By Foday Moriba Conteh
As part of their efforts to create an interactive platform to encourage political actors and stakeholders in the electoral process engage in constructive and inclusive dialogue that will generate consensus-building around the electoral process for peaceful, free, fair, transparent, credible, and acceptable elections in the country, the ECOWAS Commission, in partnership with the Independent Commission for Peace and National Cohesion, has on Thursday 20th April, 2023 concluded a 3 day training and interactive engagement on Dialogue and Mediation for National Peace Actors in the country. The 3 day training and interactive engagement was held at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Freetown.
In his address, the Chairman for the Independent Commission for Peace and National Cohesion, Rev Shodankeh Johnson, said the gathering has concretized their belief in working together for the common good of the people of Sierra Leone, adding that the move by the Peace Actors in the country is the only way the country can achieve peace and national cohesion.
He maintained that during the training, participants intentionally dialogue together as a way of charting and finding a landing path that will entrench the NDA of peace and national cohesion in the country.
The Chairman of the Political Parties Regulation Commission, Abdulai Bangura stated that the Commission is currently challenged because it now has new statutory provisions which, according to him, has given the Commission more powers and that in the cause of implementing the powers of the Commission they political parties feel offended.
He said that as a Commission they will continue to engage with political parties in order for them to give peace a chance in the country which he said is very important towards building a peaceful nation.
The Director of Legal Affairs in the Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone, Fatorma Fah-Bundeh, said the Commission is prepared to offer the people of Sierra Leone free, fair, and credible elections come June 24 2023 elections.
He assured all that as a Commission they will implement all what they have learnt during the training in order to support the work of the Commission.
In his keynote address, the Resident Representative of ECOWAS Commission, Amb Harouna Moussa said that the training and interactive engagement are aimed at contributing towards the building of the capacity of key political actors in the country.
He maintained that the ECOWAS Commission is pleased to partner with the Independent Commission for Peace and National Cohesion to carry out the training and interactive engagement on Dialogue and Mediation for National Peace Actors in the country which he described as very important and timely.
Amb. Harouna Moussa concluded by saying that the ECOWAS Commission is very committed to support the efforts of the country in holding inclusive, peaceful, free, fair and credible elections.
