SG Urges Permanent Secretaries to Make Retreat Resolutions Better Service Delivery

By: Lamin B. Darboe & Sarjo M. Camara

The Secretary-General (SG) and Head of the Civil Service has informed the Permanent Secretaries to keep in their mind when they return to their various offices after their just-ended retreat to keep in their minds resolutions put forward during the synergy to make them their guiding light for better service delivery.

Salimatou E. Touray made this remark on Thursday as she delivered her closing remark at the end of a three-day official first-quarter Permanent Secretaries’ (PS) Retreat in 2023, held at Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara Conference Center, Bijilo.

According to SG Touray, the retreat availed them (PSs) the opportunity to enhance team building, and able to clarify roles and expectations, diffuse tensions identify the contributions of participants at all levels and issues affecting staff welfare.

She informed PSs that the three Cs: Consultation, Coordination, and Communication are key buzzwords that should feature prominently in their language, actions, and ethos.

“The Department for Coordination and Delivery under the Ministry of Public Service will be reaching out to your various institutions regularly for updates on your projects and programs and let me assure you of my office’s readiness to offer support to MDAs to deliver efficiently and effectively and improve the lives and the livelihood of the citizenry,” SG informed.

Meanwhile, the Secretary-General conveyed her deepest appreciation to all the participants for their meaningful contributions to their work, while she equally extended special appreciation to the dynamic team from the Ministry of Public Service for ensuring that the retreat went through.

For his part, the Minister of Public Service, Administrative Reforms, Policy Coordination, and Delivery, Baboucarr Bouy said the retreat was designed diversely in collaboration with his Ministry and the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs.

Minister Bouy emphasized that the retreat has always created a platform where sectors discuss progress being registered on the implementation of the National Development Plan (NDP), its challenges, as well as lessons learned.

“We learned useful lessons from the implementation of the previous NDP and each Permanent Secretary has gained a clear understanding of the objectives, priorities, and indicators of the RF-NDP that needs to be captured in their strategic plans as well as timelines for the development of the strategic plans,” Minister Bouy stated.