PSRU Presents Final Management and Functional Report On NDMA
By Mohamed Konneh
The Public Sector Reform Unit (PSRU) on Thursday 2nd November 2023 presented the Final Management and Functional Review report on the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA).
The report looked into the agency’s organogram, it functionality, the legal regime and other activities.
Making the presentation, the Acting Director of PSRU, Sulaiman Foray Musa said it is good that a review was conducted on the NDMA on its management and functions.
He said it is always good to look at managements and functions as this will guide the agency in moving forward.
The exercise he said started in August of this year and that the report is now out with details of the operations of the agency.
‘The Public Sector Reform Unit provides leadership coordination and strategic guidance in the design, implementation and monitoring of public sector monitoring initiatives. The objective of this exercise was to assess the agency, adopting the quantitative and qualitative methodology to do the exercise. Structure semi tailored interview were also used and that thematic areas were looked into,’ Mr. Musa said.
The Acting Director General of PSRU said the NDMA Act was also looked into, its organisational structure, coordination and lot more.
Mr. Musa noted that the review recommended that the agency strengthens its collaboration and coordination with all MDAs performing similar roles and responsibilities through a well-managed coordination mechanism.
He however noted that there is lack of coordination with MDAs such as the Environment Protection Agency (EPA), and the National Protected Area Authority (NPAA).
On the findings he said an examination of the NDMA act of 2020 reveals several gaps and challenges which include the lack of regulatory instrument to guide its implementation and to enforce compliance.
On this aspect the PRSU recommended that the NDMA Act 2020 should be reviewed and a regulation develop to strengthen the enforcement mechanisms of the agency.
‘The review inherent technical and administrative challenges upon examination of the current organogram and this is something that needs to look into moving forward. The agency is constrained to acquire resources for stock piling of its warehouse in MacDonald and Port Loko and its mobile supply units in Makeni, Bo and Kenema respectively.
As for the next step, he said is for the report to be submitted for approval at the steering committee on public sector reform and to also submitted to cabinet for implementation.
Responding to the report, the Director General of the NDMA Rtd Brigadier, Brima Sesay thanked the Public Sector Reform Unit for such a marvellous job.
‘We are a new agency and therefore we are open to such engagement and to deliver on our task as spelt out in the NDMA Act. As an emergency agency we are tasked to manage all disasters and emergencies in the country and to also develop the capacities of communities to respond to disasters effectively and efficiently,’ he said.
The NDMA Director General said they as an agency want to deliver on their mandate and the dream of the president.
‘We went to work the sooner the agency was launched by President Julius Maada Bio and that the review was necessary as it will make the agency better if we continue to go through this exercise. The NDMA is critical to the big five game changer of the government and that we will do what we need to, so as to implement the findings of this report.
‘We will take this piece of work forward and that we are always open to change. The review present a honest opinion and we will continue to do our work in realising the dream of the President.
Rtd. Brigadier Sesay noted that Management and functional review is but a necessary requirement to help get the agency better in its administration, processes, procedures and operations.
‘We should not be apprehensive to such exercise but rather welcome them as they will help us to get better. Added to this, is the fact that NDMA is very critical to the actualization of the big five game changer of President Bio,’ he said.
