His Excellency President Julius Maada Bio has received a high-level official delegation from the United Arab Emirates, UAE, a follow-up to his visit last month to the Arabian Peninsula nation.

The President of UAE, Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, had urged investors to visit Sierra Leone, the natural resource-rich West African nation that was looking for genuine businesses to take advantage of the opportunities presented by the New Direction government.

Welcoming the delegation, which included public and private investors, Chief Minister Professor David Francis told the potential investors that the country was an emerging destination of choice for Africa and other developed countries. He added that under the leadership of President Bio the government would ensure that all investors and their investments were protected.

“We are proud of the bold steps and your initiative of coming to our beloved country to invest. Sierra Leone has been ranked as the third most peaceful country in the world. This will be backed up with the political will to ensure that you are not only protected but your investments were also secure,” he assured.

Professor Francis noted that he wanted those investors to be part of the drive to transform Sierra Leone, thereby turning the country’s challenges into a unique opportunity.

Head of the delegation, His Excellency Sultan Al Shamsi, who is the Currently, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation for International Development Affairs said he was happy to visit Sierra Leone and to bring along investors to explore possible investment potentials in the private and public sectors. He said that key areas of interest would be agriculture, education, energy, health, women’s empowerment through job creation and the empowerment of small and medium-sized enterprises.

“It is very promising and important coming here to Sierra Leone to partner with the government and find ways the two countries can make investment better. One thing that is important and fundamental here is the commitment by the government to protect investors and their investments,” he said.

While responding, President Julius Maada Bio welcomed and thanked the delegation from the UAE for their time and effort to come to Sierra Leone to discuss business.

“When we last visited the UAE in search of investment opportunities, Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE assured me that he would send a delegation to Sierra Leone for this said purpose. I didn’t expect it to happen soonest. On behalf of the people of Sierra Leone, I welcome you here and I pray that your engagements will be fruitful,” he told the delegation.

President Bio also told the meeting that the country was looking for credible investors who would explore the many opportunities of the country through their various interests and assured of their protection.

During a press conference convened at the Ministry of Tertiary and Higher Education’s conference room at its New England Ville office in Freetown on Tuesday 9th April 2019, the Minister, Professor Aiah Gbakima, said they are embarking on the development of a National Policy for Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET). Present at the meeting were members of the Technical Committee set up to develop the Policy, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Gilbert Cooper and members of the Press.
In his introduction, Gilbert Cooper stated that his Ministry deals with two categories of education, Higher Education, which is concern with colleges and the universities and the second category being that of Technical and Vocational Training. On the former, he said, that operations are going on with little itches, but the latter is the sticking point, for which this policy is being developed. He informed the media that technical experts are already in the process of formulating a Policy, which will embrace all disciplines and inputs from the public will be welcomed.
Addressing the meeting, Professor Gbakima said that over the years, two similar policies (2010 and 2014) have been developed by the previous Government, but these have not seen the light of day as they were left in the preliminary stages. This policy, he noted, will be sent to cabinet and later tabled in Parliament for enactment. He, however, stated that the past two drafts will be closely looked at and other additions made to stream line it with the needs of the country. He noted that a lot of youths from the University and from schools are unemployed. This, according to him, is due in part to the relevance of their courses to the job market, whilst others lack the necessary skills training to get them gainfully employed. He lamented over the fact that mining companies in this country hire foreigners to work in their companies because of the absence of the requisite skills in the country.
The policy, he went on, will take into cognizance all these facts to ensure they create the skills to meet the needs of the job market. It is therefore the responsibility of his Ministry to solely focus on technical and higher education. Its operational responsibilities include among others: Development of robust policies on TVET, Development of framework for public-Private-Partnership with a view to increase private sector participation in TVET, expand access, improve quality of TVET particularly in areas highly potential for job creation, review and standardize curriculum and certification for TVET, develop a national apprenticeship scheme which can provide internship for trainees of TVET and at the same time provide direct training for youth. Promote agricultural TVET to enhance food production and food security.
Development of the TVET Policy
Minister Gbakima maintained that the MTHE is currently developing a National TVET policy in collaboration and in consultation with all relevant stakeholders/ partners including GIZ. The process is being led by a national consultant with both national and international experience in policy development and implementation. Regional Consultation will be conducted simultaneously to further solicit stakeholders inputs in five regions: East in Kenema, South in Bo, North West in Port Loko, North in Makeni and West in Freetown.
He stressed that a final validation workshop will be held by the 4th week of April leading to the finalization of the policy. The final document, he said, will be presented to Parliament for approval and enactment. The purpose of the policy is to set up a common vision for the TVET system in Sierra Leone, to facilitate alignment with both national development frame work and coherence with other policies, to enhance coordination of planned actions and reforms for improving outcomes and input of TVET, to clarify institutional arrangement and stakeholders roles and responsibilities for TVTE, to integrate best practices at national and international level, to pledge the political and collective will of the GoSL and implementing stakeholders.
In that regard, he is appealing to members of the general public and interested parties to participate by sending their views, comments and suggestions to the TVET Policy Secretary Technical Working Group at email: mempower1981@yahoo.com or contact: +232 76 966959.

