Trying to get sorted
on Freetown Blog (Sierra Leone), 20/Mar/2010 20:32, 34 days ago
It's Saturday afternoon and I'm sitting in a bar (drinking ice tea - after re-acquainting myself with Star beer last night). The past week was pretty unrelenting and I have been in the office again this morning, but now intend to chill and re-charge the batteries again for Monday.The week ended on a bit of a downer when the accommodation I thought I had found fell through last night. So it's back to square one and I'm trying to find other contacts to follow up. The friends from OTB that I'm staying with are being great about me staying until I find somewhere (I have rejected one option on the basis that it is $800 pcm for a pretty poky room in a shared house, with a rubbish mattress!) but if the pressure keeps on at this pace (which I suspect it will) then having my own space to chill will be a high priority.Before I arrived back, people were emailing that the Ministry is a different place compared to last year, but I am still amazed to see how much it has transformed into a high pressure place of rapid decision-making and urgent action in only 3 months. Everything is focused on 27th April and it seems to me that one of the most important things is to avoid taking short terrm decisions that could create problems in the longer term  - for example, in the rush to fast-track staff recruitment we need to make sure that only appropriately qualified staff are appointed and that they are appointed into the areas and roles where the need is greatest. You might think that is basic, but it is not so easy when you are trying to validate payroll records at the same time, and there is  lack of information about where existing staff are actually working.There are some very dynamic management consultants here helping with the payroll work and next week they are taking the validation and fast track appointment process out on tour to the regions (a first for a civil service appointment process that has always been cenralised in Freetown). I'm hoping to along myself for at least part of it to get a better understanding of what is going on, though it might only be possible to get away over the weekend.