By Joseph Momoh, Daily Scope Reporter
A public dispute has erupted between Freetown Mayor Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr and Chief Minister Dr. David Moinina Sengeh regarding the slow implementation of recommendations from the Tripartite Committee. In a social media post on Thursday, Mayor Aki-Sawyerr highlighted a recent publication from the Tripartite Steering Committee Secretariat confirming that just 10% of the Committee’s recommendations have been acted upon since their completion in June 2024.
“The effective, inclusive, and timely implementation of the Tripartite Recommendations are a prerequisite for free, fair, and credible elections in 2028,” Aki-Sawyerr underscored in her statement. The Tripartite Committee was formed under Resolution Three of the Agreement for National Unity (ANU) signed in 2023, aiming to mitigate political tensions that followed the disputed 2023 elections. The Committee developed 80 recommendations focused on electoral and governance reforms.
In response, Chief Minister Sengeh accused the Mayor of misrepresenting the facts and avoiding meaningful participation in the reform process. In a detailed statement titled “The Chief’s Diary,” he asserted that all eight resolutions of the ANU had been fully implemented, according to reports from the “moral guarantors” tasked with oversight of the agreement. A comprehensive review with these guarantors is set for April 2026.
While Sengeh acknowledged that the implementation of the Tripartite Report is ongoing, he rejected the notion of gridlock. He pointed out that the Steering Committee, comprising ministers, mayors, Paramount Chiefs, and civil society representatives, held its first quarterly meeting on March 12. Updates from the Attorney General and other agencies indicated significant advancements, particularly with constitutional reforms currently under consideration in Parliament, and a proposal to extend the Steering Committee’s mandate by an additional six months for monitoring and evaluation.
Sengeh noted that major institutions, including the Office of National Security (ONS) and the Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone (ECSL), have made substantial progress in implementing recommendations. However, he expressed concern over the lack of attendance from key political figures, including members from both the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) and the opposition All People’s Congress (APC).
This exchange underscores the continuing political friction surrounding the reform process. The APC has previously voiced dissatisfaction with the pace of implementation; in February 2026, APC Acting National Chairman Ambassador Alhaji Dr. Osman Foday Yansaneh criticized progress as “limited and far below expectations,” labeling the Steering Committee as “dysfunctional and lacking inclusiveness.”
Despite these disagreements, the Tripartite Steering Committee Secretariat remains active in its technical work, recently engaging in discussions with the ONS regarding security sector reforms and consultations with ECOWAS for broader reform collaboration.
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