The Minister of Planning and Economic Development Kenyeh Barley has on the 15th February, 2024 hosted a delegation GOAL Ireland on a productive and collaborative meeting.

The high-level delegation from GOAL Ireland, was led by Mary Van, Deputy CEO and the purpose of the visit was to discuss collaboration and reaffirm GOAL’s commitment to supporting the government’s development priorities in the country.

They expressed their intention to work closely with the government and key partners in Freetown, as well as to visit operational areas in the Western Area Urban to ensure that they are able to have a well-structured and sustainable development goal.

GOAL Sierra Leone, an Irish-based non-governmental organization, has been an active humanitarian presence in Sierra Leone since 1999. The organization focuses on implementing integrated, multi-sectoral interventions aimed at reducing vulnerability and poverty in affected communities. With a strategic emphasis on health, WASH, and food security, GOAL SL has expanded its efforts in the Blue Economy and Food Security and Livelihoods Department, aligning closely with the government’s Feed Salone agenda.

The Deputy CEO of GOAL, Mary Van, thanked that minister and team for the warm welcome and commit to work with the ministry to ensure that they projected goals of development are achieved.

The Minister commended GOAL for its longstanding partnership and contributions to Sierra Leone’s development, giving out the need for strategic mapping of NGO activities to ensure balanced development across regions, emphasizing the importance of inclusivity and impact measurement and highlighted the efforts made so far by Sierra Leone in developing a blue economy strategy which focuses on the sustainable development and use of ocean resources, including fisheries, tourism, renewable energy and maritime transport

Minister Barlay reaffirmed her ministry’s support in working closely with GOAL to achieving a transformative development outcome for Sierra Leone.

This was seen as great start to the pathway of development in the ministry’s effort to work with other sectors in having a strategic development rolled out in the country.