Vice President to Lead Next Decentralization Consultations in Makeni and Port Loko

Vice President Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh is set to lead the second leg of the Government’s Regional Decentralization Tour in Makeni and Port Loko, where officials will meet local authorities and other stakeholders to assess the delivery of national policies at community level.

The engagements are expected to bring together traditional authorities, district representatives, local council leaders and representatives from critical sectors. The consultations will focus on how government policies can be translated into tangible development outcomes for communities.

“A Government closer to the people is a Government that works,” Dr. Jalloh said ahead of the engagements. He added that he would be engaging directly with traditional, district and local council leaders “to ensure national policy delivers local impact.”

Listening to local governance concerns

The Vice President chairs the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Decentralization, which is overseeing the nationwide exercise. He has described the consultations as an opportunity to hear directly from local authorities rather than impose solutions from Freetown.

“This is not a meeting where we come to tell you what to do. It is a learning process. We are here to listen to the challenges of local governance,” Dr. Jalloh said during the Kenema engagement.

The initiative is examining longstanding issues affecting decentralization, including inadequate financing, institutional capacity, coordination between central and local authorities, revenue mobilization and the incomplete transfer of responsibilities to councils.

Local councils face growing demands in areas including healthcare, education, sanitation, waste management, agriculture, roads, markets, drainage, land administration and social welfare. Government officials have acknowledged that transferring responsibilities without matching financial, technical and logistical resources could weaken the decentralization process.

Lessons from the first consultations

The first leg of the regional consultations was held in Kenema and Bo on August 14 and 15, 2026, respectively. Participants included Paramount Chiefs, local councils, ministers, Ministries, Departments and Agencies, development partners and representatives from critical sectors.

Regional Coordination Committees were inaugurated during the Kenema and Bo consultations to improve collaboration among institutions and help address decentralization challenges at regional level.

Deputy Minister of Local Government and Community Affairs Alfred Moi Jamiru called for greater investment in councils, linking stronger institutional capacity to their ability to carry out their responsibilities effectively.

Dr. Falla D. Lamin, Chairman of the Local Government Service Commission, emphasized the importance of competent personnel, improved coordination and stronger institutions in building an effective local government system.

Potential policy implications

The consultations are also expected to consider how responsibilities, resources and institutional authority should be distributed among traditional authorities, councils and Central Government. Greater clarity in these areas is viewed as important for avoiding duplication and strengthening accountability.

According to the source, Dr. Jalloh said recommendations from the consultations could contribute to Government policy, Cabinet decisions and, where necessary, legislative reforms. No such decisions or reforms have been confirmed as adopted.

The Vice President has also indicated that the decentralization exercise will eventually be expanded to district level. The process comes as Sierra Leone continues efforts to bring decision-making closer to citizens, more than two decades after elected local government was restored.