Local Governance and Decentralisation in Sierra Leone: Examining Administrative Linkages among Local and Chiefdom Councils in Bo District

Abstract

Local government institutions serve as the primary conduit through which publicservices are delivered to people in local communities. In the decentralisation programme inSierra Leone, local government institutions operate at the district, chiefdom, and city levels. Atdistrict and city levels, local governments are managed by elected council members who arereferred to as local councils. The three main local government units in the country are theDistrict, City and Chiefdom Councils.An examination of the relationship that exists among them reveals an interesting understandingof how decentralisation works in Sierra Leone. Decentralisation as a governance approach and apublic administration mechanism to bring services to the doorstep of local communities is arelational process, which ensures healthy communication exists among the local institutions thatare involved in service delivery for sustainable service delivery. This paper examines how theDistrict Council, City Council and Chiefdom Council officially interact among themselves in thedecentralisation programme in Sierra Leone.