The Hon. Vice President Dr Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh last has Thursday 26 October, 2023 launched the Building Accountability Systems Through Empowered Communities (BASE) Partnership Project at the New Brookfields Hotel, Freetown. Dr Jalloh informed the audience about Government is working effectively to improve service delivery at local level. He emphasizing that the desired goal of decentralization is service delivery at local level, adding that decentralization needs immense support from government.
As Chairman of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Decentralization and Local Governance, Vice President Dr Jalloh stated that the Committee plays a very important role in supporting government to ensure devolution process succeeds. He highlighted challenges faced by local councils to regain the space taken by Non-Governmental Organizations on service delivery after the war ended, recentralization tendency, capability of councils to generate revenues, and governance accountability system as some of the challenges confronting local councils to perform their responsibilities. He said the Committee has been struggling with the dynamics of how to address the immense challenges of local councils.
Dr Jalloh described the “recentralization tendency” factor confronting local councils as the attitude of some Ministries Department and Agencies (MDAs) to devolve certain functions, noting that some MDAs even cleverly retake functions from the councils they had devolved. He encouraged ministers of government to be magnanimous and ensure devolved functions go with the required finances.
V P Dr Jalloh expressed hope that the civil society partnership would support councils to improve on accountability with a feedback system to increase trust on service delivery and citizens’ perception on the delivery of services. He said that feedback system would help monitor service delivery, and make clear the appreciation of citizens of the delivery system at the local level.
He referred to the launched ceremony as relevant for decentralization, good governance in the country. Vice President Jalloh made an announcement for the civil society consortium to be given an observer status at the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Decentralization and Local Governance. He maintained the consortium would be given the opportunity to participate in the meeting and asked questions on gaps identified in the decentralization process.
Alfred Moi Jamiru, Deputy Minister of Local Government and Community Affairs informed about his ministry’s input in the development of the project document. He explained an increased in citizens participation in local governance and policy processes in their respective localities; enhancing local district and chiefdom committee responsiveness to the priority of citizens as some of the impacts of the partnership. He pledged that his ministry would continue to work in an effort to strengthen the partnership.
Augustine Sahr Sheku, District Council Chairman, Kono District Council welcomed the leadership of the BASE Project for selecting six local councils including Kono District Council to help put pressure from below for sound economic policies that would improve the fiscal space for councils. He informed that local councils were restored in 2004 to champion development in the localities, but he opined that there has been general neglect due to the general lack of commitment at the central level to provide the much-needed resources. He expressed hope for the inclusion of the other remaining councils into the partnership to enhance uniformity.
BASE partnership program is funded by the United States Government through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) with the sum of $3.8 million for a three-year partnership that would build trust and confidence between government, communities, and civil societies for sustainable development in Sierra Leone. Civil society groups in the consortium include: The Institute for Governance Reforms (IGR), Center for Accountability and Rule of Law (CARL), Independent Radio Network (IRN), 50-50 Group, and Budget Advocacy Network (BAN).
By Aaron Bundu Lahai
