By: Aminata Sesay
The Parliamentary Committee on Planning and Economic Development has called on the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development (MoPED) to strengthen monitoring and accountability in the management of development funds, NGO projects and national development programmes.
The call was made on Thursday when the Committee summoned MoPED to Parliament to provide updates on the implementation of the Government’s Medium-Term National Development Plan, Agenda 63 and other development interventions.
Committee Chairman, Hon. Musa Fofanah, stressed the need for regular engagement between Parliament and the Ministry, preferably on a quarterly basis, to enable lawmakers to effectively perform their oversight and representative functions.
The Ministry’s presentation, led by Shekar Bangura, focused on national development planning, resource mobilization, chiefdom development planning, NGO coordination and ECOWAS interventions.
A major concern raised by lawmakers was the management and utilization of funds allocated to mining communities and chiefdoms. The Ministry acknowledged that substantial funds had accumulated in some communities without being effectively utilized.
Minister of Planning and Economic Development, Kenyeh Barlay, cited Marampa and Maforki as examples, noting that the Ministry was working to establish mechanisms to help communities properly utilize and account for such resources.
The Committee also expressed concern about the monitoring of NGOs operating in Sierra Leone, questioning whether projects reported as completed were being physically verified.
Lawmakers called for stronger monitoring systems, including field inspections and geographical or GPS-based verification. They also urged greater opportunities for competent Sierra Leonean organizations to participate in donor-funded projects.
The Committee further raised concerns about agricultural production and the accuracy of data on cultivated land and crop yields. It called for reliable, comprehensive and district-disaggregated agricultural data to support national food security efforts.
Lawmakers also urged MoPED to strengthen planning for the blue economy, particularly in sea transportation, fisheries and coastal tourism. They further requested regular updates on preparations for the forthcoming national census.
In its recommendations, the Committee called for quarterly engagements with MoPED, stronger NGO monitoring and accountability, accelerated preparation of Chiefdom Development Plans, improved management of chiefdom funds, better agricultural data, and regular parliamentary updates on census preparations and other national development initiatives.
Minister Barlay welcomed the Committee’s concerns and committed the Ministry to strengthening collaboration with Parliament, improving NGO monitoring, supporting chiefdom development planning, mobilizing development resources, and providing relevant documents and progress updates.
The Committee said stronger collaboration with MoPED would enhance accountability, coordination and the effective implementation of Sierra Leone’s national development priorities.