sense of responsibility and optimism for what lies ahead, stating that each ministerial performance contract had been crafted meticulously with ambitious yet achievable targets.
Sengeh said the contracts are closely aligned with the government's Big Five Game-changers and the Medium-Term National Development Plan for 2024–2030.
“These are the core functions of our ministries, departments and agencies, there is a shared vision of critical end-of-year output to focus on, and we must do so as one government” he noted.
Copyright © 2024 Politico (15/04/24)
