Vice President Dr Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh has called for stronger policy coherence and coordination across government, saying effective collaboration among public institutions is essential to translating national development policies into tangible improvements in the lives of citizens.
The Vice President made the call on Thursday, 20 August, while opening the National Symposium on Policy Coherence, Coordination and State Effectiveness at the Foreign Affairs Academy in Freetown.
Dr Jalloh said Sierra Leone’s major challenge was not a lack of policies, but the need for government institutions to work together more effectively to implement and deliver national development priorities. He noted that critical national issues, including food security, youth employment and healthcare, cut across the mandates of several ministries, departments and agencies, making coordinated action necessary to achieve sustainable results.
The Vice President urged public institutions to move away from working in silos and ensure that policy decisions are informed by evidence and the realities faced by citizens. Using the health sector as an example, he pointed to unreliable electricity affecting hospitals and medical equipment as a challenge that cannot be addressed by one institution alone.
Dr Jalloh linked the need for improved policy coordination to President Julius Maada Bio’s public sector reform agenda, which seeks to build a more effective, accountable and citizen-centred state.