Heads of ECOWAS institutions and agencies calls for a comprehensive job assessment exercise on the Staff Regulation Framework

ACCRA, GHANA – 10th July 2019 – Heads of ECOWAS institutions and agencies have called for a comprehensive survey of what they called ‘a job assessment exercise’ in a bid to evaluate its functions and effectiveness vis-à-vis other functions of ECOWAS.

This was outlined in the recommendations at the end of a two-day meeting held in Accra, Ghana on the validation of the new ECOWAS Staff Regulations Framework.

The meeting recommended the need to develop a Human Resource Strategic Plan for the ECOWAS HR Department; parallel to the Staff Regulations. They also disclosed that Manuals of Procedures are being developed to support implementation of many issues pertaining to the Staff Regulations.

The meeting also recommended to keep the remuneration scale as proposed by the Consultant, but to add G7 and P6, which are only attached to staff. The meeting suggested that G7 should be called “Senior Assistant” and P6 should be designated as “Recognized Expert”.

The meeting noted that P1 position is only used for Trainee Professional and should be for a period of 18 -24 months, in order to allow young professionals to acquire experience and grow within the organization. The meeting also recommended the grouping of the G-category into the following: G1 to G3 = Junior Assistants; G4 and G5 = Assistants; G6 = Senior Assistant; G7 Administrative Assistant or Supervisor.

In his closing remarks, the Commissioner for HR, Professor Dias Furtado, thanked participants for what he described as ‘intensive and fruitful debate’ during the two-day session. He underscored the importance of their contributions towards the organizational reform of ECOWAS, describing the Accra meeting as the last session for the validation and recommendation of the Staff Regulations Framework.

It would be recalled that a statutory management retreat on staff regulations was held with the President of the ECOWAS Commission on the 16th of May 2019 in Abuja, Nigeria during which recommendations were made for further discussions by heads of ECOWAS institutions and agencies.

The department of Human Resources under the dynamic leadership of its Commissioner Professor Dias Furtado Jeremias organized the retreat for heads of ECOWAS institutions and agencies as well as other statutory appointees who could not attend the Abuja.

According to HR experts, the Accra retreat has resolved fundamental issues in the draft ECOWAS staff regulations and sensitized participants on the how the finalized document would help to determine the effectiveness, efficiency, and performance of ECOWAS.