By Josephine Sesay

The Ministry of Gender and Children’s Affairs has intensified efforts to promote gender-responsive governance and inclusive service delivery by engaging stakeholders in Bradford Chiefdom, Moyamba District, on the implementation of a new community-based governance project.

The initiative, titled “Empowering Communities Through Gender-Responsive Local Governance: Building Institutional Capacity for Inclusive Service Delivery,” is funded by the Embassy of Iceland in Freetown and is being implemented in partnership with UN Women Sierra Leone, GADNET, ActionAid Sierra Leone, the Ministry of Local Government and Political Affairs and the Ministry of Gender and Children’s Affairs.

The stakeholder engagement brought together traditional leaders, local authorities, community representatives, women, youth and other key stakeholders to introduce the project, outline its objectives and encourage community ownership throughout its implementation.

Addressing participants, the Minister of Gender and Children’s Affairs expressed appreciation to the Embassy of Iceland for its continued commitment to advancing gender equality, women’s empowerment and child protection in Sierra Leone. She also commended the people of Bradford Chiefdom for embracing the initiative and urged them to actively participate in ensuring its success.

The Minister explained that the project aims to strengthen the institutional capacity of local governance structures, improve access to inclusive public services and promote greater participation of women and other marginalized groups in governance and decision-making processes.

She emphasized that empowering communities through gender-responsive governance is essential to ensuring that development programs respond to the needs of all citizens, particularly women, children, persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups.

Reaffirming the Ministry’s commitment to the successful implementation of the initiative, the Minister described the project as a key component of the Government of Sierra Leone’s broader agenda to advance gender equality, social inclusion and the protection of the rights of women and children.

She also thanked the implementing partners for their collaboration and support, expressing confidence that the project would strengthen local governance systems and enhance the delivery of inclusive and accountable public services in participating communities.

The initiative will be implemented across selected districts and chiefdoms nationwide, with Bradford Chiefdom among the first beneficiary communities. It forms part of broader national efforts to equip local councils and community institutions with the capacity to deliver more inclusive, accountable and gender-responsive governance.

 Copyright –Published in Expo Times News on Monday, 13th July 2026 (ExpoTimes News – Expo Media Group (expomediasl.com)