The Port Loko District Council and the Chiefdom Councils Revenue Platform recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development for the project titled, Increasing Transparency and Accountability on Revenue Mobilization and Reporting; Case of Port Loko District Council, funded by the World Bank, through the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development (MOFED) and the Non-State Actors (NSA) National Secretariat and facilitated by Democracy and Development Associates Sierra Leone (DADA-SL).
The MOU provides the framework for Local Councils and representatives of Chiefdom Councils to work together for the development of the District. The mandate of the Joint Revenue MOU will be reviewed at the end of each year while the role of DADA-SL/Non-State Actors and other Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) is to provide support and monitor the two parties for effective implementation of the MOU in ensuring increase in domestic revenue mobilization and reporting for more effective service delivery at community level.
The platform will be governed by the following principals: neutrality and impartiality, mutual respect, openness, discretion, participation in flat form activities, inclusion, diversity and support to strengthen the capacity of Council.
Furthermore, all stakeholders should openly share information that contributes to the effective mobilization of revenue, reporting, planning and monitoring of development initiatives and processes in the District, jointly assess the progress of the implementation of the Local Councils and Chiefdom Development Plans and progress on revenue generation.
Also, Local Councils and Chiefdom Councils to co-chair the Revenue Accountability Platform meetings on rotational basis with backup from DADA-SL/Non-State Actors and other CSOs within the District.
Chiefdom Councils and CSOs/NSAs should submit quarterly and/or annual activity plans and budgets for inclusion into council’s development plan.
The introduction of decentralization after 36 years saw the need for the establishment of Local Government structures to champion all development programs/activities at the same time to further coordinate all development partners’ intervention at the district level and municipalities as enshrined in the Local Government Act of 2004.
The Act places significant responsibilities on Local Councils in service delivery. This is done through the preparation and implementation of a Local Council budget, one of the most important processes of governance undertaken by Councils.
The MOU is for Local Councils in Port Loko District to post their financial statements on notice boards, make public monthly Council meetings, consult residents before approving and or reviewing development plans and more importantly to make council budgets a public document.
The project titled, Increasing Transparency and Accountability on Revenue Mobilization and Reporting; Case of Port Loko District Council, funded by the World Bank, through the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development (MOFED) and the Non State Actors (NSA) National Secretariat.
The MOU was established by the chiefdom councils of Bake Loko/Marforki, Lokomasama/Kamasondo and Kaffubulom Chiefdom Councils and Port Loko District Council, facilitated by Democracy and Development Associates-Sierra Leone (DADA-SL), in a bid to strengthen synergies, collaborations and partnership ties among and between the different councils in the areas of local tax and market dues collection and reporting, both at chiefdom and district levels.
The Executive Director of DADA-SL, Mr. Foday D.M. Sesay, lamented that the MOU is a relevant tool and mechanism that both partners would bank on as reference document which has clearly defined respective roles and responsibilities in revenue generation including other important portions that have more ingredients that provides the basis for including added value into the local tax and market dues collection within Port Loko District.
He assured the public and government that from the commitments obtained from the diverse duty bearers targeted by the project, Port Loko District Council and its allied chiefdoms have the potential to realize and enhance more cooperation and compliance of local tax and market dues payment this 2019 Financial Year.
The Executive Director concluded by acknowledging and thanking the World Bank, the Government of Sierra Leone, through the PFMICP Department of the Ministry of Finance and the Non-State Actors Component National Secretariat, the District NSAs of Port Loko, the Local and Chiefdom Councils of the project targeted Chiefdoms/communities, the media, the former Clerk of Parliament (currently CEO for Concern for Accountability), Mr. Ibrahim Sesay, the Local Government Finance Department of the Ministry of Finance, the respective Service Providers and the entire Board of Directors, management and staff of DADA-SL for their unflinching support and cooperation provided during the implementation of the NSA Grant project.
According to the Executive Director of DADA-SL, Mr. Foday Sesay, this transparency process of involving citizens is not properly carried out by Local and Chiefdom Councils although some efforts have been made underscoring that a lot more needs to be done to close the gaps.
He furthered that this lacuna has affected the revenue generation drive of Councils affirming that it is a now a prerequisite in the recently enacted Finance Act for an increase in local revenue generation in addition to bringing onboard the budget process for Chiefdom Councils as they are mandated to intensify revenue mobilization.
He continued that if the new Finance Act is fully adhered to by Councils, it would contribute to effective service delivery and financial prudence in addition to community ownership and project sustainability.

