Ibrahim Tarawallie

The establishment Secretary of Sierra Leone Thursday said the civil service in the country lacks the capacity to carry out its duties.

Speaking to journalists at the ministry of information and communications' conference room, Dr. Julius Sandy said in the civil service's capacity is the weakest adding that training of civil servants has been fragmented.

He said the capacity of the civil service needs to be strengthened and that a group of professionals would be drawing up a national training policy for civil servants.

“Once the national training policy has been drawn, it will be taken to parliament for approval,” he said.

On the issue of retirement, the establishment secretary said civil servants would retire on reaching the national retirement age, which is 60 years or above. He confirmed signing 622 retirements' letters.

“It is not a political decision but an administrative decision of which I am responsible, he said, adding, “Efforts are on the way to verify all civil servants across the country.”

With regards the retirements of civil servants, Sandy said he is not answerable to any cabinet minister but the president who is the minister of the establishment office.

“We have not retired any civil servant that does not reach the retirement age. I have asked the accountant to remove 240 names on the pay roll,” he said.

He said they have about 70, 917 public servants on the pay roll of which close to 17,000 are civil servants adding that they have 9, 594 police officers.