As part of its ongoing nationwide engagements with local councils, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the Parliament of Sierra Leone, chaired by the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Hon. Ibrahim Tawa Conteh, on Wednesday, November 5, 2025, concluded its sessions with local councils in the Southern Region. The engagements were based on the findings and recommendations contained in the Auditor General’s Report for 2023.
The meeting, held at the Bo District Council Hall, brought together representatives from the Bo City Council, Bo District Council, Pujehun District Council, Moyamba District Council, Bonthe District Council, and the Bonthe Municipal Council.
In his opening remarks, Hon. Ibrahim Tawa Conteh commended the councils for demonstrating improved levels of compliance with audit recommendations, particularly in the management of assets and related financial matters. He also reiterated the Kenema Resolutions including a line by line PowerPoint presentation to determine performing own-source revenue streams and the need for a joint meeting with the Ministry of Finance, PAC and the Councils to resolve the perennial issues relating to the challenged petra system.
The Committee, however, raised concerns over the use of the Petra financial management system by some councils and recommended that further scrutiny be undertaken to ensure its effective and transparent utilization.
Regarding the Pujehun District Council, the Committee expressed satisfaction with the council’s efforts to enhancing its own-source revenue mobilization.
For the Bonthe Municipal Council, the Committee encouraged the council to step up its own-source revenue generation efforts to strengthen financial sustainability.
In the case of the Moyamba District Council, the Committee observed persistent challenges in revenue collection and highlighted several unresolved audit issues. The Committee emphasized that these matters would be treated with utmost seriousness moving forward.
The PAC also noted with grave concern the frequent transfer of key staff amongst local councils, an act deemed to negatively affect audit follow-ups and accountability processes. The Committee therefore recommended that council staff should remain in their respective posts until all audit queries are properly and adequately addressed before any transfer could be made.
For Bonthe District Council, the Committee observed that the council had a “qualified opinion” expressed in the Auditor General’s Report for 2023, which underscored that the council had financial challenges. The Chief Administrator, in responding to the audit queries, said the petra system used by the council is faulty and could not give accurate figures, adding that the Ministry of Finance is working on modalities to resolve the issues relating to the same.
In terms of own-source revenue mobilisation, the Committee commended the coucil for exceeded its revenue generation as projected.
The engagements marked the conclusion of the Committee’s sessions in the Southern Region as part of its broader mandate to ensure transparency, accountability, and prudent financial management across all local councils in Sierra Leone.
Credit – Parliamentary and Public Relations Department
Copyright –Published in Expo Times News on Friday, 7th Noverber 2025 (ExpoTimes News – Expo Media Group (expomediasl.com)
