The Deputy Minister of Information and Communications, Madam Mamadi Gobeh Kamara has urged stakeholders in Kenema District to embrace the Government’s Medium-Term National Development Plan as a roadmap towards the transformation of their district. She made the call during a one-day stakeholders’ engagement on the Medium-Term National Development Plan organised by the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development (MoPED) at the Albsertson Hotel conference room in Kenema. The Sierra Leone Medium-Term National Development Plan (MTNDP – 2019-2023) themed, ‘Education for Development’, aims to promote a new direction for improving people’s lives through Education, Inclusive Growth, and Building a Resilient Economy. The MTNDP outlines the vision of the government and its determination and commitment to transform the nation from a fragile state into a stable and prosperous democracy. Government has put Human Capital Development at the centre of its development planning and the MTNDP is seen as the most fundamental pathway to achieving middle-income status and sustainable development for Sierra Leone in the not too distant future.
Madam Gobeh Kamara said that the popularisation of the Plan was very critical as it gives stakeholders in Kenema the opportunity to choose the development priorities for their district. “Development should be people-centred, so it is imperative that the beneficiaries of these developments are involved right through the process,” she told the stakeholders while encouraging the women of the district to participate fully in the implementation, coordination and monitoring of the development plan for effective and efficient delivery of projects.
The Deputy Minister further highlighted the key successes of her Ministry, including:
- Engaging mobile companies to increase mobile penetration to underserved and unserved communities across the country.
- Decentralisation and roll out of the National Fibre Optic backbone project to increase access to ICT services.
- Repeal of the Criminal Libel law, a development that now grants the Sierra Leone media greater freedom and creates the enabling environment for journalists to practice their profession in an atmosphere free of fear.
- Rebooting of the Sierra Leone News Agency (SLENA) and its flagship publication ‘Sierra News’ to provide a brand of journalism that helps Sierra Leoneans to better understand how their country is being governed, and to take actions that challenge, unite, and inspire positive change.
- Engaging communities through television, radio and stakeholder meetings to inform and engage Sierra Leoneans on government’s development strides.
- The supply of digital terrestrial multimedia broadcast platforms and promotion of e-Governance, amongst others.
She pledged the support of the Ministry of Information and Communications to the people of Kenema for the effective implementation of the development plan, especially the priorities that are ICT related.