Speaking at a ceremony held at the state House in Banjul, President Barrow stated that these are four very senior and critical positions that can make a huge difference in the government’s performance and the development of the country. He added he is confident that the appointees were aware of this and ready to do their utmost in the service of the people.
“Taking the oaths of office, secrecy and allegiance is an essential administrative requirement to bind public servants to the principles, regulations, duties and tasks linked to their statuses and the expectations of the people at large. It is a procedure that also accords persons appointed to specified positions to publicly declare their willingness, readiness, and commitment to take up public office in accordance with the trust, expectations and confidence that go with it,” the president said.
He pointed out that the minister has a big task ahead and that a government cannot make meaningful progress without a fully functional, effective, and efficient public service, nor can the public institutions perform in the absence of proper policies and plans to guide appropriate programme delivery.
He added that the reforms initiated by his government are still in progress and need to be pursued vigorously for the attainment of the desired results.
“People argue that the country needs to regain the glory that the public service was known for decades ago; that is one marked by professionalism and commitment to serving the country through its invaluable human resource. Importantly, our institutions cannot strive for excellence if we do not have a continuous staff performance appraisal system in line with the new public service mandate.”
Barrow continued that these are linked with the new Ministry’s mandate of policy coordination and delivery, which are vital in the administration of the Civil Service. “Certainly, there cannot be efficient service or programme delivery without proper policy coordination and administration.”
He said entrusting the appointees with the big responsibility of the administration and guiding the policy direction of the four ministries is for them to deliver on their respective sector mandates.
