Sierra Leone President issued an executive order to sack workers above 60 on Wednesday

Sierra Leone’s President, Julius Mads Bio has sacked all political appointees at the country’s foreign missions including ambassadors and information attachés. Julius Maada Bio of the Sierra Leone’s People’s Party who was declared president April 4 also went ahead to retire all workers in public service who has attained the age of 60. He excluded those that are under special employment approved by the parliament.The president issued an executive order to sack them on Wednesday. In the order issued, he announced a wide range of measures to reduce financial waste. He also stopped recruitment of workers in to the public service.
Here are the measured issued in the order by the President,
1. With immediate effect, purchase of vehicles by all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) and public corporations has been banned until a new Fleet Management Policy is put in place.
2. Payment for fuel, telephone and internet services to public servants in Ministries, Departments and Agencies for their residences are suspended with immediate effect pending a new benefit policy.
3. All commitments by MDAs relating to overseas travel including cost of tickets should be within their approved budgets and must be cleared with the Ministry of Finance to ensure they are cost-effective and within budgetary limits.
5. In line with Section 23 of the Bank of Sierra Leone Act 2011, prices for contracts shall be quoted and payable only in the local currency (Leone). All existing contracts already quoted in foreign currency shall therefore be paid in Leones.
6. All new contracts by MDAs and public corporations should be cleared by the Ministry of Finance to ensure they do not constitute a financial risk to the national budget.
Members of Sierra Leone’s opposition party All People’s Congress walked out of the parliament after police escorted at least 15 of their colleagues from the chamber for disrupting the proceedings and execution of the order. Abass Bundu of the ruling Sierra Leone’s People’s Party as speaker by the rest of the parliament despite the absence of members. Bundu received 71 votes, less than half of the 146 members.Photo Credit: Getty