She made this remark and more at the maiden inaugural ceremony for the first batch of twenty-eight (28) newly elected councilors, three (3) Chairmen, and the Mayor of the Port Loko City Council.
Held at the new Port Loko District Council hall on Wednesday 16th March 2018, the event was graced by His Excellency, The Vice President, Dr. Juldeh Jalloh, the host Paramount Chief Adikali Milla and other Paramount Chiefs in the region, the Chief Administrators of the respective Councils, the fourth Estate, and Civil Society.
In her remarks as chairman of the ceremony, Madam Isata Abdulai Kamara said that the event marks a new dawn in the North West Region which comprise of three districts, Port Loko, Karene and Kambia respectively. And she is proud to be the first Resident Minister under the new government that will be working with these Councils. She said the Local Government Act of 2004 has positioned Local Councils as the highest political authority in the district with legislative and Executive powers and provides for the establishment of a Provincial Coordinating Committee which is headed by the office of the Resident Minister.
She said that the re-establishment of local councils has seriously improved service delivery in rural and urban areas and further reduced the bureaucracy that once plagued the centralised system of governance but that they must also be cognizant of the fact that amid the successes there were challenges such as delays in transfers and partial devolution of functions, which undermined the devolution process, and these problems need to be dealt with and eliminated.
In his statement, His Excellency the Vice President, Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh, said that the newly Elected President, Rtd Brigadier Julius Maada Bio in his presidential address during the state opening of Parliament, placed the development of local Councils and decentralization top among his key priorities so he is on a mission to visit every District Council and Ward in the country on a monthly basis and establish a strong connection between his office, the Ministry of Local Government and the Councils.
Other speakers at the ceremony, included the Former Minister of Information, Hon. Alpha Kanu, who espoused the commitment to self governance and sustainable development with everybody working together and called for a cessation to politics so that national development would thrive. (https://www.stocktargetadvisor.com/)
The provincial Coordinating Committee is composed of Chairmen, Mayors and Chief Administrators and has a primary responsibility of coordinating the affairs of Councils in the province. It also ensures that Local Councils collaborate for effective execution of development programmes in which Councils are jointly interested.
