Accra, Ghana – The training of Liberian diplomatic officers and staff at its Embassy in Accra, Ghana, has begun, according to a team from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Monrovia. The eight-member group has been conducting a week-long training session on “Performance Management System” under the direction of Mrs. Thelma C. Duncan-Sawyer, Deputy Foreign Minister for Administration. This programme is anticipated to be repeated in other Liberian foreign embassies around Africa.
According to a press release from the Liberian Embassy in Accra, the World Bank is funding the training, which falls under the Public Sector Modernization Programme. Deputy Minister Duncan-Sawyer made the following introductions to diplomatic officers and personnel, emphasising the value of the training for their individual assignments in diplomacy and other relevant fields.
“The training is intended to build the capacity of the Embassy’s staff in the area of performance management systems with respect to your job description.”
The importance of the training and its potential effects at the selected Liberian overseas embassies were further emphasised by Emmanuel M. Redd, Senior Head of Human Resources at the Ministry of Overseas Affairs.
Providing an in-depth explanation, Mr. Redd gave a detailed description of the significance of the training programme, highlighting its goal to improve the home office database’s capabilities. He emphasised that the training is a calculated investment in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’s technology infrastructure, with the goal of streamlining communication and guaranteeing regular data synchronisation between the home office and Liberian embassies abroad. They are starting this process with the mission in Accra, Ghana.
Mr. Redd stated that the course covers a number of important topics, such as reporting and accountability, cybersecurity measures, real-time data synchronisation, enhanced communication protocols, and database management skills. Subsequently, he clarified that the World Bank views this training programme as an essential first step in updating the Ministry’s strategy for diplomacy and foreign relations.
“The World Bank is establishing new benchmarks for quality and efficiency in the management of Liberia’s foreign missions for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs by investing in the capabilities of its technical systems and the talents of its Foreign Service Staff.”
The statement further states that on the first day of the training, Mr. Alfred W. Nyanaso, Officer-In-Charge of the Assistant Minister of Administration, gave lectures on “The Importance of the Performance Management System,” or PMS.
Through his PowerPoint presentation, Mr. Nyanaso stated that the PMS creates a high work performance culture and increases efficacy, efficiency, and outcomes, among other things. It also provides each person with a clear task junction in relation to their job descriptions. Additionally, he said that the PMS determines each person’s demands for capacity growth, motivation, advancement, and development.
Philip Garjay Innis, Charge d’Affaires of the Liberian Embassy in Accra, praised Dee Max S. Kemayan, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, for his reform initiatives at the Ministry, which led to the training.
The training, which started on December 14, 2023, is expected to last until December 21, 2023, after which the delegation will be headed to the Liberian embassies in Abuja and Abidjan in the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Republic of La Cote d’Ivoire, respectively, the release concludes.
