Sierra Leone’s Vice President Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh and the Ministry of Local Government and Community Affairs have engaged the Chief Administrators of 22 Local Councils on the need to step up on service delivery in their respective communities.
On February 8, 2023, the Ministry of Local Government asked all Mayors, Chairpersons, and councilors to step aside from their respective Councils and hand over to the Chief Administrators.
It was on that note the Vice President and Minister of Local Government and Community Affairs met with the 22 Chief Administrators to guide them on how they should run the Councils until a period after elections when new Mayors, Chairmen, and Councilors would have been elected.
Highlighting the purpose of the engagement, Melrose Karminty, the Deputy Minister of Local Government stated that the meeting was to understand the activity plans of the Chief Administrators during the few months they would be running the affairs of the Councils without political leaders, and to also get the handing over notes of the political leaders that have stepped aside which would serve as a guide to those that will be coming after the elections.
She also said the meeting would be used to guide the Chief Administrators on how to improve their performances in the next few months in their respective Councils, laying emphasis on the importance of engagement with the Government and referencing the presence of the Vice President in the meeting as evidence.
Vice President Dr. Mohammed Juldeh Jalloh, who doubles as Chairman of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Local Governance, said the engagement was an experience-sharing meeting since the Chief Administrators had worked with political leaders for years and they are now acting in both capacities as heads of administration and political leaders.
He informed that he and the Ministry wanted to know how the Chief Administrators had been running the Councils without political leaders.
He revealed that before now when political leaders of Local Councils stepped aside from their positions, accountability and service delivery come to an end.
“Our government cannot allow the period of departure to the post elections period of reinstatement to become a time wherein nobody looks after the Councils. In most cases, the Chief Administrators would become so corrupt that they would not account for funds that are utilized or either embark on any service delivery. That should not be the case. As Administrators, you should be in charge of the effective running of the Councils during the elections period,” he explained.
He maintained that since the political leaders are no longer in the councils, the government is expecting to see effective operations of all the councils where services will be fully delivered to the people, adding that the ministry is going to start robust monitoring of the 22 councils to ensure that effective work is ongoing even during the elections period.
He ended by suggesting that the composition of Chief Administrators should contain 30% of women as enshrined in the law books of Sierra Leone.
Minister of Local Government and Community Affairs, Tamba Lamina advised the Chief Administrators on how to effectively lead their Councils. He stated that one secret of success for any leader is the ability to treat your staff equally without discrimination or favor. He also talked about the need for consultative leadership and quality representation of their Councils.
He ended by entreating them to stay away from politics and focus on service delivery and that punitive actions would be taken against any Chief Administrator who fails to stick to the rules and regulations that govern the day-to-day activities of the Councils.
The 22 Chief Administrators later presented their Action Plans which he also followed by comments and discussions from other dignitaries including the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Local Government and Community Affairs, and Chairman of the Local Government Service Commission amongst others.
