Falaba District Council has received a grant of €1,050,000 (more than 13 billion leones) from the European Union, administered by the Government of Sierra Leone, to assist COVID-19 response, infrastructure, agriculture, and administration (tax and revenue) in Falaba District.
The funding is part of the 11th European Development Fund initiative, which aims to help District Councils and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) create the environment for successful decentralisation and local governance.
The Chairman of Falaba District Council, Ibrahim Sorie Sesay, stated in his welcoming statement at the project’s opening that the award will help the council solve some of its issues as a new district. He stated that the 30-month initiative will release the district’s socioeconomic potential as well as involvement chances for locals.
Sorie complimented and praised President Julius Maada Bio’s government and the European Union for recognising and supporting Falaba District’s development goals.
Sierra Leone’s Minister of Planning and Economic Development, Francis Kai-Kai, for his part, reiterated his call for effective coordination, ownership, participation, and monitoring in development processes, adding that stakeholders and leaders in Falaba District must embed those principles in the project’s implementation.
He described the project’s launch as an important step toward achieving the development goals set out by President Julius Maada Bio’s government in the Medium-Term National Development Plan (2019-2023), which was founded on a strong political commitment to deliver development results that would improve Sierra Leoneans’ well-being.
The Minister concluded by urging the people and authorities of Falaba District to support the 2021 Mid-Term Population and Housing Census (which is already in the final stages of completion), which would assist the government, international agencies, and Falaba District Council in supporting local planning and economic development in the district.
In a brief statement, Gerald Hatler, the European Union’s Head of Cooperation, stated that the financing was intended to help successful decentralisation and efficient service delivery to residents, particularly in rural locations.
He stated that the initiative will boost Sierra Leone’s economic growth and social harmony. He also praised the President’s strategy and long-term vision in putting decentralisation at the heart of the government’s New Direction.
In his keynote presentation, Amb Tamba Lamina, Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, praised the government for the degree of support provided to local councils, citing it as evidence of President Bio’s dedication to the country’s decentralisation process.
He noted that the launch was the consequence of the government’s vigorous lobbying to the EU to consider the two new districts of Karene and Falaba, and that the government appreciates the EU’s support for these districts.
President Julius Maada Bio announced the five-year EU funding in July 2020, aimed at District Councils and relevant Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in the districts of Pujehun, Kenema, Bombali, and Kambia.
