By Theresa Kef Sesay
The popularization of the Sierra Leone National Population Policy ended in Makeni City, Bombali District at the District Council Hall along the Makeni-Lunsar Highway on the 7th December 2021.It was facilitated by the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development (MoPED), with support from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
Similar events were earlier held in Kenema and Bo Cities on Friday 3rd and Monday 6th December 2021 respectively at which events it was revealed that there are eight objectives and 21 indicators in the policy, that 75% of the population is made up of youths, that 46% of the population is uneducated and that there is a big gap between school going boys and girls.
All the stakeholders, including Paramount Chief Prince Boima of Kakua Chiefdom, Bo District and John S. Koroma, Chairman, Bombali District Council, pledged their unflinching support to the policy but underscored that if youths are not catered for they would become armed robbers, prostitutes and seek greener pastures abroad.
In his keynote address and officially handing over the policy to stakeholders in the three regions, Hon. Festus Lansana, Chairman of the Parliamentary Action Group on Population and Development , said the Midterm Census is to correct the anomalies of the last census for accurate allocation of resources depending on the population of each district.
Earlier, Daniel Banya Brima, Senior Economist in the MoPED, introduced the Chairman of the program, Dr. Robert Moikowa, Director of Performance Management and Planning in the MoPED attached to the Office of the Chief Minister at State House.
Dr. Moikowa apologized that due to the COVID-19 outbreak in the country in 2018, Government was late to popularize the policy and enlightened that the National Population Policy (NPP) was the first document launched by the SLPP Government in 2018 to ensure that nobody is left behind citing the radical inclusion of all in the education sector, women’s empowerment, underscored that the policy is the roadmap that would be handed over to the people for ownership and appealed to them to monitor the process for sustainability.
According to Dr. Robert Moikowa, Sierra Leone pledged commitment at the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) to among others provide family planning, promote the use of contraceptives to manage the birth rate, reduce maternal and infant mortality, end child marriage as well as improve the lives of youths and appealed to all to widely disseminate the policy to their respective constituents.
He further articulated that if the population is effectively managed, Government would be able to provide basic services for the people and in the process increase life expectancy, stressed the need for decentralization of service delivery, that the policy prioritizes reproductive health and rights and that government wants to manage the population to harness the demographic dividends as the majority of the population is made up of youths.
He continued that the policy is forward-looking, all encompassing and is based on credible data, disclosed that government plans to train and employ 1,000 midwives and health workers, reduce gender based violence and harmful traditional practices in addition to prohibiting and criminalizing child marriage.
The UNFPA Web Media Analyst, John Baimba Sesay revealed that his organization has a crucial role to play in the policy citing the progress Government has made to empower women and pledged that they would continue to support Government due to its strong commitments to accelerate the ICPDs as well as budgetary support to the Ministry of Health to reduce maternal and infant mortality.
He furthered that they are now practicalizing the well-prepared policy, that UNFPA is supporting Government to achieve the Mid-Term National Development Plan in addition to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and working to address key issues in the policy.
Representatives of the Paramount Chiefs in Kenema and Makeni revealed that they are the custodians of Government policies, that chiefdoms account for three fourth of the country, that the event is very important and that implementation of the policy is now at their doorsteps citing the Mid-Term Census that would commence on 10th December this year.
They also reiterated the need for the Mid-Term Census for proper planning, appealed to all for their support and behalf of all Paramount Chiefs in the three districts and the entire country pledged their unflinching support to the policy and assured the people that their inputs would be presented to Government and partners.
In his PowerPoint presentation, Gabriel Dumbuya of MoPED disclosed that the policy was developed in 2018 and launched by the Vice President of Sierra Leone in 2019 reiterating that the policy is very important for the country, underscored the need to manage the country’s population with the available resources so as to improve the lives of the people, especially women and children and affirmed that the Mid-Term Census would help generate credible data.
Stakeholders in the three Districts reiterated that the importance of the Mid-Term Census cannot be overstated for proper planning, promised to sensitize their subjects to participate in the census adding that adult literacy would help to reduce the high illiterate rate in the country and pledged their respective Councils’ commitment to the policy but lamented that the population in some Districts were under-reported in the last census.
Other dignitaries who made statements included representatives of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) who underlined that population issues are crosscutting and guaranteed to mainstream population issues in all their activities, the National Youth Commission, the Institute of Population Studies and Development, University of Sierra Leone, the Conference of Principals of Secondary Schools in the East, South and Northern Regions respectively, Commercial Motorbike Riders and Inter-Religious Council.
The question and answer session, distribution of the policy and radio discussion programs climaxed the highly interactive event in the three Districts while the votes of thanks were rendered by participants in each of the districts.
