-Sends High-Level Inter-Ministerial Delegation On Study Tour In Sierra Leone
By G Bennie Bravo Johnson I
A high-level inter-ministerial delegation, led by the Director-General of the Cabinet of Liberia, Hon. Nathaniel T. Kwabo, is currently on a one-week study tour in Sierra Leone to gain insights into the Performance Management System (PMS) implemented by the Government of Sierra Leone.
The tour which sick off from February 24 to March 1, 2025, brings together key Liberian government officials, including staff from the Cabinet Office and representatives from the Ministry of Finance, Civil Service Agency, and Governance Commission—institutions that play a central role in implementing Liberia’s PMCS.
The study tour follows the launch of Liberia’s Performance Management and Compliance System (PMCS) by His Excellency President Joseph Nyumah Boakai as part of efforts to strengthen accountability, transparency, and service delivery across government institutions.
The Director-General of the Cabinet of Liberia, Hon. Nathaniel T. Kwabo, averted that the Performance Management System (PMS) study tour will enhance Liberia’s planning, monitoring, and evaluation aspects of the system, emphasizing the need for strong political will in driving compliance and institutional accountability.
Director Kwabo intimated that during the first day of the session, the Liberian delegation explored how the PMCS is integrated into Sierra Leone’s national budget planning, with the Ministry of Finance playing a key role in linking performance objectives to budget allocations.
Director Kwabo continued by adding that
the sessions underscored the importance of citizen engagement in making the PMCS a success and ensuring that government institutions remain responsive to national development goals.
“One of the key takeaways from the first day was the critical role of strong political will in driving successful performance management reforms. Sierra Leone’s experience highlighted that firm presidential leadership, well-defined institutional mandates, and robust enforcement mechanisms are essential for ensuring compliance and accountability.”
The Director-General of the Liberian Cabinet asserted that the alignment of institutional performance management and employee performance management are key factors in ensuring that government institutions and individual employees are held accountable for their contributions to national development goals.
He asserted that the integration of PMCS into the national budgeting framework is a best practice that ensures that performance targets are directly linked to resource allocation and financial planning, – a model Director Kwabo employed that Liberia can explore.
“The structured alignment of institutional performance management and employee performance management was identified as a key factor in ensuring that government institutions and individual employees are held accountable for their contributions to national development goals. Additionally, the integration of PMCS into the national budgeting framework was emphasized as a best practice, ensuring that performance targets are directly linked to resource allocation and financial planning, a model that Liberia can explore to strengthen its own system.” DG Kwabo
Hon. Kwabo noted that the PMCS, managed by the Office of the Director-General of the Cabinet, is designed to promote a performance-driven culture in the public sector, ensuring that ministries, agencies, and commissions align their work with national development priorities. About 90 institutions have signed performance contracts for the 2024 cycle and are actively implementing their assigned targets.
Meanwhile, the Director-General of the Cabinet of Liberia, Hon. Nathaniel T. Kwabo employed that the visit to Sierra Leone provides an opportunity for knowledge exchange, partnership building, and the identification of best practices that Liberia can adopt to enhance its own system.
Hon. Kwabo expressed gratitude to the Government of Sierra Leone for its warm reception and reaffirmed Liberia’s commitment to learning from Sierra Leone’s experience.
In his deliberation, he revealed that the first day of the study tour which began with a high-level meeting between the Liberian delegation and the Office of the Chief Minister of Sierra Leone, was followed by strategic discussions with the leadership of the Sierra Leone Cabinet Secretariat. Furthermore, he said the delegation engaged with senior government officials, directors, and technical experts to gain firsthand insights into Sierra Leone’s approach to performance management.
Kwabo, as head of the delegation, revealed
In the next few days of the study tour, there will be several meetings and presentations covering performance management tools, tracking systems, compliance enforcement, and institutional accountability.
The Director-General of the Cabinet of Liberia stated that the sessions will examine how Sierra Leone’s PMCS aligns with national development strategies, how performance monitoring data is collected and analyzed, and how performance contracts are designed and enforced.
He added that the delegation will also visit various government institutions to observe the system in practice and engage with public officials on implementation challenges and solutions. Kwabo added that field visits to a municipality will further provide insights into how the PMCS functions at the decentralized level, particularly in ensuring that service delivery at the local level aligns with national performance targets.
The study tour will conclude with a reflection session where the Liberian delegation will consolidate key lessons learned and explore opportunities for continued engagement between the two countries.
He believes that as Liberia moves forward in strengthening its PMCS, this collaboration with Sierra Leone represents a valuable step toward institutionalizing a culture of performance-driven governance.
In addition, he assured that the Office of the Director-General of the Cabinet remains committed to ensuring that Liberia’s public sector operates with transparency, efficiency, and accountability, delivering meaningful outcomes for all Liberians.
