By Mohamed T. Massaquoi
The Ministry of Planning and Economic Development (MoPED) has ended a consultative meeting with Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) and its development partners in order to discuss the Zero Draft National Public Investment Policy (NPIMP).
The consultative meeting took place on Tuesday at the Ministry’s headquarters in Freetown.
According to a press statement issued by the Ministry’s communication unit, the engagement was geared towards reviewing the draft policy and to streamline the roles and responsibilities of key public investment actors. It also formed part of the move to define the public investment cycle and design appraisal tools to guide public investment decision making.
The Zero Draft National Public Investment Policy (NPIMP), when developed, is expected to be a guide that interfaces with other government policies in order to ensure a robust and integrated system in processing and delivering of public projects.
Stakeholders like the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Africa Development Bank (ADB), Office of Presidential Infrastructure Initiative, Sierra Leone Road Authority (SLRA), Ministry of Works and Ministry of Finance were all part of the engagement.
During the dialogue, the Director of Public Investment Management Department at the Planning Ministry, Alpha Bangura, noted the importance of the engagement; stating that the preliminary consultative meeting would create the platform for Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) to contribute in developing a National Public Investment Policy that will reflect a national perspective on public investments across all sectors.
Director Bangura said the process would further foster transparency and accountability of the process and ensuring ownership of the document after its final stage of development.
The Lead Consultant, Osman Kamara, who gave an overview of the zero draft presentation, noted that the process would be very participatory and would include valuable inputs and contributions from all relevant stakeholders.
To cascade this development on the draft policy to other parts of the country, the Public Investment Management Department in partnership with the consultant will conduct nationwide consultations with key stakeholders on the zero draft policy to solicit their views on entire processes in all four regions.
The Ministry’s Development Secretary, Peter Sam-Kpakra, commended everyone for their participation, noting that it demonstrated their commitment to ensuring that government addresses challenges that have over the year’s undermined efficiency in addressing the infrastructural challenges and gaps.
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