By Saidu Jalloh
The Minister of Planning and Economic Development (MoPED), Madam Kenyeh Barlay, addressed an esteemed audience at the high-level launch of the 4th monitoring round of the Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation (GPEDC) at Foreign Affairs Conference Hall. The event witnessed the participation of Colleague Ministers, Development Partners, and representatives from civil society and the private sector.
Madam Barlay expressed gratitude to all stakeholders and emphasized the significance of the GPEDC as a vital multi-stakeholder platform aimed at enhancing development effectiveness and delivering the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). She highlighted Sierra Leone’s active participation in previous monitoring rounds and stressed the importance of the exercise in tracking progress and implementing stakeholder commitments based on shared principles of effective development cooperation.
Reflecting on the recent DEPAC session, Madam Barlay underscored the alignment of GPEDC monitoring with the Medium-Term National Development Plan (MTNDP) 2024-2030. She emphasized the urgent need to improve partnership quality amidst global conflicts, economic challenges, and the climate crisis to deliver on the MTNDP for the Sierra Leonean people.
Madam Barlay reported high-quality national development planning and improvements in public financial management systems but noted a decline in partner use of country systems, indicating areas for improvement in the current round.
She also addressed the need to expand the monitoring framework to include gender budgeting, public-private dialogue quality, and civil society’s enabling environment. Emphasizing gender mainstreaming and the goal of creating 500,000 jobs for young people, she called for assessing the private sector’s enabling environment and taking appropriate actions.
Seraphine Wakana, UN Resident Coordinator in Sierra Leone, echoed the importance of the GPEDC monitoring initiative, emphasizing the shared commitment to transparency, mutual accountability, and inclusive partnerships for effective development cooperation. She stressed the necessity of continuous monitoring and evaluation to ensure impactful, equitable, and sustainable development efforts.
Madam Abie Elizabeth Kamara, Director of the Development Assistance Coordination Office within MoPED, provided background on the GPEDC, outlining its goals and objectives. Peter N. Sam-Kpakra, Development Secretary at MoPED, underscored the importance of the Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation, highlighting opportunities and acknowledging the significant contributions of development partners, the private sector, and NGOs.
The launch concluded with reflections and discussions from government ministers, development partners, civil society, and private sector representatives, contributing to a robust dialogue on enhancing development cooperation in Sierra Leone.
