Budget Tracking Report on Health, Education, Rural Water, Agriculture, & Social Welfare Service Deliver in the 2018 Financial Year for Bo, Kono, Bombali, & Western Rural District Councils has indicated that late disbursement of funds to Councils has been a major challenge to service delivery.
With funds provided by the European Union, ActionAid Sierra Leone (AASL) in partnership with the Centre for the Coordination of Youth Activities (CCYA) and Campaign for Good Governance (CGG) the budget tracking report was launched on Tuesday December 8, 2020, at the Golden Tulip Hotel, Aberdeen in Freetown.
The project title, ‘Building an Active Civil Society for Improved Gender Responsive Public Service Delivery Especially for Women and Girls to Attain Sustainable Development in Sierra Leone’ is implemented in four districts – Bombali, Kono, Bo and Western Area.
Giving the rationale of the project, Actionaid Executive Director, Foday Bassie Swaray said that the overall goal of the project is to increase the capacity of Civil Society Organization (CSOs), their networks and local authorities to reinforce local democratic governance; and improve transparency, inclusiveness and accountable decision-making.
He said with the principle of inclusiveness at the core of the action, the consortium is working with CSOs led by women, youth and persons with disabilities to build their capacities both within CSO structures and at community levels about the local democratic processes.
Mr. Swaray noted that CSOs were trained thereby building their capacity on budget tracking.
“How can we sustain the gains of this project is now the big question. We want CSOs to go back and continue with these gains by tracking budget at their local councils. We also hope government will reflect on these findings and take them in good faith,” he said.
In her opening statement, the chairperson of the occasion, Valnora Edwin said the project contribute to decentralization in Sierra Leone, reduce poverty, and the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular SDG 16.
She said project conducted a district study on the budget tracking of local councils’ budgets in four districts to assess the significance and timeliness of the budget for key social sectors, and how they were utilized and the challenges faced in meeting the needs of the people at the decentralised level of governance.
Abdul Karim from the Center for Coordination of Youth Activities (CCYA), said the purpose of the launch was to share the findings of the of Budget Tracking report to the wider audience bringing together community members, local authorities from the 4 Districts and other actors at national level, such as representatives from relevant Ministries, including Health, Education, Social Welfare, Gender and Children’s Affairs and Finance.
“As part of implementation we conducted budget tracking on MDAs in the South especially Bo district. The budget tracking findings is a reflection of what is happening here but also to give voices to our people at the local level,” he said.
Sahr Kendema from Campaign for Good Governance, said the project is people centered, having full participation of the people.
He said the project support government midterm plan.
In his Keynote address, Adams Kargbo, from local government finance department, Ministry of Finance, thanked Actionaid and partners for putting together this report, noting that they at the Ministry Of Finance are pleased with the work.
He said that this is the 16th year of the implementation of decentralization policy. He disclosed that a new policy has been developed that will soon be tabled in parliament.
“All of these are to improve the decentralization process so that we will be able to delivered service at the local level,” he said.
On the aspect of Gender budgeting, he the Ministry of Finance is pushing local councils in that direction. “We are not there yet but progress is been made in that front,” he said.
Mr. Kargbo noted that funds provided to councils most times go late but there are several other issues responsible for that.
“We have councils who could not just implement all the funds sent to them, and you can’t be sending funds when evidence of utilization is not made available. We still have council with funds in their account. These are some of the problems,” he noted”.
He said MDAs are supposed to devolved functions and this is something government is still struggling with.
By Mariama Sesay
9/12/2020. ISSUE NO: 7964