Valnora Edwin Calls for Government Performance to Take Priority Over Party Politics
Civil society advocate, Valnora Edwin has urged Sierra Leoneans to judge elected governments by their performance in office rather than continued partisan loyalties.
Edwin said winning an election changes a political party’s responsibility, arguing that once elected, a party assumes the broader duty of governing the country.
“Personally, I have said it everywhere: I want every government in Sierra Leone to succeed, because when you win the election, you are no longer a political party; you are a government,” Edwin said.
Her comments come from a civil society perspective focused on governance and public accountability. Edwin has previously worked on issues including democratic governance, elections, human rights and institutional reform.
Edwin also said she maintains relationships with politicians across party lines, including people associated with the All People’s Congress (APC) and the Sierra Leone People’s Party(SLPP) .
She explained that many of those relationships existed before the individuals entered public office, citing shared experiences at school, university, in communities and through professional engagements.
Edwin said she does not regard those relationships as a reason to abandon her broader concerns about governance.
Her remarks also touched on economic development. She argued that Sierra Leone should strengthen its domestic economy and reduce what she described as heavy reliance on donor support.
She also questioned why some communities continue to experience inadequate access to pipe-borne water, arguing that the country should be moving toward more reliable basic services.
Edwin further called for successive governments to preserve useful initiatives inherited from previous administrations while addressing unresolved needs.
The comments reflect a governance approach Edwin has expressed publicly before. In 2025, she participated in a government civic forum focused on governance, constitutional reform, the census and district development, where she was identified as chairperson of the African Women Leaders Network.
Her position also echoes her longstanding civil society advocacy for accountability and effective public institutions. Public profiles and government records have documented her involvement in governance, civil registration and civil society initiatives.
Edwin’s statements about donor dependence, water shortages and the performance of successive governments are her assessments and policy concerns. They do not, on their own, establish the scale or causes of those issues.
Her central message was that political competition should not prevent citizens, civil society and political actors from supporting effective governance once an administration assumes office.