Deputy Minister of Youth Affairs, Hon. Lusine Kallon, has informed the United Nations that lawlessness, poverty and corruption are the real security threat in the whole world.
He made this statement on 6th April 2019, in USA, at the UN Roundtable Discussion on UN Youth Strategy 2030-Economic and Social Council – ECOSOC, on the theme: “Youth: Empowered, included and equal”
Minister Kallon said, “I strongly believe that we can mitigate these social maggots if only we can join hands as a United Nations in winning the fight.”
In attendance were the President of the Economic and Social Council, President of the General Assembly, The Envoy of the UN Secretary General on Youth, youth leaders and host of other distinguished personalities across Africa.
He told his audience that President Julius Maada Bio’s commitment in youth development and empowerment is underpinned by a National Youth Policy that is set to be reviewed in synergy with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Africa Union Agenda 2063 and the UN 2030 Youth Strategy.
He said he was at the roundtable youth forum in two capacities, firstly as a Sierra Leonean youth, and secondly as its youngest Deputy Minister of Youth ever appointed. According to him, this was made possible because President Bio, is strongly committed to youth empowerment and development.
In the demonstration of the President’s commitment, he added, “more than 40% of the high-level appointees in Government positions are youth or young people.”
Explaining how the country’s youth policy tie with the UN Youth 2030 Strategy, he said, “our national vision to inclusively and equally empower our youth mirrors that of the Youth 2030 Strategy, whose vision is to create “a world in which the human rights of every young person are realized; that ensures every young person is empowered to achieve their full potential; and that recognizes young people’s agency, resilience and their positive contributions as agents of change.”
He went further to state that in developing the youth policy they were going to engage the youth on consultative dialogue through workshops, seminars and media engagements.
The Minister disclosed that the Government of Sierra Leone recently launched the Medium-Term National Development Plan 2019-2023, and Cluster Six speaks about transforming the lives of young people of Sierra Leone by meeting the following key targets: By 2023, we hope to increase youth employment by 15%, with special attention to gender equality. By 2023, we are certain that the number of young people involved in entrepreneurship will increase more than the 2018 figures, with emphasis on promoting innovation. By 2023, we are hopeful that the National Youth Service and the Skills Development Project will be fully operational.
He asserted that, “Sierra Leone recent history might have been blighted by accounts of the abuse of young people in our civil conflict. Since we turned the page in 2002, our focus now is development, recognizing our youthful population as agents for such paradigm change.”
With this in mind, he said, “our President has created the platform for the youth to serve themselves and represent themselves in national governance and policy design to fit their desires. One of the best ways in catering for the majority of our youth is through the National Youth Service (NYS).”
He submitted that Sierra Leone will be the hub for youth entrepreneurship and innovation in winning the fight against “Lawlessness, Poverty and Corruption

