By Alvin Lansana Kargbo
As part of its nationwide consultation series, the Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone (ECSL) successfully concluded a key stakeholders’ engagement in Bo, mirroring similar efforts undertaken in Kenema, to gather broad-based input into the development of its 2025–2029 Strategic Plan. The event, held at the Bo District Council Hall, brought together political party representatives, civil society actors, media professionals, development partners and ECSL officials in a concerted effort to assess past progress and chart a path forward for electoral governance in Sierra Leone.
The two-day engagement formed a cornerstone of ECSL’s strategy to ensure transparency, inclusiveness and accountability in its planning process, following the expiration of its 2020–2024 strategic plan. Participants actively reviewed successes, identified implementation gaps and offered forward-looking suggestions to strengthen electoral integrity and institutional performance.
In his keynote address, Chief Electoral Commissioner and ECSL Chairman, Mohamed Kenewui Konneh, emphasized the Commission’s continued focus on institutional growth, citing plans to restructure ECSL with specialized departments in inclusion, information technology and procurement. He also underscored the need to enhance conditions of service and career advancement opportunities for long-serving staff, attributing some of the Commission’s recent achievements to Government support in improving staff welfare.
The Chief Electoral Commissioner disclosed that out of the 163 slated activities, the Commission was able to implement 138 activities amounting to 85%. He said 8 activities were not complete in the 2020-2024 electoral cycle amounting to 5% and will be brought forward in the 2025-2029 strategic plan. He pointed out that 17 activities were not implemented due to obvious reasons totaling 5%.
He further highlighted key reforms and achievements from the previous cycle, such as the construction of a new regional office in Bo, which he described as a symbol of ECSL’s growing independence and transparency. He also pointed to ongoing training programs for staff, enabling them to observe elections and participate in international capacity-building exercises.
On financing, the Chief Electoral Commissioner reiterated that the Government had provided approximately 90% of the funds needed to execute the last strategic plan, a marked shift from historical dependence on external funding. He praised this support as vital for the Commission’s operational resilience and credibility, and pledged continued transparency in procurement processes to sustain public trust.
Touching on legal reforms, he noted significant gains in women’s political representation, achieved through mandated quotas requiring political parties to nominate female candidates. He further opened discussions on the country’s electoral model, acknowledging the complexities of deciding between the Proportional Representation (PR) and First-Past-The-Post (FPTP) systems. He assured that those deliberations would be informed by recommendations from the ongoing Tripartite Committee review and broader stakeholder input.
ECSL’s Southern Region Commissioner, Edmond Silverter Alpha, welcomed participants and emphasized the historical role of Bo in Sierra Leone’s democratic development. He reiterated the Commission’s commitment to inclusivity and stressed that the future strategic plan must reflect evolving global trends and the voices of all stakeholders. Edmond Silverter Alpha described the engagement as a collaborative space for refining ECSL’s electoral agenda.
In a technical session, ECSL’s Director of Research, Monitoring and Evaluation, Phillip F. Kargbo Esq., outlined the methodology being used to draft the 2025–2029 plan. He explained that both internal and external scans are being conducted to evaluate past successes and challenges. The Director encouraged participants to provide honest feedback, noting that all recommendations, even those not explicitly referenced, would inform the final document.
He also spoke about the tools ECSL uses to track performance and address strategic issues and expressed optimism about future Government funding. While acknowledging that trust in the electoral process had been tested, he pointed to high turnout at stakeholder engagements as evidence that many still believe in the Commission’s mission.
ECSL’s Sheku Koroma presented a detailed review of the outgoing 2020–2024 strategic plan. He highlighted full completion of strategic pillars covering elections conduct, voter education and ICT/results management. Other pillars including voter registration, legal reform and institutional development recorded strong progress, with success rates between 76% and 92%. Boundary delimitation, however, was noted as a partially fulfilled objective.
Representing the Office of the Resident Minister South, Abubakar Kamara conveyed the Minister’s support for ECSL and the engagement process. He emphasized the central Government’s commitment to democratic consolidation and called on stakeholders to actively contribute to the discussions. Referencing the 2009 Chieftaincy Act, he highlighted ECSL’s foundational role in maintaining order and democratic continuity in the country.
As in Kenema, the Bo engagement concluded with group sessions where participants scrutinized the old plan and proposed recommendations for the new strategic cycle. The sessions reaffirmed the importance of electoral integrity, voter confidence and stakeholder collaboration in Sierra Leone’s democratic future.
The Bo engagement is one of several nationwide consultations aimed at finalizing ECSL’s 2025–2029 Strategic Plan before the year’s end, ahead of the next general elections. Through these dialogues, ECSL hopes to build consensus and trust while fostering a more resilient electoral framework that reflects the aspirations of all Sierra Leoneans.
