By: Alieu Amara Suwu
Ministry of the Western Region on Tuesday 4th October 2022 submitted its budget plans for the Financial Year (FY) 2023 to the Ministry of Finance, Freetown, where it requested the sum of NLe 4,354,920.
Sidie M. Sesay, Permanent Secretary, presented the Ministry’s proposed FY2023 Key Deliverables. He mentioned the monitoring of development programs in the Western Region, slums transformation and relocation, capacity building of traditional leaders for effective local governance and facilitation and coordination of livelihood programs for economic empowerment of women and youth in deprived communities.
On the Ministry’s FY2022 actuals, he said the approved budget given to the ministry was NLe 1,000,000. He noted that the programs and activities undertaken during the FY2022 actuals are the charging of PROSEC meetings, and study tours that include study visits to Regional ministries of Greater Accra and Central Region of Ghana, study and working visit to the Federal Capital territory of Nigeria and working/study visit to the regional ministries in the provinces, Community development interventions: renewable energy support to hard to reach communities, sustainable development village model in York, facilitation of the construction of recreational facility in York and street signs and naming etc, partner engagements: meeting with developments partners – UN Country Team, Irish Aid, Turkish Embassy, Chinese Embassy, Direct Aid, Leone Rock Metal Group etc, meetings with Labour Union, multi-stakeholders engagements in Rural and Urban districts including Driver’s Union, Trader’s Union, security sectors, CSOs etc, facilitated meeting between 121 Headmen and President Bio for the first time and the council of Tribal Headmen in the Western Region etc, peace and community cohesion campaigns. The Ministry works closely with community leaders including village headmen, tribal chiefs, inter-religious council and CBOs to promote peace and foster community cohesion, etc.
Speaking on the challenges, he noted that the Ministry’s development needs and challenges of people in the region are multifaceted and dire in most cases, staffing constraints (both technical and administrative staff), office space and location, logical constraints – Ministry has only one vehicle which is the minister’s official vehicle and that they need some vehicles for field activities which involves a lot of movements, inadequate finance to fund activities that will have the most impact on the lives of people and collaboration and coordination of development activities within the region still presents a challenge.
