By: Fatmata Grace Okekearu, Bo City
The National Social Protection Authority (NSPA) on Tuesday held a one-day regional stakeholders’ consultation at the J&E Resort along the Bo–Koribondo Highway. The event forms part of ongoing efforts to familiarize the public with the Authority’s establishment, mandate, and operational framework.
Addressing participants, the Director-General of the Authority, Dr. Abu Bockarie Kokofele, explained that the consultation was designed to deepen public understanding of the newly established institution, whose core responsibility is to coordinate all social protection interventions across Sierra Leone.
Dr. Kokofele noted that the NSPA was created by an Act of Parliament in March 2025 and became operational in July of the same year. He emphasized that the Authority serves as the central government body mandated to harmonize and streamline social protection programmes nationwide.
Quoting the Act, he highlighted that the Authority was established “to promote and advance the social and economic well-being of vulnerable persons; to provide a legal and institutional framework for the development, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of social protection programmes; to promote poverty reduction; and to strengthen strategies that help beneficiaries achieve self-reliance.”
He further explained that the Act empowers the NSPA to operate as a corporate body with perpetual succession, capable of acquiring and disposing of movable and immovable property, and of suing or being sued in its corporate name. The Authority will function with an official seal, whose use must be authorized by the Chairperson, a board member, the Director-General, or any other designated officer.
Dr. Kokofele stressed that the NSPA was not created to replace existing social protection institutions but rather to coordinate and unify their efforts under a national framework. This collaborative approach, he added, is essential to ensuring efficiency, transparency, and improved service delivery for vulnerable populations.
He concluded that the regional consultations are vital for increasing nationwide awareness of the Authority’s role, strengthening partnerships, and helping communities fully understand and benefit from the NSPA’s interventions.