The Chief Minister has reaffirmed the government’s commitment to constitutional order, political inclusiveness, and transparency in implementing the Tripartite Recommendations.
“This government places importance on constitutional order. Its democratic credentials are principled upon consulting with political actors for the administration of the state, and partnering with development partners for building and strengthening our democracy,” the Chief Minister told development partners.
He said his admiration for the implementation of the Tripartite Recommendations lay in the noticeable involvement of political actors, including the main opposition All Peoples Congress (APC).
“I had held a meeting with their Chief Negotiator and met with female members of parliament. The Tripartite Steering Committee Secretariat had held a meeting with the Chief Negotiator. The Attorney-General had held over three meetings with senior members of the APC. This is political participation; this is political inclusiveness. This is the extent of collaboration and transparency involving the tripartite processes,” he said.
The Chief Minister met with development partners at his conference room at State House on 18 December 2025. Those present included the United Nations Resident Coordinator, ECOWAS Resident Coordinator, the European Union, and ambassadors or representatives of the American, British, French, and Irish embassies.
The meeting reflected a strong partnership around a political conversation as serious and important as the implementation of the Tripartite Recommendations, which development partners continue to monitor and support.
The partners said their engagement was to monitor progress, confirm existing knowledge, clarify outstanding issues, assess the status of implementation of the recommendations, and discuss the operations of the Steering Committee and the Tripartite Steering Committee Secretariat.
They raised questions on the implementation of the recommendations, including issues relating to voter registration and the results management system, for which UNDP has engaged two international consultants on behalf of the Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone (ECSL).
Particular attention was given to Recommendation 36, which calls for the establishment of a Search and Nominating Committee for the appointment of the Chairman and Commissioners of ECSL.
David Sengeh said the engagements were deliberate and productive, resulting in the sharing of documents related to the implementation of the Tripartite Recommendations. At the Steering Committee level, he noted that a new approach had been adopted, including the distribution of reading materials to members ahead of meetings and the extension of meeting durations.
Alpha Sesay, the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, and Ngolo Katta, Coordinator of the Tripartite Steering Committee Secretariat, attended the meeting and responded to technical questions. The Permanent Secretary in the Office of the Chief Minister provided insight into the operations of the Steering Committee.
According to the Attorney-General, election-related legislation arising from the Tripartite Recommendations and Constitutional Review reports has been drafted and compiled into a bill, which is currently with the Government Printer for gazetting. After gazetting, the bill will be tabled in Parliament.
On Recommendation 36, he explained that the President has withheld exercising his constitutional mandate to appoint a new Chairman and Commissioners of ECSL under the existing law, allowing an Acting Chairman to serve for over seven months.
“The President is waiting for the new law which will arrive in parliament after the period of gazetting,” Alpha Sesay said.
Ngolo Katta briefed the meeting on the nationwide popularization of the 80 Tripartite Recommendations across the country’s 16 districts. He said the engagements attracted a large turnout, particularly from political parties, with participation levels exceeding the budgeted numbers.
He informed partners of revised wording used to track implementation progress, now classified as not started, on-going, and partially completed. He cited the election-related legislation bill as partially completed, noting that it would be completed after presidential assent.
He added that Management and Functional Review (MFR) reports on the Political Parties Registration Commission (PPRC), Sierra Leone Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC), Independent Media Commission (IMC), and Independent Police Complaints Board (IPCB) would be presented to the Chief Minister on Friday. Recommendations requiring MFR studies would remain partially completed until full implementation begins.
Providing further insight into the Steering Committee’s work, Permanent Secretary Kenei Lamin said the final Steering Committee meeting for the quarter would be held in the first week of January 2026, following the distribution of all required reading materials to members.
Development partners expressed satisfaction with the progress made in implementing the Tripartite Recommendations, particularly given that the process is ahead of schedule. Discussions also included funding mechanisms for 2026.
