Vice President Dr Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh has launched a two-week regional tour aimed at strengthening local governance, improving service delivery, and bringing government closer to communities across Sierra Leone.

The tour, organised in collaboration with the Ministry of Local Government and Community Affairs, with support from the World Bank, is being conducted under the theme “Governance in Action, Bringing Your Local Government Closer to You.”

The initiative covers the regional headquarters towns of Kenema, Bo, Makeni and Port Loko, providing residents and local stakeholders with an opportunity to engage directly with government on issues affecting local development, governance and public service delivery.

As Chairman of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Local Governance and Decentralisation, Vice President Jalloh said the tour is intended to identify challenges within the local governance system and develop practical solutions to improve coordination and service delivery.

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In Kenema, Vice President Jalloh held a dinner and listening session with Paramount Chiefs ahead of the regional consultation.

The engagement focused on council-chiefdom relations, the role of Chiefdom Development Committees and emerging issues relating to social stability. The discussions also provided an opportunity for traditional leaders to raise concerns and share perspectives on governance at the community level.

Dr Jalloh said engaging directly with traditional leaders was important to understanding local realities and developing practical solutions to strengthen decentralisation.

The regional tour builds on the government’s ongoing efforts to deepen decentralisation and increase the role of local councils in delivering essential services.

In February 2025, Vice President Jalloh launched the Fiscal Decentralisation Policy and Implementation Strategy, aimed at giving local governments greater financial autonomy.

The policy is supported by the World Bank-funded $40 million Accountable Governance for Basic Service Delivery project, which is designed to strengthen local councils’ capacity to manage resources and improve accountability.

World Bank Manager Abdu Muwonge has welcomed Sierra Leone’s progress on decentralisation while stressing the need to translate policies into measurable improvements in areas such as education, healthcare and climate resilience.

The tour also forms part of broader efforts to strengthen institutional coordination and citizen participation in local governance.

Vice President Jalloh has consistently highlighted the role of traditional leaders in maintaining peace, strengthening community security and supporting development. Paramount Chiefs remain important links between government policies and the communities they serve.

“I look forward to listening, learning, and working together to identify practical solutions that strengthen coordination, improve service delivery, and bring government closer to the people,” Dr Jalloh said.

He added that “strong local governance is essential to building a more accountable, responsive, and inclusive Sierra Leone.”