The Chief Minister of The Republic of Sierra Leone Dr. Moinina David Sengeh has held his maiden Town Hall meeting (as Chief Minister) in the Northern District of Bombali targeting over 2000 stakeholders from All Walks of Life where he re-echoed the call for national unity in the interest of the state.
The Town Hall meeting took place on Wednesday 12th June 2024 at the University of Makeni Conference Hall. Target groups were students from both University of Makeni and Ernest Bai Koroma University, Paramount Chiefs and Regent Chiefs, District Council and City Council leaderships, Ataya Base Youths, Security Personnels, and Artists among others.
“As a nation, we should focus on inclusion. For me, it is called Radical Inclusion; which means regardless of where you are coming from, the language you speak, your age, poor or rich we are all one. If you are thinking about inclusion, you won’t have the thought of pelting stones at someone’s house or doing something negative to a fellow citizen,” he said.
According to the Chief Minister, the Town Hall meeting will be replicated in every district, but he is starting with Bombali Districts, stressing the significance of elected officials always going back to the people and give them update on how far the government has gone in implementing what they promised and also get information first hand on areas of intervention from the people.
Highlighting gains made since President Bio was re-elected, the Chief Minister spoke about the delivery architecture of the government, among other things he mentioned the performance contract where he encouraged citizens to read the document which is in public and hold public officials’ responsibility when they fall short. He said this is in the interest of transparency and accountability.
The Chief Minister calls on Sierra Leoneans to support the ‘Feed Salone’ Project, adding that every Sierra Leonean has the opportunity to support the ‘Feed Salone’ Project, even with the smallest of gestures by buying local produce from the market.
“Couple of days ago I was informed by the Minister of Agriculture that our locally produced onions are cheaper and of better quality than the imported ones. Bombali is the largest egg producing district and it is of better quality than the imported eggs. It is a decision we will have to make to support our local farmers,” he said. He calls on Sierra Leoneans to invest in Agriculture
He said the government has started a conversation around monetization of social media, noting that citizens in other nations that are using social media positively are benefiting, noting that this is very important for young people in the country. He talked about the introduction of the Starlink in Sierra Leone and the numerous benefits that will come with it.
He talked about the Criminal Procedure Act (CPA) that is before parliament which makes provision for Community Sentence and increases access to justice.
The event was Chaired by the Resident Minister North Mr. Abu Abu Koroma who acknowledged the presence of political actors from the two major political parties in the country and stressed the need for national unity.
In responding to questions from the audience, The Executive Secretary of the Independent Commission for Peace and National Cohesion, Madam Hawa Sally Samai emphasized the need for Sierra Leone to move from negative peace to positive peace and called on all to come onboard in the interest of the country.
In his welcome address, The Mayor of Makeni City Council Mr Abubakarr L. Kamara calls on all players in the governance structure to work together with determination and a shared vision of a brighter future.
After the Town Hall meeting, the Chief Minister then met with student executive members and groups from the two universities in Makeni, security forces, media, civil society, trade and motor drivers union, and other citizen groups.
Later, he visited a local studio where some artists were making music for peace and national development, he wrote and recorded a verse for the track, engaging those artists (including the famous Orbateh).
Chief Minister Dr. Moinina David Sengeh with Orbateh Makeni’s famous artist