Commentary

The people say they are tired with hearing President Bio and his men and women constantly ringing into their ears that the Government inherited a broken economy. As far as the people are concerned, President Bio told them during the campaign that he is up to the task of fixing the problem, so that is all what they want to hear and what they look forward to – Period.
As it is, President Bio has the daunting task of inducing sustainable development and implanting into the society sustainable peace: Two sides of the same coin.
With more than half of the country’s population living on less than USD2 a day, sustainable development is key to sustaining peace and vice versa.
Traditionally, peace has been approached in sequential and separate steps: creating a new governing system; and investing in economic, social and environmental development.
But peace-building and development are symbiotic, like getting fit: you would not stop smoking for a month, exercise the next month, then eat well the following month – you would work on all together.
This is why the 2030 Agenda that contains the SDGs and the Resolutions on the UN’s peace-building architecture call for the dissolution of silos and the advancement of a strongly coherent and integrated approach, recognizing that development, peace and security, and human rights are interlinked and mutually reinforcing.
The radical heart of the SDGs is their promise to leave no one behind and to reach the furthest behind first. This is a game-changing commitment to the poorest, most vulnerable people.
Old development agendas might focus on boosting a narrow idea of economic growth, industrialization or social services. Alone, none of these achievements leads to welfare, sustainable economic transformation or sufficient support to a peace process.
They could even worsen tensions in a country if growth is not inclusive, services are captured by an elite or development generates unbalances between regions.
A rising tide only lifts all boats if everyone has a boat. Sustaining peace and sustainable development are two sides of the same coin. For any country to reach a lasting peace, the journey must always be led by its own people.
Peace is not simply a benchmark to achieve. It requires ongoing, dynamic participation from the entire society in its governance and economy to ensure that conflicts don’t escalate into violence. That is why a country’s development must be inclusive and sustainable; it gives everyone a stake in a shared future.
We are living in a country that is increasingly divided. Peace, stability, human rights and effective governance based on the rule of law are important conduits for sustainable development.
High levels of economic and social insecurity have a destructive impact on a country’s development, affecting economic growth and often resulting in long standing grievances among communities that can last for generations. Sexual violence, crime, exploitation are also prevalent where there is conflict or no rule of law. The government must take proactive measures to protect those who are most at risk.
As such, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aim to significantly reduce all forms of violence, and work with governments and communities to find lasting solutions to conflict and insecurity. Strengthening the rule of law and promoting human rights is key to this process.
Promoting peace and justice is one of 17 Global Goals that make up the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. An integrated approach is crucial for progress across the multiple goals.
The 2030 Agenda requires a greater involvement among governments, civil society, private sector and international organizations to build more peaceful and inclusive just societies. Peace also brings new business opportunities by increasing stability, improving economic prospects and by building social and economic fabric in a community.
The above, principally, more than anything else should be what informs and drives the New Direction Government as it endeavours to create a new humanitarian nation standing on strong prosperous foundations of ideological, economic and cultural independence.

At least 2,000 Sierra Leonean youths facing chronic unemployment or underemployment will receive market-driven vocational training over the next three years under a project funded by the Government of Japan.

“IOM has a long-standing experience addressing issues related to youth, migration and employment,” said Sanusi Savage, Head of the IOM Office in Sierra Leone. “We hope that through this new initiative, we can unlock the entrepreneurship potential of Sierra Leonean youths and help them contribute to the development of the country.”
More than 60 per cent of Sierra Leonean youths are unemployed or underemployed. The West African country has been slowly recovering from the devastation caused by an 11-year civil war (1991 – 2002) and the recent Ebola crisis (2013 – 2016), which has led to massive rural-urban mobility, especially among young people.
This population growth in urban areas has impacted infrastructure and essential service delivery, including housing, schools, jobs, water, health, electricity, sanitation, etc.
Funded by the Government of Japan, Reducing the Risk of Irregular Migration through Employment Promotion and Entrepreneurship Support for the Youth will be implemented over three years from 2019 to 2022.
The new project will contribute to youth and women’s empowerment through vocational and entrepreneurship skills training. A partnership will be developed with Sierra Tropical, a Sierra Leone-based juice manufacturing company, to provide internships and on-the-job training to young people and women across the country.
Two hundred and forty youths will also receive entrepreneurship trainings, business start-up kits, and long-term mentoring from industry professionals to ensure the sustainability of their ventures.
Mohamed Orman Bangura, Minister of Youth Affairs for Sierra Leone, said this new project will support the country’s National Development Plan: “[The project] will help provide young people with the skills in areas relevant for the job market, reduce rural-urban and irregular migration and contribute to economic growth and development,” he explained.
Since 2017, more than 950 vulnerable Sierra Leoneans have returned home with IOM’s assistance. The project will also develop activities to raise awareness on the risks and dangers of irregular migration and human trafficking.
“Over the years, the Government of Japan has been very committed in providing support to Sierra Leone, and we are very happy also to support this wonderful project,” added Tsutomu Himeno, Japan’s Ambassador to Sierra Leone.

For more information, please contact IOM Sierra Leone:
Alhaji Sanusi Tejan Savage, Email: ssavage@iom.int
Kunikazu Akao, Email: kakao@iom.int