In commemoration of the International Day of Democracy (IDD) and with support from the government of Sierra Leone, the Western Regional Office of the National Commission for Democracy (NCD) on Wednesday 24th September 2025 organized a day’s Regional Democracy Roundtable Discussion on the global theme “From Voice to Action” and the local theme “Deepening Democracy: From Insight to Action” at its Jui headquarters in Freetown.
The well-attended event, chaired by the NCD Western Region’s Commissioner, Mr. Benjamin Macfoy, attracted over 30 participants including Regional Commissioners and NCD staff, civil society leaders, youth and women’s groups, traditional authorities, local government officials, policy makers, media practitioners, educators, development partners and observers from Hastings, Jui and Rogbagba communities.
Among the key recommendations, participants unanimously resolved that to deepen democracy in the country for the people to hold government accountable, the government of Sierra Leone and development partners must adequately fund and capacitate the NCD to effectively carry out its mandate in educating the citizens about their civic and other responsibilities, that government must implement the recommendations of the Constitutional Review Committee and that citizens must have full access to state institutions.
Participants also agreed that there must be equal gender, women and youth representations in governance and the decision-making process, that the Electoral Commission of Sierra Leone cannot implement all the recommendations of the Tripartite Committee, that after 32 years since its establishment, the NCD is still struggling to function effectively in spite of several efforts and decades advocating for more funding.
Other participants lamented that Sierra Leoneans are not patriotic, that partisan politics, corruption, tribalism, regionalism and other sentiments have destroyed the country and that Sierra Leone still lacks basic amenities like electricity, water supply, good roads, education and healthcare.
Participants furthered that the people do not know their councilors and Members of Parliament, that state institutions are not independent, that communities are not benefiting from their natural resources, that there is need for continuous civic education by NCD in the local languages, that rights go with responsibilities and obligations and that the media is key in promoting peace, gender equality, unity, national cohesion and development.
One of the participants from Karene District, revealed that the road network is deplorable, especially during the rains and that freedom of speech is limited. Others catalogued the roles and responsibilities of Members of Parliament that include making laws and performing oversight functions.
At the end of the round table discussion, there was increased awareness of the 2025 themes and their relevance to the region, broader understanding of the State of Democracy Assessment Report findings, documented regional perspectives and recommendations and strengthened networks for democratic engagements.
The aim of the event was to deepen regional understanding of democratic principles and realities through an expert-led presentation on the 2025 IDD them, enriched by the findings of the State of Democracy Assessment Report and to foster dialogue on practical actions for strengthening democracy in the region.
According to NCD, the objectives of the event were to deliver an expert presentation of the global and local 2025 IDD themes, share key findings from the Sierra Leone State of Democracy Assessment Report, facilitate an interactive question and answer session to capture stakeholders’ perspectives and recommendations and strengthen regional commitment to moving from insight to action in democratic governance.
The International Day of Democracy (IDD) marked annually on 11th September, is a global opportunity to reaffirm the principles of democratic governance and citizen participation. The 2025 global theme, “From Voice to Action”, calls for moving beyond dialogue to tangible measurable change.
In Sierra Leone, the local theme, Deepening Democracy: From Insight to Action,” reflects the country’s commitment to translating democratic knowledge, research and citizen perspectives into concrete reforms and community-led initiatives.
On 15th September this year, NCD launched the Sierra Leone State of Democracy Assessment Report at the Freetown City Hall. The report offers a comprehensive analysis of the nation’s democratic health, highlighting strength, challenges and opportunities for reforms.
The Regional Roundtable extended the conversation beyond Freetown ensuring that the report’s findings and the global/local themes were discussed in a local context with space for stakeholders to respond and commit to actionable next steps.
The question, answer and comments session climaxed the event while Mr. David Williams of the NCD Western Regional Office rendered the vote of thanks.
