Vice President Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh has commenced a two-week regional tour aimed at strengthening decentralization, enhancing public service delivery, and improving collaboration between central and local government institutions across Sierra Leone.
The tour will take the Vice President to the regional headquarters of Kenema, Bo, Makeni and Port Loko, where he will engage Paramount Chiefs, local councils, heads of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), and other key stakeholders on issues affecting local governance and development.
The consultations will provide an opportunity for stakeholders to discuss the progress, challenges and opportunities within the decentralization process, while identifying practical solutions to improve coordination and ensure effective service delivery at the community level.
Announcing the initiative, Vice President Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh said the engagement was designed to enable him to listen directly to institutions and individuals involved in governance and development across the country.
“Over the next two weeks, I will be visiting our regional headquarter towns to engage with Paramount Chiefs, Local Councils, Heads of MDAs, and other key stakeholders on the opportunities and challenges facing decentralization and local governance in Sierra Leone,” he stated.
As Chairman of the Interministerial Committee on Local Governance and Decentralization, the Vice President emphasized the importance of strengthening partnerships among public institutions and ensuring that local communities have a greater voice in governance processes.
“I look forward to listening, learning, and working together to identify practical solutions that strengthen coordination, improve service delivery, and bring government closer to the people,” he added.
Dr. Juldeh Jalloh noted that effective local governance remains a critical component of the Government’s broader development agenda, adding that empowering local institutions is essential to ensuring that citizens benefit from meaningful and sustainable development within their communities.
The regional engagements are expected to generate recommendations that will support ongoing reforms and enhance cooperation between central government institutions, local councils and traditional authorities.
Sierra Leone’s decentralization process was revived in 2004 following the enactment of the Local Government Act, which restored democratically elected local councils after decades of centralized administration. The reform transferred several responsibilities from central government institutions to local authorities.
The country currently has 22 local councils and 190 chiefdoms, which play important roles in local administration, community development and the delivery of essential public services.
The Ministry of Local Government and Community Affairs considers decentralization a key mechanism for promoting citizen participation, strengthening accountability and improving access to government services.
The Local Government Act of 2022 further enhanced the legal framework for devolution by introducing additional reforms aimed at improving the effectiveness and efficiency of local authorities.
Against this backdrop, Vice President Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh said the regional tour forms part of Government’s continued efforts to deepen grassroots participation and ensure that development priorities reflect the needs and aspirations of communities.
“Strong local governance is essential to building a more accountable, responsive, and inclusive Sierra Leone,” he declared.