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Governing
Justly and Democratically
Six years
after the end of the civil war in Sierra Leone, peace and progress
continue. Democratically elected governments have been in place since
2002. Presidential and Parliamentary elections took place in 2007,
leading to the first peaceful and democratic transition of national
power in the country’s history. In 2004, Parliament enacted
the Local Government and Decentralization Act, re-establishing the
country’s 13 District Councils and other local bodies. The first
local government elections in 32 years were successfully held in May
2004 and another round of local elections followed in July 2008. These
are remarkable achievements. But, Sierra Leone is still hampered by
a legacy of poor governance, mismanagement, systemic corruption, over-centralization
of power and decision-making in Freetown, and citizens’ lack
of confidence in their government’s ability to delivery basic
services.
USAID is supporting Sierra
Leone’s efforts to advance democracy and good governance through
building more transparent and credible electoral processes; broadening
political participation with a particular focus on engaging women
and youth; strengthening the capacity of local governments, civil
society groups, and targeted government institutions: and fighting
corruption.
Building
Effective Local Governance
With
the passage of the 2004 Local Government and Decentralization Act,
the Government of Sierra Leone launched a gradual process of decentralization.
There is an ongoing progressive devolution of powers and functions
from the central government to the 13 District Councils, including
authority over public health, roads, education, water and sanitation,
electricity, and agriculture. In addition, in each District, community-based
Ward Committees were instituted to mobilize community involvement
in governance. District Councils are as yet able to raise very little
tax revenue on their own; they are mainly dependent on grants from
the central government and donors for their resources. In addition,
corruption and an insufficient number of qualified technical and administrative
personnel continue to be major problems.
Until
the end of FY 2008, USAID supported improved local governance through
the Strengthening Democratic Governance project. The project broadened
community-based political participation and enhanced the effectiveness
of newly-formed local government bodies through a variety of mutually-reinforcing
activities in four Districts, namely, Kono, Koinadagu, Kailahun, and
Kenema. These activities are continuing in FY 2009 through the new
PAGE Project.
USAID
equips communities, particularly women and youth, with the information
and skills they need to participate in decision-making, monitor government
performance, and take on corruption. USAID provided training and mentoring
programs for newly-elected local leaders and traditional Chiefs. Communities
also benefited from hands-on training in priority setting, resource
mobilization, budgeting, advocacy and monitoring. USAID also established
four Regional Information and Community Centers, one in each District,
which provide space for public meetings and host resource libraries
stocked with a wide variety of information materials covering issues
of local interest from governance to agriculture and the environment.
USAID
has helped communities and Ward Committees work together to identify
development priorities and formulate community development plans called
Community Participatory Plans for Governance. To help support these
plans, USAID provided matching grants to 12 communities that were
able to mobilize community resources or obtain support from their
District Council. These interventions have led to greater interaction,
information flow, and trust among communities and their Ward Committees
and District Councils. As a result, local government bodies are becoming
more responsive and effective in providing services to their communities.
Supporting
Credible Elections
USAID is helping improve
the electoral process in Sierra Leone through the Support to Transparent
and Credible National and Local Elections project. Together with
other donors, USAID helped fund the Government of Sierra Leone’s
three-year Election Plan, which focused on implementing the Presidential
and Parliamentary elections in 2007 and local elections in 2008.
USAID’s support emphasizes civic and voter education, conflict
mitigation and management, the role of the media in the electoral
process, and the conduct of political parties. USAID also provides
administrative and commodity support to ensure the smooth function
of the National Electoral Commission, which administers elections,
and the Political Parties Registration Commission, which registers
political parties and regulates their conduct. Finally, USAID supports
the active participation of women in the electoral process, both
as voters and as candidates.
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