IGR boss Andrew Lavali
By Mohamed Lamin Banya
The Institute for Governance Reform (IGR) has called on the Government of Sierra Leone to accelerate the implementation of several development commitments that are showing slow progress under the Medium-Term National Development Plan (MTNDP).
In a statement released on Monday, IGR commended the government for progress made on some key development targets but expressed concern that a number of commitments remain behind schedule.
The governance watchdog noted that governments often shift focus to political and campaign activities in the period leading up to elections, sometimes at the expense of development delivery. As a result, it said now is the time to draw attention to targets that are at risk of not being achieved within the set timelines.
According to IGR, through its Salone Development Scorecard (SDSC), it has identified 36 commitments that require urgent action from ministries, departments and agencies.
Among the areas highlighted are energy, agriculture, transport, public service reform, youth employment, women’s empowerment, trade and industrial development, sports, social protection, justice, health, education, foreign affairs and fisheries.
The organisation called for faster implementation of key commitments, including increasing energy production, achieving rice self-sufficiency, creating 500,000 jobs for young people, improving domestic revenue collection, reducing public debt, planting 10 million additional trees, building 20,000 affordable housing units and strengthening public confidence in the justice sector.
IGR also urged the government to accelerate efforts to improve access to finance for women, expand technical and vocational education, strengthen fiscal decentralisation and secure certification for fish exports to European Union and Chinese markets.
The institute said accelerated action is necessary if the government is to meet its development targets and deliver tangible benefits to citizens before the end of the current planning period.
IGR recently highlighted 21 other development targets that it said had stalled and warned that continued delays could affect the country’s overall development agenda.
