CSA Extends Hands-On Training to Ministries and Agencies of Government

In its pursuit to enrich personnel abilities within the civil service, the Civil Service Agency (CSA) conducted a four-day training in general administration and management skills for staff from ministries and agencies of government.

The training focused on providing civil servants with the requisite requirements on how to provide a good working environment, provide motivation at work, upgrade their knowledge, and improve productivity and transparency in providing services to the general public. Participants in the training were over twenty staff from the Ministries of Labor, Agriculture, Education, Commerce, and Industry, along with a few originating from the Civil Service Agency.

In the opening session, the Principal Administrative Officer (PAO) of the CSA, Mr. Alfred Drosaye, encouraged participants to be more focused and take every aspect of the training seriously so that they can impact their institutions positively in the right directions in reaching their goals.

The training covered a variety of topics, including time and stress management, client service management, team building and teamwork, professional office management, strategic thinking and planning, and front desk management. In addition to the topics, there were: organizational security, health and safety, and the Civil Service Standing Orders for Civil Service.

Speaking on time and stress management, Mr. Jonah Kotee highlighted the importance of such practices in the workplace and emphasized that civil servants should put adequate time into their urgent office tasks instead of spending more time on their phones randomly browsing.

Mr. Julius Parker lectured on client service management and stated that civil servants should always act positively and calmly whenever they receive feedback from their clients and customers. He also advised that they always promptly respond to the needs and services of their clients to avoid tension and backlash.

Also conducted by Mr. Jonah Kotee, team building and teamwork provided civil servants with the basic know-how on the stages of forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjoining as the five most important pillars of every team role and responsibility in effective decision-making, communication, and resourceful support.

Professional office management was presented by Mr. Alexander Bassey, who was concerned with the planning, coordinating, and controlling of office activities with a view to achieving the objectives of governmental agencies or institutions, providing a smooth workflow, maintaining office efficiency, managing survival and growth, and providing innovative ideas.

The training covered strategic thinking and planning, facilitated by Mr. Greg Bedell. The teaching focused on a long-term organizational plan for staff to achieve personal and institutional progress in reaching their goals and objectives. In addition, Mr. Bedell mentioned that every institution should learn to plan because it helps staff gather data and decide on the path their divisions will take in achieving goals.

Mr. Ignatius Geegbae presented on front desk management and thereby delved into how staff should interact with their customers, be it in the public or private sector. He said that an important tool for all front desk administrators is to always greet customers, as such an act will create positive customers’ relationships and significantly increase customers’ service delivery.

The training also addressed the critical aspect of organizational health, safety, and security, with a focus on the wellbeing of workers health, safety, and security, which should be a priority for every individual. The lecture was presented by Mr. Henry Jornkatonor, who advised participants working in hazardous environments to beware of their surroundings and to inform their management of safety measures, as it is the requirement of every institution to protect its employees.

Furthermore, the civil servant Standing Orders was a key topic that provided insight and experience on how it helps govern civil servants by establishing standards, maintaining orders, resolving disputes, and protecting their liberties and rights. Competency, integrity, fairness, transparency, and accountability should be the standard of every civil servant, as presented by Mr. Augustus Kamara.

In special remarks, Hon. James A. Thompson, Director-General, CSA, commended the Career Management and Training Division for hosting such a remarkable training and also encouraged the participants to push themselves to do more on their jobs and write down what they need to do and what they ought to achieve at their places of work. Speaking during the certification process, Hon. Thompson stated that “it is not about the amount of work you put in, but how you plan to become more proactive on a job that makes you better at what you do”.

The training was organized by the Career Management and Training Division, a division headed by Mr. Claudius Broderick (Director) and Mrs. Kumba G. Zotaa-Kaidii (Assistant Director) within the Civil Service Agency.

The Civil Service Agency (CSA), established in 1973, is a central government agency with statutory responsibility for ensuring a merit-oriented system throughout the Civil Service, as well as ensuring that civil servants’ rights are properly protected and that uniformly high standards of personnel administration are practiced in every government agency.