AYV News, April 17, 2025
A recent performance review of Sierra Leone’s government ministries, covering the period from January to December 2024, has revealed significant disparities in success rates. The performance contracts, initiated under the leadership of President Julius Maada Bio, aimed to assess the effectiveness of each ministry.
The findings, shared by Chief Minister Dr. Moinina David Sengeh via a Facebook post, indicate that the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) and the Ministry of Communication, Technology, and Innovation achieved high marks, scoring 80% or above.
In contrast, some ministries demonstrated poor performance, falling below 35%. These include the Attorney General and the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Sports, the Ministry of Works and Public Assets, and the Ministry of Tourism and Cultural Affairs.
The Chief Minister’s office, which oversees the development of these performance contracts, emphasized the core values of accountability, transparency, and citizen orientation driving this initiative. The primary objective is to ensure effective service delivery to the people of Sierra Leone through holding government entities accountable.
Dr. Sengeh congratulated the top-performing ministries and set a target for all ministries to achieve a score above 50%. His office will publish a summary report, with specific reports being disseminated to each ministry. Plans are also underway for the signing of performance contracts for 2025.
Several ministries achieved moderate performance, scoring between 35% and 49%. These include the Ministry of Energy (MOE), Ministry of Defense (MOD), Ministry of Information and Civic Education (MOICE), Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA), and the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MECC).
Ministries demonstrating exceptional performance, with scores between 70% and 79%, were the Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation (MWRS), the Ministry of Technical and Higher Education (MTHE), and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.
Strong performance, with scores ranging from 60-69%, was noted in the Ministry of Youth Affairs (MOYA), Ministry of Finance (MOF), Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources (MFMR), Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (MAFS), Ministry of Transport and Aviation (MTA), and the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE).
Satisfactory performance, with scores between 50-59%, was achieved by the Ministry of Public Administration and Political Affairs (MPAPA), Ministry of Planning and Economic Development (MOPED), Ministry of Mines and Mineral Resources (MMMR), and the Ministry of Employment Labour and Social Security (MELSS).
In addition to the previously mentioned low-performing ministries, the Ministry of Social Welfare (MOSW) and the Ministry of Gender and Children’s Affairs (MGCA) were also identified as underperforming.
Dr. Sengeh explained that upon assuming his role as Chief Minister, he prioritized President Bio’s vision for enhanced citizen well-being during his second term. This led to the development of a comprehensive Manifesto and the Medium-Term National Development Plan (MTNDP) for 2024-2030. Annual performance contracts were established as a mechanism for implementing the MTNDP, aligning ministries and their agencies on common objectives and targets.
“We have diligently prioritized our tasks to ensure that each Ministry and its agencies are aligned with a common vision for the most critical end-of-year outputs. This allows us to focus our efforts effectively,” Dr. Sengeh stated.
Individual Ministerial Performance Contracts, outlining ambitious and time-bound targets aligned with the President’s priorities and the MTNDP, were signed by the President and ministry leadership.
