By: Saidu Jalloh
The Deputy Minister of Planning and Economic Development, Rev. Dr. Jonathan Titus-Williams, affirmed the Sierra Leonean government’s commitment to collaboration with UNICEF during the Strategic Moment of Reflection meeting at Bintumani Hotel.
The meeting, jointly addressing the government and UNICEF Country Programme Cooperation 2025-2030, witnessed a significant overview provided by Peter Sam-Kpakra, Development Secretary at the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development. He emphasized the development of a new Country Programme Cooperation aimed at accelerating progress towards SDGs 2030 for children and child rights fulfillment.
Highlighting UNICEF’s vital role, Sam-Kpakra commended their support in implementing the current Medium-Term National Development Plan (MTNDP 2019-2023) and piloting the District Development Coordination Committee (DDCC) platform.
Representing UNICEF Sierra Leone, Rudolf Schwenk expressed delight at the commitment demonstrated by all participants in addressing child deprivations. He underscored UNICEF’s collaboration with the government, focusing on quality education, health, water, sanitation, and care for children with disabilities and adolescent development.
Jonathan Lewis, UNICEF’s West and Central Africa Deputy Regional Director, urged for reflection on achievements under the 2020-2024 Country Programme and emphasized the need for further efforts to reach Sustainable Development Goals for children.
Rev. Dr. Jonathan Titus-Williams, in his official statement, thanked participants and highlighted the pivotal role of UNICEF in the socioeconomic transformation of Sierra Leone. He detailed the government’s Big Five Game Changers, aligning with the new Medium-Term National Development Plan 2024-2030.
Underlining the importance of the draft National Development Plan, the Deputy Minister emphasized its role in guiding the formulation of the new GoSL-UNICEF Country Programme Document for 2025-2030.
He encouraged collaboration in technical discussions to address bottlenecks, data gaps, and systemic issues.
The presentations during the meeting focused on UNICEF’s strategic support, lessons learned, theory of change, and key enabler accelerator strategies. The forthcoming GOSL-UNICEF Country Programme Document for 2025-2030 aligns with Sierra Leone’s National Mid-Term Development Plan, emphasizing key areas such as agriculture, human capital development, youth employment, public service enhancement, and technology and infrastructure.
The CPD process, synchronized with the UNSDCF 2025-2030 and the global agenda 2030 for children, will be presented for approval to the Executive Board in September 2024. This marks a crucial step in realizing collaborative efforts towards providing a brighter future for the children of Sierra Leone.
