Over the past months, as the outcomes of the Early Recovery (6-9 month) phase have become increasingly evident and the benefits felt, we have simultaneously embarked upon planning the second phase of the recovery process in what has been an exceptionally challenging process of consultation and preparation.
The experience and expertise of 11 ministries, departments and agencies, the advice and experience of district chairs, traditional and community leaders, the support of international funding partners, the de-livery expertise of national and international implementing partners and the lessons emerging from an independent process of evaluation, have been brought together in a recovery plan which has the potential to deliver significant benefits to the citizens and the economy of Sierra Leone.
This collaborative planning process is matched by an equally collaborative delivery mechanism, which unites the strengths, experience and expertise of all stakeholders – individual and institutional - in the future of our nation.
The outcome of this preparation is that today we are able to launch with confidence 13 key result areas across the seven priority sectors of education, energy, governance, health, private sector development, social protection and water.
These will create visible and tangible change in the form of better healthcare, improved education, a grow-ing private sector within an enabling business environment, and protection for our most vulnerable – support-ed by improved utility infrastructure which will immediately increase access to power, water and waste management.
Underpinning this change and securing its sustainability is an increasingly robust system of governance which will deliver efficiency to government spending so that quality service delivery becomes the norm.
The design of the President’s Recovery Priorities has been a partnership, with rights and responsibilities on all sides, and this principle continues through to its de-livery. District Councils, religious leaders,
traditional and community leaders and civil society have commit-ted to being part of the effort. They have taken on roles as advocates, monitors and independent evaluators.
We all have a part in this process, not only as beneficiaries, but as originators and agents of the change we want to see in our nation, and our commitment to transparency will give individuals the tools to stake their claim.
Providing precise information on the activities that will improve our health, energy, education, private sector, social protection and water, via our website, through the media and in meetings, will contribute to a culture of accountability - the responsibility and answerability of institutions for delivering on their mandate – that will drive success.
These are the intangible but equally important components of recovery. Together with the physical and visible results of the President’s Recovery Priorities, and the support of Sierra Leone’s citizens we have the potential to begin the systemic change that will take Sierra Leone back onto the path towards the vision of sustainable middle income status that is articulated in our Agenda for Prosperity.
Saidu Conton-Sesay
Chief of Staff, the Office of the President