By: Mac’Ivan Kakpindi Vandy
At the validation of the Comprehensive Local Government Performance Assessment (CLOGPAS) tool in Bo on Friday 5th April, 2024, the Presidential Governance Adviser, Office of the President, Dr. Emmanuel Gaima has said that there is need for even development by local councils in every locality across the country. Dr. Gaima, speaking to newsmen, stated that such is a reason for the reintroduction of the CLOGPAS tool for local Councils. Officials from the Ministry of Local Government, DEC-SEC and the Local Councils at the CLOGPAS Validation in Bo. CLOGPAS according to Dr. Emmanuel Gaima, is not a novelty as it has been in local Councils since their inception in 2004 but it had some hitch which led to its suspension.
“We have decided to revive it to get objective means of checking the performance rate of local councils as it is impossible for the President to know the felt needs of citizens in every locality from statehouse,” stated Dr. Gaima, adding that “with a very effective and efficient local council structure, the needs of citizens nationwide will be known and addressed accordingly.”
The tool according to him, aims at knowing the performance level of the twenty-two local councils, know the best performing ones as well as the less performing ones which will aid the Ministry of Local Government and Community Affairs together with the Decentralization Secretariat (DEC-SEC) to know what solutions to tailor so others can perform well.
“The Comprehensive Local Government Performance Assessment (CLOGPAS) tool primarily checks two things: compliance with the mandatory provisions of the Local Government Act 2022 (as amended) and the performance of the councils because government is of the view that all councils should work effectively in serving the people,” Dr. Gaima noted.
According to the Director of the Decentralization Secretariat (DEC-SEC), Alex Bonapha Esq. the CLOGPAS tool is being funded by the Resilient Urban Sierra Leone Project (RUSLP) and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the reviving process has involved Mayors and Chairpersons of all the local councils. “We involved them from the genesis because they shall be working with the tool and so we want them to take ownership of it,” espoused Alex Bonapha Esq.
He added that the tool is highly impactful as “it induces donor confidence.” According to him, “donors want to invest their money where they find confidence that it will reflect on the lives of the people and so because they trust this tool (CLOGPAS), it gives them confidence to fund projects at local council level.”
Mr. Bonapha informed that after the validation, assessors shall be trained to collect data in line with the tool; then the data shall be assessed and ranked by specialists from which best performing councils will be awarded and least performing ones shall either get capacity building or staff transfer to change things.
“This tool shall be in operation for at least five years and we are assured it will ensure residents get quality service delivery, in line with their taxes paid and government and donor grants received by the councils,” Bonapha Esq. affirmed.
