By: Lamin B. Darboe
Senior Communication Officer, MoPS
The Secretary to Cabinet (SC) and Head of the Civil Service, Alieu Njie, said the Permanent Secretaries’ retreat has not only diagnosed key challenges in government delivery systems but has also set out clear steps toward action and implementation.
Speaking on Thursday, April 30, 2026, while presiding over the closing ceremony of a four-day retreat held at the Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara International Conference Center in Bijilo, Njie said the discussions had produced practical directions for strengthening public sector performance.
He said the retreat focused on improving government delivery systems, including the establishment of a central mechanism to track and unblock initiatives; aligning plans and budgets with fiscal realities; and prioritising a limited number of high-impact deliverables.
Other priority areas, he added, included improving cash flow management and addressing arrears to enhance predictability in implementation; strengthening public investment management by ensuring only priority-aligned and ready projects are implemented; and institutionalising performance and accountability systems, including tracking and enforcing audit recommendations.
Njie also highlighted the need to accelerate digital integration and data systems to support evidence-based decision-making, as well as improving civil service effectiveness through enhanced performance management, skills development, and workforce planning.
He stressed that the success of the retreat would not be measured by the discussions held, but by the actions taken thereafter.
“The success of this retreat will not be measured by the quality of discussions, but by what happens next,” he said.
Njie urged Permanent Secretaries to strengthen prioritisation within their sectors, enforce implementation timelines, improve coordination among ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs), and pay closer attention to data, reporting, and performance tracking. He also called for strict compliance with procurement, financial management, and audit requirements.
He encouraged a shift from a reactive system to one that anticipates and manages challenges proactively, noting that Permanent Secretaries are operating within a defined and limited timeframe.
“The coming months will be critical for demonstrating progress under the National Development Plan. The pressures we are already seeing—fiscal, social and economic—will not reduce. They will intensify,” he warned.
Njie said honesty about existing constraints was essential if the government is to successfully implement the Recovery-Focused National Development Plan.
He noted that while systems such as IFMIS, GovPay and ERMS have been introduced, their full integration and enforcement remain incomplete, limiting timely, evidence-based decision-making.