MDAs

Preserving, protecting and promoting our heritage and relics be they scientific, ethnographic, historical and cultural.

Storage, preservation, exhibition for education, research and visitation of artifacts, historical and national cultural heritage.

Preserving and exhibiting of the Railway heritage for posterity

Coordinate and implement all theatre related activities.

The epitome of Sierra Leone’s tradition, culture and heritage and laurel earner nationally and internationally.

Mandated to provide the following:

• Environmental Permit
• Environmental Impact Assessment license
• Environmental Reports
• Environmental Guidelines for the Tourism Sector

The administration of the Investment Promotion Act 2004, enacted by the Government of Sierra Leone in 2014, was assigned to the Sierra Leone Investment and Export Promotion Agency (SLIEPA) in 2007. The objectives of SLIEPA are to promote investment into Sierra Leone and provide information to potential investors on matters relating to investments.
The Agency furthermore promotes exports of Sierra Leonean products and facilitates registration of business enterprises. It assists investors in obtaining permits, licenses, certificates or clearances roles replica needed for the commencement of business and it assists potential investors in identifying joint venture partners in Sierra Leone. It also assists the development of the relationship between the public and private sector for the growth of investment.

Mandate
The Government recognizes that the country’s economic recovery and growth will depend on generating more investments and exports and therefore clearly sets out two specific mandates for SLIEPA:

• To conduct the business of investments promotion in Sierra Leone.
• To develop and diversify the export of traditional and non-traditional produce.

Functions

The administration of the Investment Promotion Act 2004 was initially assigned to the Sierra Leone Export Development and Investment Corporation (SLEDIC). In 2007, this function was assigned to the Sierra Leone Investment and Export Promotion Agency (SLIEPA), following the enactment of the Investment and Export Promotion Act of 2007.
The principal functions of SLIEPA are as follows:

• To promote investment opportunities in Sierra Leone and provide information to potential investors on matters relating to investments;
• To facilitate registration of business enterprises and assist investors in obtaining permits, licenses, certificates or clearances needed for the commencement of business (that is, acting as a “one-stop” centre);
• To assist potential investors in identifying joint venture partners in Sierra Leone.
• To develop the relationship between the public and private sector for the growth of investment.

Background
The Immigration Department is one of five institutions for which the Ministry of Internal Affairs has oversight responsibilities; the others being the Sierra Leone Police, the Prisons Department, National Fire Prevention Services, and the National Registration Secretariat. According to officials of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the 1991 Constitution (Act No. 6 of 1991) provides for its control of the Immigration Department. However, this control has been limited to policy issues and interfacing with Cabinet. After Independence in 1961, the Immigration Department was transformed from a civil entity and incorporated into the Sierra Leone Police; this change effectively meant that
all the personnel working for the Immigration Department were recruited from the Sierra Leone Police. The argument given for this change was that there were a high number of cases of illegal migration with a subsequent rise in associated criminal activities. Also, the issuance of passports and visa was alleged to have been fraught with corrupt practices. Meanwhile, the personnel administration of the Immigration Department continued to be supervised by the Establishment Secretary’s Office, now HRMO, who had the mandate for personnel management in the Civil Service. Section 156 (1) of the 1991 Constitution of Sierra Leone established the Police Council, and section 157 gave it the mandate of making appointments in the police force. However,
for many years after the Sierra Leone Police continued with the practice of using the Establishment Secretary’s Office as a “clearing house” for human resource matters such as promotions and appointments in the Police Force. It was only in 1999 that the Establishment Secretary determined that this activity should be carried out by the Sierra Leone Police Council. In October 2002 the Immigration Department was once again returned to the civil service, with some police officers opting not to revert to the regular police force duties. Those that remained in the Department became civilian employees. For the second time management supervision in the Department was changed, but very little was done to address the systems, processes and capacity of the Department. This was the status when the current CIO was appointed in 2008. Most recently, it was decided that the PSRU should be engaged to conduct a management and functional review, as it has done for other MDAs. The Department intends to use the report as a starting point for comprehensive restructuring.

