By Kadiatu Sankoh
The Minister of Information and Civic Education, Chernor Bah, has met with officials of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to review joint achievements over the past year and strengthen collaboration ahead of the National Salone Civic Festival.
The Minister used the meeting to thank UNDP for its steadfast and strategic support, which he said has resulted in unprecedented wins for the Ministry and for Sierra Leone. He noted that because of this partnership, the Ministry will unveil at least four major policies and three new national institutions during the upcoming Civic Festival — a milestone he described as a direct outcome of MoICE–UNDP cooperation.
Minister Bah highlighted progress in civic education, digital innovation, media development, and youth empowerment, emphasizing that these gains advance President Dr. Julius Maada Bio’s agenda of national unity, active citizenship, and participatory governance.
A major focus of the meeting was the upcoming National Salone Civic Festival, a nationwide celebration of civic responsibility, patriotism, and cultural identity. The festival will convene schools, youth groups, traditional leaders, and civil society to promote the values of Love for Country, Civic Pride, and Responsible Citizenship. The Minister said UNDP’s continued technical and strategic support will be vital to delivering a festival of national scale and long-term impact.
UNDP Resident Representative Fredrick Ampiah, who also serves on the Minister’s Advisory Council for the Miatta Civic Centre, praised MoICE’s transformation of the country’s information landscape.
“In my many years working across seven African countries, he is the best Minister of Information I have worked with,” Mr. Ampiah said. “The level of coordination, responsibility, and credibility in information sharing today is unmatched — and citizens are now significantly more informed and discerning.”
Mr. Ampiah reaffirmed UNDP’s commitment to deepening collaboration and expressed enthusiasm for working with the Ministry to develop a state-of-the-art Civic Peace Museum — a modern civic learning and cultural institution aligned with successful models in Ghana, Rwanda, and other countries.
UNDP Governance Team Lead Kadi Jumu Peters commended the Minister’s leadership in advancing the Data Protection Bill, calling it a critical milestone for transparency, accountability, and modern digital governance. She noted UNDP’s pride in supporting and funding key aspects of the policy’s development.
UNDP Deputy Resident Representative Kevin Petrini praised MoICE’s dynamic leadership and strategic civic engagement efforts, reaffirming UNDP’s commitment to working with the Ministry to build a more informed and empowered citizenry.
Both sides agreed to deepen cooperation in digital civic education, youth engagement, media development, inclusive governance communication, and broader national development priorities — reinforcing Sierra Leone’s position as a growing model for transparent and responsible information management.
The meeting closed with a shared commitment to ensure that the National Salone Civic Festival becomes a flagship national platform for unity, civic pride, and social cohesion.
UNDP in Sierra Leone