By: Aaron Bundu Lahai-Head of Media & Public Relations
The Hon. Vice President Dr Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh who doubles as the Chairman of Inter-Agency Forum on Social Protection, on Friday, August 9, 2024, presided over the third forum meeting at the Albertson Hotel in Kenema City. In his remarks, the Vice President described the 2018 manifesto as human capital driven, with government focusing on human capital development of Sierra Leone. He noted that President Bio believes that the pathway to carve development is to embark on human capital development as a vehicle to transform the lives of Sierra Leoneans, noting that key indicators/sectors clearly outlined in the first Medium Term National Development Plan are the social sector and other governance sectors that gained prominence.
Dr Jalloh stated that government effort is aimed at addressing poverty, and transitioning out of vulnerability. He said that the poverty index in 2018 indicated that 1,017 annually while in labour between 2016 to 2018, adding that New Direction Manifesto was informed by maternal mortality statistics.
The Hon. Vice President informed that the purpose of the first Medium Term National Development Plan was for Government to address poverty and reduced vulnerability, adding that government therefore encouraged pro-poor policy that transitioned the country from vulnerability to a state that can put Sierra Leone to a reasonable position that allowed development.
He said government realized that the Inter-Agency Forum for Social Protection has got immense potential. The first potential, Dr Jalloh explained, was to reorganize the protection space. Secondly, to come together and discuss about extreme vulnerability and ways to transition out of the vulnerability. He buttressed that since 2018, the Forum has been a very important platform for local, national, and international partners share ideas on ways to support vulnerability and transition out of it.
He disclosed that certain key decisions implemented today were taken during the 2018 first Inter-Agency Forum held in Makeni, furthering members of the Forum visited communities of social safety net beneficiaries while attending the meeting in Makeni. He informed that the team also visited a community where individual women who received envelopes from NACSA transformed the money into micro credit business. From the visit to the communities, the Forum decided to transition from production to the productive social safety net stage. He said providing support to people to buy food, and enhance their livelihood skills to embark on business are the two tracks of social safety net.
Vice President told the audience that through his engagement with the World Bank country representative in Sierra Leone, the Bank increased the social safety net portfolio from twenty to twenty-two million dollars in 2018 to forty-two million dollars of recent.
He noted that the decision to expand special baby care units in all districts except the Falaba and Karene, emanated from the first Makeni Forum. He explained that the special baby care unit expansion decision was meant to prevent new born babies from dying in Sierra Leone. He said the reason for explaining the divided of key decisions of the first forum was to emphasize the importance of the Inter-agency Forum meeting, noting that decisions taken at the forum can be integrated into national policy and outcome.
Dr Jalloh revealed that one of the objectives of the present Inter-Agency Forum is a stock taking exercise on the productive social safety net, and another objective is that its serves as an opportunity to review the initiative and mapped out the full perspective of the social protection landscape. He maintained that the rationale of the meeting to get the best of the social protection process and packed the lessons learnt into policy and action.
Vice President Jalloh expressed concern for the repositioning of NACSA to a pure social action institution. “Social protection is conceived as a pro-poor vehicle” he reechoed, noting that people cannot be transitioned by mere cash transfer but should be juxtaposed with government other government activities like improving the economy.
The Honourable Vice President disclosed that coordination is one of the achievements he is expecting at the conclusion of the two days forum because of the series of social protection works that are done in various ways. He noted that the establishment of the National Social Protection Authority is essential for the enhancement of coordination, promotes effectiveness, and avoid duplication. With limited resources and interventions, there will be the best of interventions.
He described social protection as the bridge between President Bio’s first and second terms by increasing domestic food production, opportunity for young people to have jobs, and continuation of the human capital development. He explained that positioning social protection within the Big Five Agenda, it means the government is moving from supporting consumption to supporting livelihood, and expanding to the productive social protection.
Komba Sam, the Mayor of Koindu New Sembehun City Council, lauded NACSA and World Bank for providing jobs for about 3400 youths with the cash for work short term employment.
He said that the money received by the youths was used to address various issues at home and contributed to the city’s economy.