By Claudia Redwood-Sawyerr
On the 19th February 2026, the Executives of the Human Capital Development Consortium met with the Minister of Information and Civic Education Chernor Bah to present the consortium’s strategic documents and discuss opportunities for strategic partnership and collaboration.
Chairman of the Consortium, Charles Mambu, described the meeting as timely and necessary, expressing appreciation to the Ministry for granting the engagement despite his busy schedule.
The Executives presented the Consortium’s vision and mission, introducing the Human Capital Development Consortium(HCDC) as a national civil society coalition comprising youth groups, women’s organisations, and human development advocates committed to investing in people as the foundation for Sierra Leone’s transformation into a middle-income country.
The Consortium highlighted its alignment with major national and international development frameworks, including the Sustainable Development Goals, the African Union Agenda 2063, the Sierra Leone Medium-Term National Development Plan, and the national Human Capital Development Strategy. The executives noted that while government has prioritised education and healthcare, challenges such as youth unemployment, maternal and infant mortality, and weak social protection systems require stronger government–civil society collaboration.
During the meeting, the Consortium also presented a draft partnership and action plan proposing structured civic education, grassroots sensitisation, youth and gender engagement, monitoring of HCD initiatives, and national census awareness.
The Executive established that “Human Capital Development is not only a government priority but a civic responsibility” requiring active citizen participation, advocacy, transparency, and accountability.
In his response, the Minister of Information and Civic Education Chernor Bah commended the Consortium for its commitment to national development and reaffirmed that Human Capital Development remains central to President Julius Maada Bio’s governance agenda, describing it as the “heart and soul” of national transformation. He stressed that while government provides leadership, civil society plays a critical role in sustaining progress.
The Minister committed to follow-up engagements, establishing structured collaboration frameworks including a Service-Level Agreement, joint civic education initiatives, and integrating the Consortium into the nationwide Civic Day Series. “I am ready to work with you. Anytime you call me, I’m ready to answer,” he said, pledging full support and emphasising inclusive governance as key to achieving national development goals.
