The Ministry of Information and Civic Education held its weekly press briefing on Tuesday, August 19, 2025, covering major updates on governance, regional diplomacy, electoral reforms, and peacebuilding. Senior government officials, parliamentarians, and peace actors joined the session to engage citizens on current national priorities.

Deputy Minister Bocakarie Abdel-Aziz Bawoh reported on President Julius Maada Bio’s visits to four African countries as ECOWAS Chair. The tours focused on strengthening cooperation to tackle regional challenges such as economic strain, political instability, and public mistrust. The President also pushed for closer ties between ECOWAS and the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), which includes Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso.

Local Government Minister Tamba Lamina outlined benefits of the revised Local Government Act 2022. He noted that redistricting will ensure fairer distribution of resources, improved services, and stronger local governance. Two new districts Kpanguma and Bandajuma will be created, while Freetown will gain two new councils and the Western Rural Area three.

Moses Margao of the Independent Commission for Peace and National Cohesion hailed Sierra Leone’s improved standing in the 2025 Global Peace Index. The country ranked 57th worldwide, 5th in Africa, 2nd in West Africa, and 1st in the Mano River Union. He credited this to the successful implementation of eight resolutions from the 2023 post-election Agreement for National Unity.

Ngola Katta, Coordinator of the Tripartite Steering Committee Secretariat, briefed on nationwide consultations regarding Recommendation 78 of the National Unity Agreement. The dialogue is weighing whether Sierra Leone should maintain the District Block Proportional Representation (PR) system or return to First Past the Post (FPTP) for the 2028 elections. He emphasized that any system adopted must uphold the Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Act and guarantee inclusion of women, youth, and persons with disabilities.

Hon. Mariama Zombo of Pujehun District championed the Proportional Representation system, which has enabled women to reach 30.4% representation in Parliament. She warned that reverting to FPTP could undermine this progress, describing it as a system favoring male dominance. She called for stronger safeguards to sustain women’s political participation and advance gender equality.

Credit – Strat-Comm. MOICE

Copyright –Published in Expo Times News on Friday,22th August 2025 (ExpoTimes News – Expo Media Group (expomediasl.com)