By: Sylvanus Blake, PRO, ACC
The World Bank, UNICEF, and Government of Sierra Leone have on the 26th March, 2024, at the Conference Hall, 5th Floor of the Freetown City Council building in Freetown, commenced a two-week review of the implementation of the Productive Social Safety Net and Youth Employment (PSSNYE) project. It also involves assessing the just-concluded $ 55 million Social Safety Net (SSN) project which implementation the World Bank has described as satisfactory. This comes five months after anchoring the first implementation review meeting of the PSSNYE project ahead of its roll-out across eleven districts in Sierra Leone.
The event brought together stakeholders and implementers of the PSSNYE to present to them the World Bank Mission Team’s findings on the implementation review of the PSSNYE. The event brought together the leadership and technical staff of key stakeholder institutions in the implementation of the PSSNYE, including the National Commission for Social Action (NaCSA), Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), Ministries of Youth Affairs and Labour and Social Security, National Youth Commission (NaYCOM), National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA), Freetown City Council (FCC), Orange Money Sierra Leone, and Rokel Commercial Bank (RCB).
In his statement, the Deputy Commissioner of the ACC, which spearheads the GRM component of all SSN-related projects, Augustine Foday Ngobie, registered ACC’s unwavering commitment to monitoring the complete and unbiased implementation of the PSSNYE. “At the ACC we take very seriously all SSN-related projects and programs, aimed at emancipating the welfare and wellbeing of Sierra Leoneans, and have always ensured that at every stage, we do not only participate but create the required impact. Like the concluded SSN, we will work hard to ensure that the PSSNYE project has zero corruption opportunities - because like we all did before, we will do our very best again. All we need is the resolve from all partners and stakeholders, to ensure that we do our best, notwithstanding the difficulties and challenges,” Mr Ngobie averred.
The Deputy Commissioner of NaCSA, which leads the implementation of the PSSNYE project, Jimmy Batilo Songa, in his statement, praised the World Bank and UNICEF for their support and appreciated all stakeholders for their hard work. He pledged their continued steadfastness to the successful implementation of the PSSNYE and all other pro-poor development projects and programs in the spirit of national development.
Mr Songa said that the various components of the PSSNYE project resonate with the Medium Term Development Plan of Sierra Leone and the Government’s Big-Five Game Changer policies. “We are no longer waiting for change, but we are the change makers,” he concluded.
Earlier, while speaking on the objective of the review meeting, World Bank’s Senior Economist, Social Protection and Jobs, Samik Adhikari, said that the findings will represent the observed position of the World Bank Mission Team which will continue to be instrumental to the successful implementation of the ongoing PSSNYE. He stated that, during the assessment, the team looked at the relevance, efficacy, and efficiency of the project in meeting its target objectives. He entreated stakeholders gathered to continue to treat seriously the observations and recommendations for better and timely service delivery, in tune with the project design and objectives.
The Bank’s Social Protection Specialist, Dr. Abu Kargbo, implored all PSSNYE implementing partners and stakeholders to continue to manifest the strongest possible commitment to the implementation of the PSSNYE, which, he said, has started off well. He said that the recommendations to their findings are aimed at making the PSSNYE better, as “better is always possible.”
Dr Kargbo also stated that the PSSNYE project started with a record $ 42 million in funding, which if well and properly utilized for the intended project objectives, getting more funds is always a possibility. “When we started in 2014 with the SSN, it was with $ 7 million and we ended with about $ 53 million in June of 2023. Let us all continue to be steadfast, committed, and unwavering in serving the needs of our people,” he concluded.
Statements of commendations, commitment and support were made by the Deputy Ministers of Labour and Social Security and Youth Affairs, the Commissioner of NaYCOM, Orange Money Sierra Leone, Rokel Commercial Bank, among others.
