Freetown|26th October 2023|Vertex Media
Vice President Juldeh Jalloh stated at the launch of the Building Accountability Systems through Empowered Communities (BASE) partnership on Thursday, October 26, 2023, that the project is essential to ensuring decentralization, good governance, and service delivery.
The BASE initiative is a $3.8 million, three-year partnership with five key local organizations and United States Agency for International Development (USAID), to build empowered communities for sustainable development in Sierra Leone.
Outlining the significance of a community-involved approach to implementation of initiatives and corresponding impacts nationally, Vice President Jalloh stated that such is integral to the achievement of the Base initiative and the government’s big five agenda.
He continued that re-centralization tendencies, which is the notion of central government’s involvement in devolved activities, incapability to generate revenue and accountability factors, are challenges the country have faced in the aftermath of the civil war, stalling plans to focus on decentralization.
He reposed confidence in the implementing consortium however, that its constitution of ministerial representatives, civil society and community stakeholders may bolster confidence and efficiency in all corridors necessary.
Delivering an overview of the implementing organization, Madam Valnora Edwin, explained that Institute of Governance Reform, Centre for Accountability and the Rule of Law, 50-50 group, Independent Radio Network and Budget Advocacy Network, all possess proven records of expertise in governance, decentralized service delivery, girls, women & youth empowerment, media programming and communication, public finance management, and will be working in partnership with the local council to ensure a smooth implementation of BASE.
Andrew Lavallie, presenting on the baseline report and online tracker, highlights that the BASE project will erase the deficits of service delivery to ensure a theory of change, given the provision of critical services within these council areas, without dependence on central institutions only.
He earmarked the work in reducing maternal mortality ratio as a success of decentralized services whose model can be replicated in other areas of governance for higher productivity and efficiency.
The launch concluded with a symbolic signing of the BASE Agreement between USAID, represented by the U.S Ambassador to SierraLeone, Ambassador Hunt & IGR, followed by a signing of a memorandum of understanding with six local councils.
