By Sulaiman Jalloh
On behalf of President Julius Maada Bio and the Government of Sierra Leone, Vice President Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh has launched the country’s Medium-Term National Development Plan 2024-2030 on May 6th 2024 at the Bintumani Hotel in Freetown.
Delivering his keynote address, Vice President Jalloh highlighted his unwavering commitment to nurturing every aspect of human capital development across the country, while underscoring government’s steadfast dedication to human capital development, citing its prioritization within the national development plans and tangible progress witnessed in education, healthcare, agriculture, and gender equality over the past years.
Despite formidable challenges, including the disruptive impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Sierra Leone showcased resilience through targeted interventions and support schemes. Vice President Jalloh lauded the Quick Action Economic Response Programme and reiterated the government’s pledge to uplift youth and women through multifaceted initiatives.
Madam Kenyeh Barlay, Minister of Planning and Economic Development, re-echoed Vice President’ statement, emphasized the pivotal role of the Human Capital Development Coordination Framework in translating national development plans into actionable strategies. She lauded the government’s prioritization of human capital development and highlighted key areas of focus which includes education, health, and gender equality among others.
Madam Fonda Koroma, is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Africa Human Capital Development Plus (HCD+), who lauded Sierra Leone’s strides in enhancing human capital development sectors and pledged unwavering support for further advancements. She outlined Africa HCD+’s advocacy pillars and reaffirmed her organization’s commitment to collaborating with member states to expedite HCD outcomes.
The CEO emphasized the imperative of a robust National Human Capital Development Coordination Framework to surmount ongoing challenges and optimize development outcome while she explained Africa HCD+’s support domains, encompassing program coordination, advocacy strategies, and gender empowerment initiatives.
The advocacy training workshop aimed to craft a comprehensive action plan on HCD for Sierra Leone, with government’s collaboration with Africa HCD+ serving as its cornerstone.
Participants: government officials, development partners, and civil society representatives, were urged to actively contribute to shaping Sierra Leone’s human capital development trajectory.
The participants expressed optimism regarding the collaborative efforts and their potential to catalyse transformative change in Sierra Leone’s future. Unified by a shared commitment to investing into changing the lives of citizens.
Copyright –Published in print in Expo Times Newspaper on Wednesday, May 8TH, 2024 (ExpoTimes News – Expo Media Group (expomediasl.com)