By Edward Vamboi
In a bid to shove up overall national development, the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development (MoPED) on Tuesday 21 January, 2020 held a consultative meeting with Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDAs) and development partners to discuss the Zero Draft National Public Investment Policy (NPIMP) at the Ministry’s Conference room on Tower Hill in Freetown.
The engagement is geared towards reviewing the draft NPIMP including streamlining the roles and responsibilities of key public investment actors, define the public investment cycle and design appraisal tools to guide public investment decision making. The NPIMP, when developed is expected to be a guide that interfaces with other Government policies to ensure a robust and integrated system in the processing and delivering of public projects.
Welcoming the discussants, the Development Secretary, Peter Sam-Kpakra thanked everyone for their participation; noting that it demonstrates their commitment to ensuring Government addresses challenges that have over the years undermined efficiency in addressing the infrastructural challenges and gaps.
In his statement, the Director of Public Investment Management Department, MoPED, Alpha Bangura noted the importance of the engagement; stating that the preliminary consultative meeting will create the platform for Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDA’s) to contribute in developing a National Public Investment Policy that will reflect a national perspective on public investments across all sectors.
Mr. Bangura said the process will further foster transparency and accountability of the process, ensuring ownership of the document when developed.
The Lead Consultant, Osman Kamara, who gave an overview of the zero draft presentation, noted that the process will be very participatory and will include valuable inputs and contributions from all relevant stakeholders.
Other representatives in attendance included the IMF, ADB, Office of Presidential Infrastructure Initiative, SLRA, Ministry of Works and Ministry of Finance among many others.
The Public Investment Management Department in partnership with the consultant will conduct nationwide consultations with key stakeholders on the zero draft policy to solicit their views on Public Investment processes. The consultations will be held in all four (4) regions of the country.
