In a bid to showcase the numerous reforms ongoing in Sierra Leone through the leadership of His Excellency, President Dr. Julius Maada Bio, the Deputy Minister of Planning and Economic Development, Rev. Dr. Jonathan Titus-Williams, at the 2022 hybrid plenary discussion on Effective Development Co-operation Summit has indicated that the government has taken significant steps in promoting the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at local and international levels in Sierra Leone through the Medium Term National Development Plan.

The Mid Term development plan explains the path to the goal of Sierra Leone achieving middle-income status by 2030 through inclusive growth in a sustainable manner and leaving no one behind.

During the hybrid plenary discussion of the 2022 Effective Development Co-operation Summit, which allowed panelists to speak on the topic “Fostering Collective Efforts for Sustainable Development Impact, Focusing on Joint Results as a Lever for a Global Recovery: Leaving No One Behind”, Sierra Leone’s Deputy Minister of Development, stated that Sierra Leone has prioritized the seventeen (17) United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, which addresses several issues on the lives of the people as well as the state of implementation of the various policies, programs and activities of the SDGs.

“My country had a very successful inclusive country dialogue that brought together key development actors. Improving coordination of all development partners around a shared agenda, because it helps strengthen country ownership and reduces transaction costs and inefficiencies”, he added.

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He went further to say, that the inclusive dialogue meeting that was held in Freetown in the first quarter of 2022, helped in identifying not impacting the joint work of government Agencies and development partners.

Dr. Titus-Williams also informed the gathering that, the government sees the urgent need for better-quality support from the development partner community. He reiterated that if they are going to deliver together for the Sierra Leonean people, and to preserve the natural wealth of the country, several actions should be taken into consideration following the country’s dialogue session.

Firstly, we are working on improving our development cooperation architecture and governance, by reviewing our Development Cooperation Framework document to make it fit for purpose and effectively mobilize and coordinate with our international and domestic development partners.

Secondly, partners must join us in streamlining development coordination mechanisms, to avoid duplication, fragmentation, and lack of whole-of-government coherence.

Thirdly, to support and actively engage in setting up and using a data platform that brings together all the development data that is now collected in various parallel monitoring systems.

He pointed out that with a good development plan in the country, there is always room for improvement, with gains made and the plan would end in 2023, calling on development partner support to join forces in developing a common set of indicators to measure results that are relevant to Sierra Leone, and that every partner commits to jointly pursue including the SDGs Monitoring Platform and UN Resident Coordinator’s office is currently working on.

The Minister explained that the government is working collaboratively with local and international partners in the formulation of government policies and legislation, especially those covering all aspects of work.

The Deputy Minister concluded that His Excellency President Julius Maada Bio has placed the premium on Human Capital Development as a Flagship Programme of his government, which promotes education and health care, with a particular focus on girls.