By Nasratu Kargbo
One of the government’s Medium-Term National Development Plans (MTNDP) for 2024 - 2030 aims to develop the marine sector and export the country’s fish to the European Union and Chinese markets, according to Alphonso Campbell a Consultant at the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development (MOPED).
In his Presentation on the 2nd February 2024 at a workshop organized by the UN in Bo to get the views of people in the Southeast on what they would want them to include in their programmes, he said that the government wants to commercialize and promote the fisheries resources.
He added that the government wants to accelerate productivity and ensure there is sustainable management of the fisheries and marine resources.
Speaking on Agriculture as the government’s flagship programme, he mentioned that they want to accelerate productivity and commercialization of agricultural produce. “We want to transform the sector into a more productive one with a focus on commercialization. Of course, if we have to feed ourselves then we have to produce enough food and possibly export” he said.
He also highlighted the improvement in healthcare, creating employment; empowering women; infrastructure and technology amongst others are all in the plan.
The Director of Development Assistant Office Abie Kamara explained that the Medium-Term National Development Plan which was launched by President Julius Maada Bio on the 30th of January 2024 is a seven-year plan, explaining that it was made to align the country’s programming to the end period of the Sustainable Development Goals.
She said that the plan is centred on the big five game changers of the government. “The plan is quite expensive to implement, it is about 12.2 billion dollars and the government alone cannot do that we need partnership for us to successfully implement the plan,” Kamara explained that development partners usually align the support they give to the country’s strategies.
She said it is not a surprise that the UN started regional consultation in Makeni and Bo immediately after the government launched their MTNDP, in a bid to help them identify priority areas that they will incorporate into their support plan for the country.
Kamara therefore called on the participants representing the Southern region to ensure that they reflect the needs of the region.
The UN organized a consultation meeting in Makeni on the 31st of January 2024 and is set to hold another in Freetown this week, all in a bid to understand the people’s priority needs and incorporate them in their next Sustainable Development Programmes.
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