President Adama Barrow on Thursday presided over the swearing-in ceremony of the new minister of Public Service, Administrative Reform and Policy, Baboucarr Bouye and three newly appointed Permanent Secretaries from the Ministries of Health, Foreign Affairs and Fisheries. The ceremony took place at the State House in Banjul.
Addressing the newly sworn-in public officials, President Barrow thanked them for accepting to serve the nation in their various positions.
He said 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.“
President Barrow described the Public Service Ministry as the
nerve centre of the Government machinery, thus reminding the newly appointed minister of the huge tasks ahead.
“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.
These are linked with the new Ministry’s mandate of policy coordination and delivery, which are key in the administration of the Civil Service. Certainly, there cannot be efficient service or programme delivery without proper policy coordination and administration,“ he told the gathering.
Also, he added, significantly central in the development process are the Health, Foreign Affairs and Fisheries sectors, for which these three Permanent Secretaries are appointed.
“Their performance will have far-reaching implications for the people, the economy and our national image, standing and relations with the world,“ he remarked.
Source: DOIS. Article was rewritten by LTN
