George Pessima describes his central role in the efforts to reform the Sierra Leonean civil service. Pessima argues that though the Sierra Leonean service was once one of the best in Africa, it has been in rapid decline, in large part because of its unnecessarily massive size, the under-qualification of many of its employees, and the rates of pay, which he describes as being some of the lowest in Africa. Pessima emphasizes the importance of fair and open recruitment through the publication of openings which include full job descriptions. He goes on to identify the promotion system and the lack of extensive training facilities for a number of sectors as the major areas which require immediate attention and reform. 

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.