By Ibrahim Sesay
Executive Secretary of the Independent Commission for Peace and National Cohesion (ICPNC), Hawa Sally Samai, has held a strategic engagement with the Commissioner of the British High Commission, Josephine Gauld, to discuss ICPNC’s recent efforts aimed at fostering peace and unity in Sierra Leone.
The meeting, which took place at the headquarters of ICPNC in Freetown, highlighted the ICPNC’s recent initiatives to promote national cohesion through community dialogue and conflict resolution programs.
During the meeting, the Executive Secretary, emphasized the importance of building trust with donors to sustain the Commission’s initiatives. “This year, we want to start our fragility study. The International Growth Centre (IGC) is bringing the seed funding of £10,000. We’re looking at conflict fragility and the root causes of conflict,” she revealed.
She further highlighted the significance of partnerships in achieving the Commission’s objectives. “Partnership is key in everything we do, not just local partnerships but also international partnerships, which will give us the leverage we need to succeed,” she noted.
Reflecting on the Commission’s accountability and funding process, she stated, “We’ve just submitted our three-year report to the President, which will be laid in Parliament as per our mandate. The Peace Commission was built on the premise of Government contribution. The Peacebuilding Fund also helped in the establishment of this Commission. Part of the commitment to the Peacebuilding Fund was that the Government would provide administrative funding, while donors would support programmatic efforts. This setup limits Government interference in our activities.”
Hawa Sally Samai also highlighted some of the Commission’s collaborative efforts with Civil Society Organizations and community stakeholders to resolve chiefdom disputes and working with the security sector to ensure a peaceful national census.
In her remarks, Commissioner Josephine Gauld expressed her appreciation for the work being done by the Commission and promised to share the insights gained during her visit with her team at the British High Commission.
The visit underscores the commitment of the British Government to supporting Sierra Leone’s peacebuilding efforts and fostering stronger relations with the ICPNC to promote lasting peace and social cohesion in the country.
