By Aminata Abu Bakarr Kamara

The Speaker of the Parliament of Sierra Leone, Hon. Segepoh Solomon Thomas, on Monday, 19th May 2025, held a high-level engagement with a World Bank consulting team and AH Consulting representatives as part of the ongoing Sierra Leone Digital Transformation Project, with specific focus on the E-Parliament initiative.

In a warm and optimistic welcome at the Parliamentary Complex in Freetown, the Speaker expressed his strong commitment to ensuring the successful implementation of the E-Parliament project. He emphasized the transformative potential of the initiative, which aims to digitize parliamentary operations for greater transparency, efficiency, and accessibility.

I am in a hurry to see this project succeed, the Speaker said, we all rely on the solutions you are bringing, and I want this project to be remembered as one of my legacies as Speaker of Parliament.

Hon. Thomas assured the consulting team of full collaboration from the Director of ICT and other relevant staff to facilitate timely and efficient implementation. However, he raised concerns about the proposed six-month timeline, stating it was too long for completion.

Six months is too much, we want this done faster, he stated, preliminary meetings have already been held, and I want us to move quickly, we don’t want unnecessary delays.

During the engagement, Herbert Rwamibazi, Director of AH Consulting, delivered a detailed PowerPoint presentation outlining the scope, expectations, and strategic direction of the E-Parliament project.

He highlighted the importance of modernizing parliamentary systems to meet the demands of a 21st-century legislature. Mr. Rwamibazi reassured the House of the consulting team’s readiness to deliver effective services, noting that policy formulation, procedural alignment, and stakeholder engagement are central to the success of the project.

This initiative is not just about digitization it’s about empowering Parliament with the tools and systems to be more responsive, efficient, and transparent,” he said.

The E-Parliament project forms a key component of the broader Sierra Leone Digital Transformation Agenda, supported by the World Bank, once fully operational, it is expected to streamline legislative processes, improve record-keeping, enhance public access to parliamentary proceedings, and strengthen institutional accountability, the Speaker concluded the meeting with renewed commitment, urging the team to deliver results swiftly and pledging Parliament’s full support throughout the process.

Copy right –Printed in the Expo Times News on Friday, May 21st, 2025 (ExpoTimes News – Expo Media Group (expomediasl.com)