In an open letter, addressed to the Moyamba District Council Administration and Councillors, a Civil Rights Activist, Gerald A. Foday, brought to light some challenges affecting service delivery in the Moyamba District and proposed solutions to them.

According to Foday, there are quite some areas of service delivery in the district that needs improvement or adjustment.

He sighted two projects recently approved by the administration which he deemed faulty and proposed suggestions to help make them better.

Read these concerns and solutions in his letter below:

“Open Letter on Service Delivery Improvement”

“I hope this letter finds you well. I am writing this open letter to express my concerns and suggestions regarding service delivery in the District as a Civil Rights Activist,  I believe it is crucial to address the issues at hand and work together to enhance the quality of services provided.

“First and foremost, it is important to acknowledge the positive aspects of the existing services. However, it is equally important to recognize the areas that require improvement or adjustment.

“I believe that by collectively identifying and addressing these areas, we can create a more efficient and community-centered service delivery approach.

“One of the primary concerns I had yesterday during the District Bilateral Budget Discussion is the council’s administration projected sum of NLe 240,000 for additional payment of 300 surgeries in the District; while I am not against the service but my concern is for consecutive three years there has been a repetition of same activity—I particularly observed that the award of the procurement of the drugs this year was not transparent and inclusive. 

“Secondly, it is my respected view that supporting surgery should not be a priority service in the council development plan when we have been having humanitarian in the district providing free surgery services. I am kindly calling and appealing to the administration and councilors to redirect the funds to other services such as the rehabilitation of additional schools or PHUs in the 2024 budget. 

“Moreover, another area of concern is the cost of  NLe 365,635 allocated for the rehabilitation of Gbangbatoke Court Barry, Lower Banta. In my opinion, the money is too much; for instance, Primary Health allocated the sum of NLe 300,800 for the rehabilitation of two PHUs and support the construction of a Multi-Purpose Hall. So that cost is too much for a court Barray rehabilitation. But I am also tempted to ask shan’t happens to the revenue generation at the Native Court Administration level! I do not see it a sustainable feat for the council to arrogate rehabilitation of court barriers to themselves. The council should rather work on the technical capacity of the Native Courts to be able to save funds they are generating for the rehabilitation of court barray.

“Furthermore, I encourage the council to be more open and inclusive in the other stages of the budget process—as civil rights activists, my colleagues and I over the years have raised a lot of concerns about inclusivity and transparency in the budget preparation. 

“In conclusion, I believe that by addressing these concerns and implementing the proposed suggestions, we can significantly enhance the service delivery experience for all stakeholders involved. I kindly request your attention and support in prioritizing these concerns. 

“Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to a positive response.”