By Mohamed Jaward Nyallay
Residents of Kambia have praised the government of President Julius Maada Bio for bridging the information gap between government and the people.
Activists, journalists and other stakeholders in the district have praised to the Ministry of Information and Civic Education for facilitating a two-day dialogue on critical issues on development.
The Civic Day Series is an initiative from the Ministry of Information and Civic Education.
The first day brought together school pupils and young people for a Quiz and Debate competition on critical topics like the importance of census, influence of technology on children and the role of civic education in the fight against corruption.
The second day brought together community stakeholders from all sectors in Kambia to participate in a four-hour long town-hall meeting, which featured the Attorney General, Minister of Local Government, Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Statistician General and the Energy Sector lead, Dr. Kandeh Kolleh Yumkella.
“I am so happy for this engagement, this is Democracy in action,” Ibrahim Kamara, a motorbike rider said.
“To talk openly and freely to all these government leaders? This has never happened here in Kambia. We only see gathering of this nature during elections. So I am happy that this event happened here in Kambia,” a disability advocate said.
Government leaders provided major updates on critical issues like border security, energy, constitutional review and decentralization, among a number of other issues. Government officials also took questions from residents, something which Kambia residents hailed the Civic Day Series for.
Deputy Minister of Agriculture gave update on the Feed Salone progress and Kambia’s participation in it.
The Statistician General spoke on the importance of Census and how much opportunities it would create, while the Minister of Local Government made a major announcement on government plans to add some more districts to the country – for effective local governance.
Youth participation was a critical component of the program, with senior secondary pupil featured in a Quiz and Debate competition on critical national subjects like Census, Technology and Civic Education.
Kambia leaders said it was the most impactful program that has been held in the district in a long time. They urged the ministry to have more of it across the country.
