Inaugural Cohort Orientation in Sierra Leone

By Emerging Public Leaders

Freetown, Sierra Leone - Emerging Public Leaders and Emerging Public Leaders of Sierra Leone recently marked the launch of our first cohort of the Public Service Fellowship Program, welcoming 75 promising young Sierra Leonean leaders at a ceremony held on October 13, 2025, in Freetown. In partnership with the Public Service Commission and Mastercard Foundation, this event inaugurated a week-long residential orientation designed to equip Fellows for a year of impactful service in the public sector.

Empowering Ethical Leadership

The orientation took place at LAC’s Villa Cantonment Road and featured a series of educational and thought-provoking sessions, facilitated by key partners including Robert Fefegula, Country Director of EPL Sierra Leone; Richard Okai, Director of Programs and Learning of EPL; Ibrahim Frank Kargbo, Senior Programs and Learning Associate of EPL Sierra Leone; Mohamed Jusu, Executive Secretary to the Public Service Commission; and other leading civil servants and development partners. 

During a key session on the role of the Public Service Commission, Mohamed Jusu highlighted the PSC’s role in developing a competent, values-driven workforce and its crucial contribution to nationwide service delivery. He reminded the young professionals that they will be integral to effective service delivery across the 16 districts.

Derick Momoh Kamara, part of the newly inaugurated cohort, remarked, “One powerful takeaway for me was that integrity is the foundation of development. Without integrity, transparency, accountability, and citizen-centric governance can never thrive.” 

Collaborative Governance

This Public Service Fellowship stems from a Memorandum of Understanding between EPL and the Government of Sierra Leone, signed in February 2025. The program’s meritocratic selection process, supported by the Public Service Commission, resulted in 75 young leaders chosen for a 12-month immersive fellowship aimed at advancing governance and improving service delivery throughout the country. 

Fellows benefit from EPL’s responsive, comprehensive curriculum collaboratively developed in early October with the Civil Service Training College, Public Sector Reform Unit, Public Service Commission, Ministry of Gender and Children’s Affairs, and other government bodies. Over the coming year, the young public servants will receive ongoing training, mentorship, opportunities for community engagement, and workplace placements in 26 government entities across Sierra Leone.

Future of Ethical Leadership

Joining our pan-African network of public servants - with chapters in Ghana, Liberia, Kenya, and Malawi - these young women and men exemplify a new generation of ethical, innovative leaders committed to strengthening public policy and good governance globally.