Sierra Leone—Technical Assistance in Support of the Governance Sector in Civil Service Reform, Parliament, and the Electoral Cycle

This European Union (EU)-funded project in Sierra Leone was launched in the aftermath of presidential, parliamentary, and local elections of March 2018—the ideal timeframe to consolidate past reforms in Parliament’s work and electoral cycles. The project builds upon the commitment already undertaken by the Government of Sierra Leone, as supported through partners including the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the World Bank, the EU, and the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office.

Our team is consolidating past reforms in electoral support, parliamentary strengthening, and civil service reform within the new electoral cycle. The team is consolidating electoral and democratic reforms allowing for improved political dialogue; enhancing the legislative process, institutional relevance, and effectiveness of Parliament; and improving the institutional capacity of the civil service to enhance public service delivery.

WATCH: The project supported the launch of an e-Parliament system following the revamp of the Parliament ICT website.

Sample Activities

• Increase the institutional, staff, and infrastructure capacity of the National Electoral Commission.
• Improve public consultation processes.
• Increase the representation of women at various levels in both elected positions and senior civil service positions.

Select Results

• Organised an orientation training for female Caucus members in legislative processes.
• Conducted a training workshop for the Human Rights Committee to strengthen their capacity to use established international standards to monitor various forms of abuse and violations of human rights.
• Held a training with Parliament Members of the Nongovernmental Government Organisations Committee and the National Commission for Social Action to strengthen their oversight.
• Trained the Parliament of Sierra Leone Public Relations Department and Press Gallery on reporting techniques for the parliamentary process.
• Facilitated a management retreat for Parliament, where staff met to discuss the priorities of the new parliamentary administration; how the departments would be restructured to be more efficient; and necessary professional support services to members and committees.
• Organised a roundtable meeting between parliamentary committees and development partners providing support to the education sector in Sierra Leone.