This activity was undertaken under the Local Authorities Programme Sierra Leone which is Funded by European Union
Under the partnership for Sustainable Cities in Sub-Saharan Africa 2020, the European Union awarded grant contract to five local councils in Sierra Leone (Port Loko District Council, WARDC, Port Loko City Council, Kenema City Council and Kailahun District Council) to implement an action titled: Strengthening local governance, decentralisation and sustainable urban development through territorial approach to local economic development in Sierra Leone. Through this action, decentralization, local democracy, sustainable urban development and good governance will be fostered in Sierra Leone. The overall objective of the action is to strengthen the capacity of local authorities to promote the improvement of quality and accessibility of public services, public participation in the formation of national and local policies, poverty reduction, sustainable development, effective and efficient gender sensitive service delivery in Sierra Leone.
The action responds to the triangular cooperation, involves the Municipality of Fano (Marche, Italy), as co-applicant, “to implement cooperation programmes and projectsthrough exchanges of knowledge, skills, resources and technical know-how.
A key output of this action is improved partnership for effective shared work. One of the key activities is: ‘Exchange of experience, International best practices on promotion of Local Economic Development between District and City Councils in Sierra Leone and Italy’. Under the exchange of experience, sixteen representatives from local councils in Sierra Leone namely: Port Loko District Council, WARDC, Port Loko City Council, Kenema City Council and Kailahun District Council including Mayors, Chairmen, Development & Planning Officers, M&E Officers, Project Management Unit participated in a seven-day study tour in the Municipality of Fano, Italy from the 11th -17th September 2022.
The study tour focused mainly on Local Economic Development integrated theoretic trainings with more practical activities based on the experience of the Italian Regions, and more specifically of the Fano Municipality, which has one of the best national performances of promoting local economic development and service delivery. The training was carried out by International Expert on Local Economic Development and Officers of the Municipality of Fano in Italy.
Key highlights of the study tour include:
- Training on Urban Planning- Adriano Giangolini
- Municipality Budget and Financial Management- Daniela Mantoni
- Organisation of the Municipal Administration: function, chart, management and procedures
- Soft mobility: objectives and tools
- Waste management- ASET
In addition to the trainings, field visits were also included, but key among them was the visit to the waste disposal site and to the ASET Offices in Fano. The delegation from Sierra Leone was taken on a conducted tour of the various plants and processes involved in managing waste in the Municipality of Fano.
The 7-day study tour climaxed with the opening session of the Municipal Council of Fano.
Speaking on behalf of the Municipality of Fano, the Mayor of the Municipality expressed his delight over the visit of his colleague Mayors and Chairmen from Sierra Leone. He spoke of his visit to Sierra Leone and the warm reception he received from the people of Sierra Leone. He formally presented the delegation from Sierra Leone to the Municipal Council of Fano and asked for cooperation between the local councils in Sierra Leone and Municipal Council of Fano.
Speaking on behalf of the delegation from Sierra Leone, Chief Administration, Raman Tom Farmar expressed his delight over the warm reception and hospitality offered to the delegation from Sierra Leone. He introduced the delegates from Sierra Leone and thanked the Municipality of Fano for organising the study tour. The team from Sierra Leone, he concluded, will depart from Fano with knowledge, experience and fun memory of the great hospitality of the people of Fano.