Functions of the Immigration Department
The Immigration Department has five key responsibilities: –

• The administration and control of the movement and stay of foreign citizens within the national borders, including state territory;
• The regulation of national passports, including printing and issuance;
• The issuance of Emergency Travel Certificates (ETCs);
• Non-Citizens Registration;
• Seamen’s Travelling Documents (Seaman’s Book)

This Act provides for the establishment of the National Protected Area Authority (NPAA) and Conservation Trust Fund. The purpose of the Act is to promote biodiversity conservation, wildlife management, research and to provide for the sale of ecosystems services in national protected areas.
Part III of the Act states the role of the NPAA, which is to exercise oversight and authority over National Parks and Protected Areas designated for conservation purposes and to promote sustainable land use practices and sustainable environmental management. Furthermore, section III (f) states that another function of the NPAA is to collaborate with other stakeholders in developing a national REDD+ Strategy and to promote REDD+ projects in Sierra Leone as a sustainable source of financing for protected area management. Section III (xi) promotes the co-management of natural resources for the NPAA within and outside national protected areas with local forest edge communities.

Background
The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Security (MAFFS) is one of the
constituent Ministries of the Government of the Republic of Sierra Leone (GoSL) that is charged with the growth and development of the Agriculture sector in the country. Agriculture is arguably the largest economic sector in Sierra Leone as nearly two-thirds of the population depends on it for its livelihood and it is responsible for almost half of the country’s GDP. It follows therefore that economic growth and poverty reduction in Sierra Leone will only be sustained with developments in the agricultural sector. As the
sector expands, it will stimulate growth in other sectors through increased demand for tools and chemicals, as well as providing raw materials for agro-based industries. Also, it will generate employment along the agricultural value chain of input supply, production, agro-processing, and marketing, including exportation.

Mandate
The core mandate of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Security (MAFFS) is to formulate agricultural development policies and to advise the Government on such policies relating to its administration and the management of the agricultural sector of the economy of Sierra Leone.

The Sierra Leone Ministry of Lands, Country Planning and the Environment is a Sierra Leonean government department in charge of implementing policy as regards planning and the environment.

In 2015 the State Land Committee was reconstituted, and the Land Recovery Unit, a complaints and standards committee was set up.

Brief background

Before 2007 the Ministry was called the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.  Its core functions were information and it was very limited in scope and activities.  With the assumption to office of His Excellency the President Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma, he re-branded the Ministry, widened its scope and activities’ to include Information, Communications and Technology and was named the Ministry of Information and Communications.  With the emergence of ICT as the engine of growth in modern day economy, the Ministry has grown in scope and importance, and if properly managed can become one of the greatest revenue earning institutions in the country.

MANDATE OF THE MINISTRY

The mandate of the ministry includes the following:

• To provide policy guidance and strategic direction on all matters concerning the media, access to public information, broadcasting, and telecommunication, postal service and information communication technology
• Facilitate universal, ubiquitous and cost-effective access to information and communications infrastructure and services throughout the country.
• Promote the utilization of ICT in all spheres of life to optimize the accelerated socio-economic growth and development through dissemination of public information and provision of innovative information and communication technologies.
• Formulate and implement policies of information and communications technology.
• To provide press and information services to Government ministries and Departments, locally and externally

Functions

The Ministry has two main professional directorates, the Directorate of Information and the Directorate of Communication, each headed by a Director.

The Directorate of Information is responsible for all mass media and public education activities, while the Directorate of Communication is responsible for ICT related activities. The Ministry also has the Administrative division which is the coordinating body of the Ministry. This division is headed by the Permanent Secretary. He is the Chief Adviser to the Minister on strategic planning and development of policies. He liaises with Heads of the other Directorates for expert advice, when necessary.

The main functions of the Ministry include the followings:

• To ensure, through the office of the Government spokesperson, that all institutions of Government work collaboratively to achieve coherent and effective communications with the public
• To prepare and produce publicity and information materials and disseminate public information locally and internationally
• To print legal, security and accounting documents as well as educational and general publicity materials for government and semi-government institutions;
• To speak on behalf of the Government
• Develop appropriate policies and strategies that enhance the provision of innovative information and communication technology.
• Spearhead the development of appropriate regulatory frameworks that facilitate the promotion and development of information and communication technology (electronic media, broadcasting, postal services and IT) sector.
• Champion and promote ICT literacy and utilization in the country in order to enhance regional and international competitiveness.
• Promote and coordinate national ICT research and development.
• Develop supportively and enable infrastructure to ensure equitable access to ICTs by all citizens including disadvantaged groups and rural communities.
• Create a conducive environment for investment in the areas of ICTs through public-private partnerships.
• Represent the Government of Sierra Leone on all matters relating to the ICT sector.

The Ministry also performs oversight roles on agencies and departments that relate to the functions of the Ministry.
These include:

• Independent Media Commission (IMC)
• Right to access information commission (RAIC)
• National Telecommunications Commission (NATCOM)
• Sierra Leone Postal Services (SALPOST)
• Sierra Leone Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC)