David Kialain

Senior Manager
Public Sector Reform Program, Liberia
Focus Area(s)
Civil Service
Critical Tasks
Inter-ministerial coordination
Training
Civil service corruption
Civil service recruitment
Performance management system
Interviewers
Summer Lopez
Country of Reform
Liberia
Town/City
Monrovia
Country
Liberia
Date of Interview
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Abstract

David Kialain details his involvement in public sector reform in Liberia, elaborating on the role of the Governance Commission in initiating change within Liberia. Dr. Kialain identifies problems and suggests possible solutions to governmental reform, touching upon the lack of harmonization across governmental agencies, the inadequate human resource capacity, the difficulties in collaborating with numerous stakeholders to bring about reform, and the steps needed to ensure a positive response to reform initiatives. He outlines the work the Governance Commission has undertaken, including the development of civil service rules and procedures, a code of conduct for public servants, and an anti-corruption law. He further talks of the importance of attracting and retaining professionals to work within governance, discussing methods to reduce political and social influences in employee recruitment and promotion. Conscious of the heavy reliance on external assistance in Liberia, Kialain stresses the need for tailoring reform to Liberia such that Liberian leadership spearheads the country towards a better future, one where the right people have the right jobs.     

Full Interview

47 MB
David Kialain - Full Interview
Profile

At the time of this interview, David Kialain was the senior manager of the public sector reform program in Liberia's Governance Commission.  He had previously served as the executive director of the Governance Commission and as a policy economist for the Ministry of Planning and Economic Affairs. Dr. Kialain also worked as an international consultant funded by the British government under the Department for International Development (DFID). His non-governmental experience includes international missionary work for the United Methodist Church in Nigeria, the United States and Sierra Leone. He obtained masters degrees in human resource development from Georgia State University in the U.S. and in economics from the University of Windsor, Canada and earned his Ph.D. in Public Administration from Georgia State University.

Keywords
public sector reform
capacity building
code of conduct
Not specified