By: Aaron Bundu Lahai—Head of Media & Public Relations
The Vice President Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh on Tuesday, 29th April, 2025, launched the National Labour Congress with a Social Dialogue Forum at the Miatta Conference Centre, Brookfields, in Freetown. Vice President Jalloh informed the audience that the idea for the introduction of the forum was born during last year’s May Day celebrations, when he publicly suggested the establishment of a permanent framework to discuss, engage, and dialogue. The framework, he explained, is to bring together a tripartite team of government, labour, and employers to sit down and discuss. He thanked the Minister of Labour and Employment, Mohamed Rado Swarray, for organizing the national labour conference that is going to discuss ways to shape the future of work in Sierra Leone.
Vice President Jalloh stated that the conference is important to the government of Sierra Leone, since the government cares about creating jobs and shaping the dynamics of labour such as its structure. He maintains that the labour conference provides an opportunity to discuss in detail labor issues and the manner in which the government views the evolving labour sector and the government’s intervention to shape the future of work.
The Vice President updated the attendees about the Government of Sierra Leone’s priority, which is job creation, which he referred to as a critical element of the five game changers. He noted that job creation discussion surrounds employers’ federation and labour congress. He explained that the big five game changers are all interconnected, adding that the five years of the five game changers will focus on the productive sector. He said that the productive sector has the potential of creating job opportunities and increasing revenue. He reiterated that job creation can build the economy and enhance payment of taxes, leading to an increase in the revenue of the government.
“The Feed Salone concept is to increase domestic food production, because an increase in domestic food production reduces the cost of food,” he narrated. He said that Sierra Leone is at twenty-three percent food inflation, which shows that the government has increased domestic food production.
Dr. Jalloh described social dialogue as a means to an end, adding that social dialogue is a platform created to continuously discuss and look for ideas to improve the work environment and competitiveness in employment. He told the participants that the free education introduced by President Julius Maada Bio since 2018 is to allow every Sierra Leonean child to attend school irrespective of socio-economic background. He further stressed that going to school increases one’s productivity, enhances one’s identity, and reinforces national cohesion.
Vice President Jalloh emphasized that the dialogue was meant to discuss issues that affect labour and employment opportunities. He encouraged the Sierra Leone Labour Congress and the Sierra Leone Employers’ Federation to use the occasion and frankly discuss the catalogue of challenges they usually complained about on World Labour Day. He noted that the May Day occasion should be a day of celebration in terms of achievements, including the Employment Act and other initiatives undertaken to improve the labour space. He expressed the commitment of the government of Sierra Leone to ensure that issues concluded at the dialogue will be implemented.
The National Labour Conference is organized by the Ministry of Employment, Labour and Social Security, in collaboration with the Sierra Leone Labour Congress and the Sierra Leone Employers’ Federation.
