During its Annual Staff and Stakeholders Retreat, which will end today, Friday, the 12th of January 2024, the National Commission for Peace and National Cohesion has re-strategize for formidable and sustainable peace cohesion in 2024 and beyond. The Annual Staff Retreat is staged at the Gaines Paradise Hotel in Bo with the theme “Repositioning ICPNC for sustainable Peace and National Cohesion’’.
Staff and stakeholders have taken a retrospective look at the work of the Commission over the past two years, identified challenges, mapped out strategies to surmount them, and charted the way forward by developing an Annual Work Plan for 2024. It also allowed for a mid-term review of the 2022-2024 ICPNC Strategic Plan.
In his welcome address at the opening ceremony, Chairman of the Board, Rev Shodankeh Johnson, described the retreat as a stock-taking exercise to better position the Commission to carry out its key function of effectively promoting peace and national cohesion, citing the gains made by the institution so far.
In his keynote address done via Zoom, Chief Minister Dr. David Moinina
Sengeh thanked the ICPNC for allowing him to give a keynote address, adding that the role of the ICPNC in the mediated dialogue between the Government of Sierra Leone (GoSL) and the APC cannot be overstated. “We know you are a couple of years old, but you essentially did what you were created to do, which was to bring peace and cohesion at a time when that was exactly what we needed as a country”.
He further used the occasion to congratulate the ICPNC Board and staff for
the critical role played in facilitating and hosting the peace dialogue by
bringing together parties that were initially not interested to be at the
table, to go to court or be in governance, which led to the Agreement for
National Unity with eight resolutions, many of which are currently being
implemented.
The agreement for National Unity, he stated, is something that our children
and our children’s children will remember because of the role that the
Peace Commission played at a time when Governance wasn’t fully
inclusive because of the choices that certain groups of people make.
The Chief Minister assured the Board and staff of Government’s
commitment and willingness to support the Commission; “You are a toddler
who has been able to take grown-up steps, and we stand ready to support
you to grow and address your challenges”, he said. He encouraged the
participants to have complex and frank conversations to be able to achieve
the desired objective.
Making a statement on behalf of the Public Sector Reform Unit (PSRU), the
Head of Programmes Phoray-Musa thanked the Peace Commission for
inviting the PSRU to this stock-taking and planning retreat. He reiterated
that the unit acknowledges the transformation and the several strides the
The commission has been made since its establishment. “The transformation can only be sustained and improved upon when platforms like this are provided
to take a deep dive into having a retrospective look at the commission’s
performance and a prospective outlook of the commission”, he echoed.
He furthered that the theme of the ICPNC retreat resonates with the
The government’s commitment, as articulated in Cluster Four of the New
Direction Manifesto, which underscores the revamping of the public service
architecture through professionalism, accountability, and transparency.
Additionally, Phoray-Musa said PSRU welcomed the fact that ICPNC has
requested its technical expertise for the conduct of a Management and
Functional review; hence, the retreat was an opportunity for PRSU to
contribute to better repositioning the commission for sustainable peace and
national cohesion.
Making a presentation on the topic “Team Building, the ICPNC Board
Chairman Reverend Shodankeh Johnson emphasized that teamwork is
crucial for success in any institution. Teams within the workplace, he said
need cohesiveness to function effectively with a collective mentality.
He highlighted the need to develop strong foundations for team members,
and provide the environment for trust, transparency, and accountability,
adding that while knowledge gives a job, it is a character that keeps one in the
job.
He said team members should have genuine consideration for others and
an eagerness to sacrifice personal interest of glory for the welfare of others
Speaking on Healthy Leadership, Rev Johnson said a leader should be
creative and be able to solve problems, stressing the importance of having
clear goals and strategy, as well as constant evaluation of those goals.
Leaders, he said, should not fear the storm but rather embrace challenges
in their leadership, learn from the past, and build a strong support team.
The 2022-2024 Strategic Plan of the Peace Commission was reviewed, with
a team from the PSRU is facilitating the process. The objective was to help
the commission reset its priorities and develop a work plan in the light of
pressing national priorities, as well as to examine its internal organization
structure and external communications systems.
The review was preceded by the presentation of the commission’s two-
year report, which highlighted activities undertaken by the various directorates and their challenges over the past two years
Forty-one staff members from across the country and board members have participated in the five-day program funded by the UNDP with technical support from PSRU.
Executive Secretary Hawa Samai chaired the opening session, while the
Deputy Executive Secretary Moses Margao moderated presentations
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