Sierra Leone - The Role of the Rapid Results Approach in Decentralization and Strengthening Local Governance

Abstract

Although Sierra Leone is endowed with
 rich natural resources, it is one of the poorest countries
 in the world. An eleven-year war over the period 1991-2002
 destroyed the country's infrastructure and social
 fabric. The concentration of political power and public
 resources in the capital city Freetown, and the
 marginalization of the provinces were perceived as one of
 the root causes of the war. In 2004, Sierra Leone ranked
 bottom in the United Nations Human Development Indicators,
 and 70 percent of the population is said to be under the
 poverty line. To support the decentralization process,
 following the Local Council Election of May-June 2004, the
 councils were encouraged to adopt the Rapid Results Approach
 (RRA), which became an important driver in building a
 culture of performance, accountability and results. The
 initial efforts have also unleashed implementation capacity
 within the newly-created local councils that delivered
 measurable improvements in public services over a short
 period. The note further examines the first wave of rapid
 results initiatives, scaling-up, and devolution, and,
 stipulates that by adopting a structured process, based on a
 few principles designed to unleash capacity, and empower
 local teams, a favorable environment was created for
 achieving results in a short period.