Staff of WCO Sierra Leone went through a four day intensive training on the Global Management System (GSM). The GSM is a single and integrated management tool introduced to support the delivery of WHO technical programs.

Training on the GSM is an ongoing activity essential to the productivity for staff mostly aimed at new staff but also for existing staff willing to enhance their skills and competency. GSM users need to be familiar with the GSM environment and other supporting systems.

Support Team for West Africa based in Ouagadougou. The team was headed by Mr Charlemagne Pisara Management Officer IST West. Other members of the team include: Ms Arfi Farah Mohamed, Ms Nadine Mbikina and Mr Ludovic Mabiala.

• The objectives of the training included:
• To review the processes in GSM scope where users have roles to play.
• To demonstrate the step-by-step procedures required for users to play their roles in the relevant process.

The four day training included the following:

• GSM Service Essentials
• Controls and Approvals
• Work Plan Management and Reporting
• Program budget allocation and operational planning
• Records Management
• Travel Management
• Performance management 
• Procurement of services and goods
• Employee and Staff member self service

The methodology used for this training included presentations, discussions, demonstrations and hands on exercises.

At the end of the training, the WHO Representative Dr Jacob Mufunda who participated in most of the sessions thanked the training team for an excellent job. Furthermore, action points were agreed with timeline for staff members to implement.

Staff members used this opportunity to resolve issues in GSM. They described the training as an opportunity to learn new skills and techniques to improve performance at work. A staff member mentioned “this training has helped us to better understand the process of tracking implementation of activities and reporting procedures”. A driver highlighted that “he now understands how to do travel request and complete travel claims”.

Staff members were better informed about the processes in GSM including roles and responsibilities to initiate, submit and approve transactions at various levels.