Announcements

Vice President Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh has said without the existence of Local Councils, localities will be chaotic and deprived.
The Vice President made the pronouncement when addressing officials of the Bo District and Bo City Councils at a first engagement model meeting with local authorities.
The engagement was held on Friday 2nd August, 2024 at the Bo District Council Conference Hall, which was presided by the Bo District Council Chairman, Victor Kosseh Hindowa.
The objective of the engagement was to consult with the councils' leadership, council members, core staff and devolved ministry staff members on challenges that strangulate progress, and to outline existing opportunities that will enable local councils' contribution in the successful implementation of the ‘Big Five Game Changers.’
Vice President Juldeh Jalloh, who is also Chairperson of the Inter-Ministerial Committee, said the Government has long realized that decentralization was not only meant to empower local authorities but to also profoundly improve the lives of citizens.
According to him, the Bio-led Government has demonstrated more willingness in absolute delegation of functions than any other government could have done. This, the Vice President said, has been evidenced by the relinquishing of additional functions in their first term of office.
VP Juldeh spoke on the review of Chairpersons, Mayors and Deputies sitting allowance to salary, the increase in staff salaries and the pronouncement of end of service benefits for retired local council staff as a clear manifestation of Government's commitment to solidifying decentralization.
The IMC model, he said, will not only address welfare issues of council members and staff, but will also gear toward strengthening resource mobilization and the improvement of healthy working relationships between local councils and devolved sectors.
VP Juldeh Jalloh disclosed that plans were underway to directly place devolved ministry officials under the direct supervision of local councils, noting that local councils can play an integral role in the actualization of the ‘Big Five Game Changers.’ He entreated the local council leadership to show a clear roadmap in the implementation of the ‘Big Five Game Changers,’ adding that a roll out of the ‘Big Five Game Changers’ has been pronounced by His Excellency Dr. Julius Maada Bio lately.
His Excellency Juldeh Jalloh said the President has rolled out the ‘Feed Salone Initiative’, where opportunities are available to empower local food producers in a quest to protect local industries through the Local Content Policy. He explained that PEE CEE and Sons have introduced an industry that produces onion with fresh and better food value as compared to imported onions.
VP Juldeh furthered that the government has incorporated import substitution, reducing domestic food importation by 22%. "There has been mass expansion on beverage and cooking oil production with soaring exportation of these commodities to countries like Liberia, Mali, Somalia and many more," VP Juldeh maintained, adding that production of palm oil has been expanded at a broader spectrum with local food production doubling exponentially, placing Sierra Leone at a better standing under the ECOWAS common tariff agreement.
In the area of Local Council leadership, he noted that the Chairperson and Mayors are the heads of entities and that no official equates them in authority at the helm of Council's affairs. Speaking of resource allocation, the Chairperson or Mayor, he said, should be responsible to lead in the decision of where resources should be allocated in tandem with the council's development plan.
Other notable speakers were the Minister of Local Government and Community Affairs; Ambassador Tamba Lamina, who described the engagement as water shed meeting, Resident Minister South, Mayor of Bo City Council, Chief Administrators of Bo District and Bo City Councils, council members and devolved sectors' Head Representative.
Their statements mainly focused on better conditions of service ranging from staff salaries for local council staff members, relocation and other allowances and capacity building opportunities for council officials.
Similar engagements are expected to be held in other regions in the coming months.
Credit: INFORMATION EDUCATION AND COMMUNICATIONS UNIT-BO DISTRICT COUNCIL