Sierra Leone Action Plan Review 2021-2023

This product consists of an IRM review of the Sierra Leone 2021–2023 action planAction plans are at the core of a government’s participation in OGP. They are the product of a co-creation process in which government and civil society jointly develop commitments to open governmen.... The action plan is made up of four commitments. This review emphasizes its analysis on the strength of the action plan to contribute to implementation and results. For the commitment-by-commitment data see Annex 1. For details regarding the methodology and indicators used by the IRM for this Action Plan Review, see section IV. Methodology and IRM Indicators

Overview of the 2021–2023 Action Plan

Sierra Leone’s fourth action plan contains four commitments that aim to address national priorities such as transparencyAccording to OGP’s Articles of Governance, transparency occurs when “government-held information (including on activities and decisions) is open, comprehensive, timely, freely available to the pub... More in electionsImproving transparency in elections and maintaining the independence of electoral commissions is vital for promoting trust in the electoral system, preventing electoral fraud, and upholding the democr... More and the extractives sector. The government and civil society collaboratively designed the action plan. Civil society input led to commitments to open parliamentEnsuring access to legislative information and creating mechanisms for public participation are critical to building an open, trusting relationship with citizens. Technical specifications: Commitments... More and to strengthen access to justiceAccessible justice systems – both formal and informal – ensure that individuals and communities with legal needs know where to go for help, obtain the help they need, and move through a system tha... More.

Sierra Leone’s fourth action plan contains commitments of broad interest to the public and continues reforms in beneficial ownershipDisclosing beneficial owners — those who ultimately control or profit from a business — is essential for combating corruption, stemming illicit financial flows, and fighting tax evasion. Technical... More (BO), access to justice, and open parliament. Open elections represent a new area of reform that aims to increase election integrity and transparency around registered voters. A majority of the commitments place emphasis on civic engagement and government transparency. In addition, some commitments lay important groundwork for reforms to public transparency and accountability to address corruption and conflict of interest in government. Following challenges to implement the third action plan due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this action plan includes fewer commitments than the previous one.

High-level consultation went into the creation of the action plan. This included an 18-person Steering CommitteeThe Steering Committee is OGP’s executive decision-making body. Its role is to develop, promote and safeguard OGP’s values, principles and interests; establish OGP’s core ideas, policies, and ru... with equal representation from civil society and government, set up by the National Council for Civic EducationAccountability within the public education system is key to improving outcomes and attainment, and accountability is nearly impossible without transparent policies and opportunities for participation ... and Development (NaCCED). The action plan reflects civil society input, with commitments on open parliament and access to justice emanating from civil society. To develop the action plan, the Steering Committee held two consultations and a final validation meeting. As the pandemic limited in-person meetings, the national Open Government PartnershipThe Open Government Partnership (OGP) is a multi-stakeholder initiative focused on improving government transparency, ensuring opportunities for citizen participation in public matters, and strengthen... More (OGP) team publicised draft commitments through call-in radio programs and social media, collecting input from citizens across the country.

Commitments to open parliament, elections, and the extractives sector have the greatest promise for open government results. CommitmentOGP commitments are promises for reform co-created by governments and civil society and submitted as part of an action plan. Commitments typically include a description of the problem, concrete action... 1 aims to establish permanent channels for communication and collaboration between parliament and civil society. Commitment 3 aims to increase access to information on election processes and enhance the credibility, trust, and independence of the electoral management body. Commitment 4 introduces a range of extractives sector reforms, such as advancing transparency around contracts and beneficial ownership. Commitment 2 to increase citizens’ access to justice has been carried over from the previous action plan. This commitment addresses an important policy. However, obstacles that inhibited implementation under the previous action plan, such as lack of resources and inter-agency coordination, remain a concern.

Promising Commitments in Sierra Leone’s 2021–2023 Action Plan

The following review looks at the 3 commitments that the IRM identified as having the potential to realize the most promising results. This review will inform the IRM’s research approach to assess implementation in the Results Report. The IRM Results Report will build on the early identification of potential results from this review to contrast with the outcomes at the end of the implementation period of the action plan. This review also provides an analysis of challenges, opportunities and recommendations to contribute to the learning and implementation process of this action plan.

Table 1. Promising commitments