After lengthy deliberations on Tuesday on the Mid Term National Development Plan (MTNDP), stakeholders in the Western Area Rural District have unanimously agreed to catalogue health, energy and water as the key priorities of the district. The Ministry of Planning is currently popularising and decentralising ownership of the MTNDP 2019-2023.
The Ministry has completed similar engagements in all the 14 districts in the provinces, and Western Area Rural District Council (WARDC) has just been concluded in the Western Area. The plan, which was launched by President Bio in February 2019 with the theme ‘Education for Development’, seeks to reduce poverty in all its forms by improving the lives of the people of this country through education, inclusive sustainable growth, and building a resilient economy.
The plan is people-centred, giving stakeholders the collective responsibility of identifying priorities for their respective districts. Prior to the selection of their priorities, the Chairman of WARD, who doubled as chairman of the program, Kasho Hollande Cole, said there is no way a country can be developed without effective planning. He said plans can be modified but shouldn’t be changed to enhance developments. The District Council Chairman underscored that it was good of the government to consult the people on what they need in the area of development.
According to the Deputy Minister of Economic Development, planning for a whole country isn’t an easy task. He said they have done a first draft of the MTNDP where key documents and a wide range of consultations were done with the people. The Deputy Minister said they have consulted over two million people on a wide range of engagements over the years.
In his brief statement, the Minister of Lands, Denis Sandi, said they are working in the interest of the country, and told the gathering that they have no intention to take lands that belonged to people with the required documents. Sandi said as long as the landowners have the right documents for the land they have no problem with him or his Ministry. He advised Sierra Leoneans to go through the right channels to secure land for themselves. The Deputy Minister of Information and Communications, Mamadi Gobeh-Kamara, said the importance of information can’t be over emphasised in the development process.
She advised the people to be part of the project by effectively monitoring what is going on. The Deputy Minister went ahead to highlight some of the successes they have championed over the years, including the repeal of Part 5 of the Criminal Libel Law which has been affecting the work of journalists for decades. Representing the community people, one of the village headmen called on the authorities concerned for the document to come to reality. He said the Western Area Rural is one of the key districts of the country, serving as a link between the capital and the rest of the other districts in the country.
Giving the keynote address, the Minister of Planning and Economic Development, Francis KaiKai, said it was the President’s initiative to do such consultations in order for developments to be rolled out in the country. He said the planning document comprises key documents including the SLPP manifesto and views of the people.
He said they started such engagements last year, as they are currently in 15 districts. “This plan is not just an ordinary plan, it’s a living plan,” the Minister said.
He called on the people to take ownership of the plans, and also urged the stakeholders to fully and properly coordinate the activities of the plans.
Other statements were made by the Ministry of Fishery, Agriculture, Health, Tourism, among others.
By Mohamed J. Bah