Sierra Leone Design Report 2019-2021
- Action Plan: Sierra Leone Action Plan 2019-2021
- Dates Under Review: 2019-2021
- Report Publication Year: 2020
- Researcher: Tracy-Lynn Field
Sierra Leone’s third 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... continues commitments in 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, addressing gender-based violenceReforms that combat gender-based violence are essential for fostering an inclusive society and government that respects human rights and promotes gender equality. Technical specifications: Commitments..., access to information, and records and archives management. The plan offers new commitments on taxPlacing transparency, accountability, and participation at the center of tax policy can ensure that burdens are distributed equitably across society. Technical specifications: Commitments related to c..., 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... 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, and 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.... The reorganization and reinvigoration of OGP leadership in Sierra Leone promises to improve implementation provided that momentum for the open government agenda continues.
| Table 1. At a glance Participating since: 2013 Action plan under review: Third Report type: Design Number of commitments: 8 Action plan development Action plan design Commitments |
The 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) is a global partnership that brings together government reformers and civil society leaders to create action plans that make governments more inclusive, responsive, and accountable. The Independent Reporting Mechanism (IRM)The Independent Reporting Mechanism (IRM) is OGP’s accountability arm and the main means of tracking progress in participating countries. The IRM provides independent, evidence-based, and objective ... monitors all action plans to ensure governments follow through on commitments. Sierra Leone joined the OGP in 2013. Since 2013, Sierra Leone has implemented two action plans. This report evaluates the design of Sierra Leone’s third action plan.
General overview of action plan
The third national action plan was developed under the newly-elected President Julius Maada Bio’s administration. The action plan seeks to implement long-sought open government aims, such as comprehensive implementation of the Right to Access Information Act and the National Anti-Corruption Strategy. The plan’s alignment with government policy priorities increases the likelihood of successful implementation. However, the government will need to remain flexible and dedicate adequate resources to ensure commitments are implemented in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sierra Leone failed to implement the majority of commitments from its second national action plan and did not submit an action plan in 2018. However, reinvigorated high-level support and reorganization of national OGP leadership resulted in a collaborative co-creation processCollaboration between government, civil society and other stakeholders (e.g., citizens, academics, private sector) is at the heart of the OGP process. Participating governments must ensure that a dive... for the third action plan. Regional meetings, public awareness campaigns, and cabinet involvement also contributed to a strong 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... design process.
Sierra Leone’s improved design process resulted in fewer, more targeted commitments than in past cycles. Commitments carried over on access to justiceTo address barriers that prevent citizens from having their justice needs met, OGP participating governments are working to expand transparency, accountability, and inclusion into all systems of justi... and gender-based violence are more verifiable than in the second action plan.
The third action plan covers a broad range of open government policy areas that have been continuously reflected in previous action plans, particularly in the areas of access to justice, access to information, records management, and anticorruption. Six of the eight commitments have a moderate potential impact, and the remaining two have a minor potential impact.
Table 2. Noteworthy commitments
| Commitment description | Moving forward | Status at the end of implementation cycle |
| Beneficial ownership (4): Require and publish beneficial ownership information for all corporate entities. | Expand disclosure requirements to cover information on the shareholding of politically-exposed persons. Require beneficial ownership transparency for companies, providing public procurementTransparency in the procurement process can help combat corruption and waste that plagues a significant portion of public procurement budgets globally. Technical specifications: Commitments that aim t... in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. | Note: this will be assessed at the end of the action plan cycle. |
| Access to information (5): Increase proactive disclosure of information, specifically focusing on improved access to information for women and girls and timely and accurate reporting on the SDGs. | To maximize impact, include citizens in identifying data needs, particularly women and girls. Create space to discuss and address COVID-19 data needs. Design a dissemination plan for the reports on women’s access to information that includes simplified versions for wider public consumption. | Note: this will be assessed at the end of the action plan cycle. |
| GenderOGP participating governments are bringing gender perspectives to popular policy areas, ensuring diversity in participatory processes, and specifically targeting gender gaps in policies to address gov... (6): Pass the Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Policy and produce gender disaggregated data by district. | Involve women in designing the plan to publish and disseminate gender disaggregated data, particularly data related to COVID-19. Develop a strategic public information campaign to inform women about the policy, specifically educating women and girls on their rights. | Note: this will be assessed at the end of the action plan cycle. |
| Open Parliament (7): Increase proactive publication of parliamentary documents. Create a platform to improve public participationGiving citizens opportunities to provide input into government decision-making leads to more effective governance, improved public service delivery, and more equitable outcomes. Technical specificatio... in parliament. Target marginalized communities in outreach and opportunities for participation. | Work with citizens, particularly women and disabled people, to identify priorities and means to ensure equal accessibility to parliamentary documents and the physical space. Collaborate with CSOs to create the platform for parliament-CSO engagement and publicly disclose all related materials. Ensure continued public participation in the legislative process during the pandemic and in any virtual parliamentary processes. | Note: this will be assessed at the end of the action plan cycle. |
Recommendations
IRM recommendations aim to inform the development of the next action plan and guide implementation of the current action plan. Please refer to Section V: General Recommendations for more details on each of the below recommendations.
Table 3. Five KEY IRM Recommendations
| Formalize and publicize the OGP Steering Committee’s collaborative mandate |
| Establish an expanded OGP repositoryAccess to relevant information is essential for enabling participation and ensuring accountability throughout the OGP process. An OGP repository is an online centralized website, webpage, platform or ... that includes reasoned responses in regard to commitment selection |
| Prioritize co-creation discussion around key national issues, such as citizen participationAccording to OGP’s Articles of Governance, citizen participation occurs when “governments seek to mobilize citizens to engage in public debate, provide input, and make contributions that lead to m... More in the National Records and Archives Department |
| Create a standing consultative platform on Open Government for Women |
| Prioritize co-creation discussion around key national issues such as, a functioning anti-corruption tracking instrument, whistleblower protection and disclosure of anti-corruption measures |
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