By Ragan M. Conteh

The Consultant of the Africa Peer Review Mechanism on “Strengthening Community-Led Governance through Decentralization Project”, Hindowa Batilo Momoh has stated during the launch of the project document that “the problem we have as a nation is hyping.”

According to Momoh, people undertake small development and others are there serious hype such project.

What is more disturbing, Batilo Momoh stressed, is that Sierra Leoneans are also in the habit to admire those people who syphon monies and build massive houses.

He emphasized the fact that a lot of Sierra Leoneans are building mighty houses overseas leaving their impoverished communities in miserable situations.

“Why can’t us develop President Bio’s home town, build mighty houses and people migrate there. We are directing our energy to take our resources out of the country rather than Sierra Leone and people admire those individual politicians,” he stated.

He added that the APRM project developed is centered on giving more awareness and strengthening communities centered development.

He said despite the recognized benefits of decentralization, many communities continue to face challenges in influencing local governance due to lack of proper mechanisms for participation and oversight.

Mr. Momoh disclosed that this often results in local government projects that do not fully address the needs of the community, leading to dissatisfaction and a lack of trust in public institutions.

He maintained that local authorities lack the capacity to manage devolved functions effectively, further exacerbating governance issues.

He stated that the project proposal addresses these challenges by proposing a framework that not only decentralizes governance but also establishes robust community monitoring groups to ensure that governance is truly community led and responsive to local needs.