The National Movement for Justice and Development (NMJD) yesterday signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Independent Monitoring Team (IMT) for a governance and accountability programme.
According to the deputy director of NMJD, “the project is building on the previous Sierra Leone Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper and Budget monitoring project”.
She said the project which would “promote increased access to quality health and education services through policy advocacy” would monitor both education and health deliveries. This, she said, would help reduce poverty.
The NMJD deputy director said they were aware of government’s strides on exemption policies for both health and education. “So as an organization we want to see to it that this takes place and also build awareness among the citizenry so that there will be increased access to these provisions by government,” she noted adding that, “NMJD has used the Partnership Based Approach in this project with state actors and independent partners to monitor health and education”.
The deputy director said they had kick-started this project in Kono and Bombali districts.
The chairman of the district budget oversight committee, Mr Pearce accepted that there were lapses when they monitor the various ministries.
He said, “the monitoring project is a welcome event for the Western Area Rural Council”.
The focal person for the Independent Monitoring Team promised that they were ready to take up the challenge, and asked for the cooperation and coordination from the people of the Western Area Rural Council.
Various statements were made by representatives from ENCISS, the Teachers’ Union, and the Chief Health Officer at the Waterloo Health Centre.
The project is expected to increase access of pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers to improved health care services, increased access of the under fives to improved basic health services, ensure value for money from contractors in the health and education sectors.
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