EPA on cross sectorial engagement

The leadership and management of the EPA have embarked on a familiarization tour to enable cross-governmental advocacy, leadership, and participation to address key structural barriers and stimulate intersectoral collaboration and coherence. On January 31st of this year, the Environment Protection Agency Sierra Leone launched its Transformation Strategy, a document that presents the program of work and sets out the results framework for the agency for the next 7 years, 2024–2030. The interconnectedness of natural resources with economic gains and the impacts on humanity ran throughout the development of the transformation strategy, making it imminent to capacitate the agency, its boundary partners, and stakeholders to intensify collaboration, engagements, and partnerships to effectively manage environmental governance and management. On this note, the Executive Chairman, Abu-Bakar S. Massaquoi, the directors of Finance, Administration, Field Operations and Extensions, Legal, Compliance and Enforcement, and Human Resources, and other members of the senior management team of the agency engaged the regional offices to assess operations and get a sense of the agency’s fieldwork. The delegation met with the management teams of the regional offices in Bo, Kenema, Kono, and Makeni, respectively, to commend them and discuss work shares on the decentralization of the mandate of the agency. The Executive Chairman, Abu-Bakar S. Massaquoi, noted the challenges, assured them of the agency’s commitment, and underscored the significance of scientific field reporting, monitoring, and capacity building. The delegation was taken by the managers of the respective regional offices to the respective chiefdom and district stakeholders, as well as the heads of regional state institutions such as the Police Force, the military, and the resident ministers. Dr. Abu-Bakar Massaquoi and team met with PC Bona of Nimikoro Chiefdom, PC Kamachiende of Gbense Chiefdom and Sahr Gando, Chiefdom speaker of Tankoro Chiefdom in Kono district, PC Kapuwa in Kenema district, PC Boima of Kakua chiefdom in Bo district. They later met with Colonel Pessima, head of the military in Tekor barracks, Northern region, AIG Samadia, head of the police in the Northern region, Colonel George Bangura, head of the 5th Infantry Brigade, Gondama barracks, AIG Briama, head of the police force in the Southern region, Bo district, AIG Kamara, head of the police force in the Eastern region, Colonel A.O.Kamara, head of the 3rd Infantry Brigade in the

Eastern region, emphasizing the need for the security forces to collaborate with the # EPA to enforce compliance with environmental laws, expand enforcement and compliance activities, and incentivize support for effective partnership. The respective heads of the #security forces, #resident ministers, and district #stakeholders confirmed that environmental crimes are prevalent but reaffirmed their resolve to include the agency in its provincial security committee (PROSEC), all in a bid to enforce environmental laws that keep violators accountable and compliant. The tour climaxed on a good note, with regional staff of the agency, #stakeholders, and #state actors commending the leadership and team and assuring them of their continued effort to replicate the mandate of the agency and build a sustainable environment for #SierraLeone. By: Willie Collier, Martin Allieu, Paul Bannister, and Sallieu Conteh. Regional External Relations and Advocacy officers, Environment Protection Agency.