ACCORD’s Deputy Director, Jerome Sachane cemented the organisation’s relationship with the Government of Sierra Leone by visiting with government officials and influential members of the peacebuilding environment in Freetown from 21-25 February. The visit comes a year after ACCORD signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the government of Sierra Leone in April 2010, following the country’s acceptance of ACCORD’s 2010 Africa Peace Award.
“The visit took stock of the current peacebuilding climate and helped ACCORD to develop relationships and networks for future projects,” said Jeremy Taylor, an ACCORD Senior Programme Officer who was part of the group.
Amongst the dignitaries met were The Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Mr Joseph Dauda; The Head of Department of Peace and Conflict Studies at Fourah Bay College, Mrs Memunatu Pratt; and the Chief of Defence Staff for the Sierra Leone Army, Major General Robert Yira Koroma. These relationships will help ACCORD to plan a strategy to assess local ownership in peacebuilding processes.
In the Memorandum, ACCORD has dedicated its resources to assist with the Sierra Leone Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Human Rights Issues, Anti-Corruption Initiatives and to assist with strengthening the civilian dimension of Peacekeeping Missions. Sierra Leone has suffered immensely in the past. Its land and people have been subject to civil war since independence in 1961. It is a privilege for ACCORD to be part of the country’s reconstruction efforts.
In the words of President Earnest Bai Koroma of Sierra Leone, “We believe that with the right engagement we can have the best tourist destinations in the world.” The ACCORD team, led by Deputy Director, Mr Jerome Sachane, can definitely testify that Sierra Leone is indeed a beautiful destinitation. The ACCORD team look forward to future engagements with the government of Sierra Leone.
