Contact Details:
Main Office
address
Public Service Commission
Website:
www.psc.gov.gm
New Administrative Building
The Secretary
Quadrangle,
Banjul
The Gambia
West Africa
Telephone number: 4227324
Fax: 4226041
Email: info@psc.gm
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Background Information:
The PSC of
The Gambia is the body empowered by statute to announce job vacancies
within the Gambia Civil Service.
This mandate however, does not
include ambassadors / high commissioners, employment at local
government level and local chiefs.
The commission is
responsible for the general effectiveness of the Civil Service.
It assesses and evaluates Public Service Regulations, General Orders
and makes appropriate suggestions to the Government
of the day.
It creates
a set of standard requirements for entrants to the Civil Service, on
the job training and promotions.
Each year the commission
prepares and presents its annual report to the parliament (National
Assembly) of The Gambia.
"The Mission of the Public Service Commission (PSC) is defined by law
from the provisions of the 1997 Constitution of The Republic of The
Gambia. The aim is to maintain an effective and efficient Civil
Service by ensuring that persons who meet the criteria for jobs are
recruited, trained, and disciplined in an open, fair and impartial
manner. The Commission provides efficient and cost-effective service
for all Civil Servants and other stakeholders throughout The Gambia by
the formulation, management and the supervision of the management and
implementation of Government policies which pertain to recruitment,
development and discipline of Civil Servants.
The Vision of the Commission is to meet the national development goals
by making optimal use of the diversity of competencies, skills and
qualifications that are available in the country in general and the
Civil Service in particular. The Commission accordingly scrutinises
and evaluates a range of educational qualifications and professional
experiences before filling the many vacant positions that exist in the
Civil Service.
In an environment that is free from corruption and nepotism,
harassment and bullying and in which all individuals are valued and
respected as the Commission itself is valued and respected, it strives
to eradicate all forms of behavior that discriminate against
individuals on the basis of age, disability, gender, ethnicity or
religion, so as to engender productive and selfless public service to
the nation by Civil Servants.
Through good practices guided by the highest ethical and moral values,
the PSC continues to actively promote, encourage and support
departmental initiatives to further improve efficiency and work
practices and thereby enhance productivity.
In short, the PSC provides service of the highest quality, a service
that is efficient, effective, accountable and responsive to The
Gambia’s current and future needs.
The PSC is a structure created during the colonial era. In the
Colonial Secretary’s 1954 report on the Civil Service, he wrote: “the
importance of maintaining confidence in the integrity of the PSC is so
obvious as to require no elaboration. The purpose is to deal in a
fair, unbiased and unprejudiced manner in the selection, promotion,
and discipline of Civil Servants”. This Colonial structure was then
cast in concrete in the legal instruments that granted independence to
The Gambia in 1965, and a superstructure was built in the form of the
PSC Regulations (Legal Notice No 1 of 1970) made on 15th June, 1977,
under S. 10 of the 1970 Republican Constitution. In 1991, the then
existing legal framework was radically amended when the Public Service
Act was promulgated.
The Colonial legal framework plus institutional arrangements must have
been considered outdated. The Public Service Act of 1991 makes the
Minister responsible for the general supervision of the Civil Service
including the management and training policies of the Civil Service.
The Secretary General and Head of the Public Service would be the
Principal Adviser to the President on matters affecting the Public
Service. The Secretary General also advises the Minister on matters
relating to the senior management cadre of the Civil Service.
The Permanent Secretary, Personnel Management Office (PSPMO), on the
other hand, would be the Principal Adviser to the Minister and would
be responsible for personnel functions of the Civil Service for
example, the administration of the General Orders, Civil Service
training policies and implementation, Staff Inspections, Organization
and Methods, formulation of Schemes of Service (SOS), pensions policy
and administration, personnel statistics, Manpower Budgeting and
Control, the drawing up, reviewing and implementation of policy
statements on personnel management and training. The PSC is obliged,
under Section 25 of the Public Service Act of 1991 to submit as soon
as possible after the end of every calendar year, a report to His
Excellency (H.E.) the President in respect of the discharge of its
functions during the year in question. The Minister responsible for
the Civil Service will present such report to Parliament.
On 24th April 1995, the Public Service Commission Regulations were
revoked by Decree No. 38 under which the Public Service Commission
shall have such functions as may be delegated to it by Council. This
is in line with Section 194 (4) of the 1997 Constitution: “The
President may delegate such of his powers relating to the public
service as he thinks fit to the PSC or to the competent Authority for
any particular service in the Public Service;” and, of course, with
Section 79, “The executive power of The Gambia is vested in the
President”. Nevertheless, for the detailed guidance of the Commission
in discharging its functions, a revised draft PSC Regulations will be
formulated under the Public Service Reform Agenda and submitted to
Government for consideration.
As provided for under Section172 of the 1997 Constitution of the
Republic of The Gambia, members of the Public Service Commission are
appointed by H.E. the President for a term of two years which may be
renewable. Members of the Commission shall be disqualified for
appointment to any Office in the Public Service during a period of
three years after ceasing to be a member of the Commission."
PSC
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