A delegation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Monrovia has commenced the training of Liberian diplomatic officers and staff at its embassy in Accra, Ghana.
Headed by the Deputy Foreign Minister for Administration, Thelma C. Duncan-Sawyer, the eight-member delegation has been conducting a week-long training, tagged, “Performance Management System”, which is expected to be replicated to other Liberian foreign missions across Africa.
A release from the Liberian embassy in Accra says the training is under the Public Sector Modernization Program and is sponsored by the World Bank.
During her introductory remarks, Deputy Minister Duncan-Sawyer told diplomatic officers and staff of the importance of the training to their respective assigned diplomatic and other related tasks.
“The training is intended to build the capacity of the embassy’s staff in the area of performance management system with respect to your job description,” she noted during Friday’s opening session.
Emmanuel M. Redd, Sr., Head of Human Resources at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, further buttressed the essence of the training and the impact it would have at the targeted Liberian foreign missions.
Providing an in-depth explanation on the importance of the training program, Redd emphasized that it is designed to enhance the capabilities of the home office database, according to the release. He then emphasized that the training is a strategic investment in the technological infrastructure of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, aiming to streamline communication and ensure consistent data synchronization between the home office and Liberian foreign missions around the world, for which they are now beginning with the mission in Accra, Ghana.
According to Redd, the training covers several key areas, including database management skills, real-time data synchronization, enhanced communication protocols, cybersecurity measures, and reporting and accountability.
He then made it clear that the World Bank envisages this training program as a critical step towards modernizing the ministry’s approach to international relations and diplomacy.
“As such, investing in the skills of foreign service staff and the capabilities of its technological systems, the World Bank is setting for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs a new standard for excellence and efficiency in managing Liberia’s foreign missions,” he asserted.
The first day of the training also saw Alfred W. Nyanaso, Officer-In-Charge of the Assistant Minister of Administration, offering lectures on “The Importance of The Performance Management System (or PMS)”, the release adds.
Via his PowerPoint presentation, Nyanaso mentioned that the PMS produces high work performance culture, improves effectiveness, efficiency and produces results as well as giving clear job functions to each employee in relationship with job description, among others. He also stated that the PMS identifies individual skills for promotion, motivation, capacity building and development needs.
Speaking earlier, the Charge d’Affaires of the Liberian Embassy in Accra, Philip Garjay Innis, through the delegation thanked the Minister of Foreign Affairs, His Excellency Dee Max S. Kemayah, for his reform initiatives at the ministry, out of which the training comes.
The training, which started on December 14, is expected to last till the 21st of December 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, the release concludes.