Neneh Dabo describes her experience with public sector reform as part of the Anti-Corruption Commission of Sierra Leone. Outlining the circumstances surrounding the creation of the commission, she elaborates on how the move for reform was spearheaded by the desire to address institutional corruption and meet the need for a professional cadre of civil servants. Dabo discusses the steps taken to ensure efficient delivery of public services, starting with the consolidation of information to determine key reform priorities and going on to discuss the efforts to downsize the civil service and streamline recruitment. Acknowledging the challenges involved in improving the service, she stresses the importance of ensuring management accountability and compliance monitoring when working for the success of reform. Dabo further elaborates on the subject of capacity building and discusses existing training and recruitment procedures, emphasizing the need to increase the attractiveness of a civil service career, possibly through fiscal incentives. Ultimately, she stresses the importance of both training and oversight for effective reform, noting the need to learn from the successful stories of others.
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Neneh Dabo was the director of corruption prevention and community relations of the Sierra Leone Anti-Corruption Commission. She served in the government civil service before she was seconded to the commission, which she joined upon its inception in 2000. Dabo’s career in public service involved her appointment as permanent secretary in both the Ministry of Works & Technical Maintenance and the Ministry of Labor. She also served as assistant secretary, and later, deputy secretary, in the office of the president. A graduate of the University of Sierra Leone, Dabo attended several post-graduate courses in public sector management, human resource development, general administration and commonwealth diplomatic training.