By: Saidu Jalloh
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Country Representative in Sierra Leone, Nadia Rasheed, today bade farewell to the Minister of Planning and Economic Development (MoPED), Madam Kenyeh Barlay, during a courtesy visit at her Tower Hill office in Freetown.
Madam Rasheed, who assumed office as UNFPA Country Representative on 16th May 2022, expressed her gratitude to the Ministry and the Government of Sierra Leone for the productive partnership and excellent working relationship during her tenure. She reaffirmed UNFPA’s commitment to strengthening its collaboration with MoPED and supporting the government’s development initiatives.
Rasheed highlighted the UNFPA’s alignment with Sierra Leone’s Medium-Term National Development Plan (MTNDP) 2024–2030, emphasizing the agency’s role in fostering legal pathways to health, enhancing statistical systems, and promoting strong partnerships. She also underscored the importance of the upcoming 2025 Population and Housing Census, the Demographic and Health Survey (DHS), and the broader financing and development of statistical data.
During the meeting, she introduced the newly appointed Chief Technical Assistant, who will work closely with the Ministry to continue the partnership.
Minister Kenyeh Barlay expressed her gratitude to Nadia Rasheed for her service and commended the UNFPA for its steadfast support in key development areas, including statistical capacity building and demographic data collection. She highlighted the agency’s vital role in developing the MTNDP 2024–2030 and emphasized the importance of continued collaboration on the planned 2025 census and other critical data initiatives.
“We deeply appreciate UNFPA’s invaluable contributions to Sierra Leone’s development journey. Rest assured, MoPED is committed to sustaining this partnership and furthering our shared objectives for national progress,” said Madam Barlay.
The Minister also conveyed her best wishes to Madam Rasheed as she assumes her new assignment in China, encouraging her to always consider Sierra Leone a home for future visits.
In attendance was the Development Secretary, Peter Sam-Kpakra, who also commended the collaboration with UNFPA and provided insights into other joint initiatives supporting the government’s development agenda.
The farewell meeting marked the end of a successful tenure for Nadia Rasheed in Sierra Leone and reaffirmed the enduring partnership between MoPED and UNFPA in driving national development.