By Amin Kef Sesay
The International Professional Managers Association (IPMA) has awarded outstanding Sierra Leoneans Honorary Fellowship Awards for their exemplary performance and at the same time admitted into the Institute for Productivity and Public Management (IPPUM). This event took place on the 7th May 2021 at the Radisson Blu Hotel.
Those awarded include the Auditor General, Lara Taylor-Pearce, the Deputy Speaker of Parliament Honorable Solomon Sengepoh Thomas, Secretary to the President, Dr. Julius Fofanah Sandi, the Director-General of the Human Resource Office (HRMO), Ansu Tucker, the Director Public Sector Reform Unit, Georgiana Kamara, the Managing Director of Rokel Commercial Bank Ekundayo Gilpin and Justice Bintu Alhadi.
Two young Sierra Leoneans, Odelia George and Janet Jajua, were certified for their exceptional performances in public examinations were also certified.
Kobi Walker, the Chief Executive Officer of the National Petroleum Sierra Leone Limited, who Chaired the event stated that : “As President of the Employers Federation we recently launched a productivity portal whereby we are going to work with our social partner, the Sierra Leone Labour Congress, and the Ministry of Labour to inculcate a paradigm shift in the mindsets of not only employers but employees as well.”
The erudite CEO maintained that, “COVID-19 has open new windows whereby we can increase productivity.”
He furthered that: “Before, we never knew that we can virtualize and get productive results, before we never knew how effective automation can be; before we never knew we can work from home effectively and productively.”
Koi Walker quoted Paul Kruman by stating: “Productivity is not everything. In the long run, it is going to be almost everything. So we must appreciate productivity. When people are productive it is always nice to be closer to them, it might rub off you as well,” he said.
He continued by stating that productivity is the measure of the efficiency of people, firms, Government and economies adding how it is the use of resources to produce goods and services to maximize benefit during a given period.
Kobi Walker pointed, “What Sierra Leone is going through shows that the country is yearning for productivity, is pushing for productivity.”
He said the flagship program of the present Government is human capital development underscoring that as a country we are aware that once human capital is developed then it is possible to increase productivity.
The Chairman of the event said productivity can foster and drive so many things emphasizing how matters because higher production will lead to higher economic growth, higher wages and salaries.
He stated how higher productivity would lead to much profit and growth not only for the enterprise but as well as for the country as a whole.
Kobi Walker argued that once we all begin to appreciate the concept of higher productivity then we can take this country to another pedestal.
International Consultant to the Government of Sierra Leone, George Smith-Graham, explained that the International Institute in Productivity and Public Management was set up to promote productivity in Africa. “We research and translate discoveries into practical procedures, to enhance productivity and efficiency in public management,” he informed.
He continued y stating, “while the private sector might have certain inherent procedures that marked its growth, we believe that promoting productivity and achievement in the public sector can have a positive spill-over effect on other sectors and ultimately drive private sector growth.”
Smith-Graham explained that restoration of productivity in the public sector informs policymakers on the need to develop actionable plans that have a direct bearing on the private sector, and for that reason the vision of the institute of IPMA is to be the global leader in productivity measurement, driving high productivity and transforming organizations.
“We therefore train and develop resource personnel for both public and private organizations to keep nations at the forefront of the productivity agenda in Africa. In the light of that organizations and individuals do come to us to get transformed and that is our tag line.”
Smith-Graham further explained that a very major pay policy was implemented in Ghana. “The Government of Ghana spent almost 7O% of its total revenue in paying public sector workers and then the pressure started mounting because the nexus between monies spent and productivity could not be established,” he intimated.
“They were paying them but their salaries were not linked to productivity and the country started demanding a linkage to productivity,” he disclosed.
Smith-Graham said, “it is important to link the public sector salaries to productivity. As we speak currently, the Government of Sierra Leone is in the process of introducing the Wages and Compensation Commission. Implementing a new public sector wages and compensation policy, I am convinced that the same situation will arise here.
He said already it is know that the Government is spending so much of its tax revenue on public sector compensation and so it is important to go ahead, conduct research and help the country.
He explained that to enhance productivity there is need for meaningful input to be made as such input would be transformed to an output and that output would be transformed into an outcome and that is the impact that output would have on the general business.
Smith-Graham said the new public management system are deliberate policies and actions meant to significantly change the public sector in terms of its structures, process, behaviors and mindsets with the ultimate aim of improving capacity for efficient and effective public sector management, and for that reason they decided to team up with a very reputable international organizations.
The International Professional Managers Association in the UK avails practicing managers the opportunity to participate and improve managerial performances and effectiveness within various business enterprises.
Its primary objective is to improve skills concerning effective management through examinations and qualifying licensing schemes and to create awareness, understanding of new technologies and new techniques of management so that qualified managers would have the necessary skills to enable them to have satisfying and rewarding careers in Management.
He said the awardees have joined the global strategic network of Certified International Professional Managers.
Smith-Graham revealed that they are going to hold their first international seminar here in Sierra Leone on the topic of moving Sierra Leone forward stating how it is their aim that the Government would come up with strategies that would move Sierra Leone’s economy.
Justice Bintu Alhadi, who was the keynote speaker said there are values that we need to support, stand for as well as to build the country’s human resource base. “Professionalism is easy to say but it is hard to draw the cart.
“I realize that what the organization is about to do is something that would add value to our country. Our managers need to increase their productivity. Sierra Leone has got to a stage that requires professional Managers.”
