Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee adopts “The Freetown Resolutions 2025” to increase councils’ own-source revenue

The Sierra Leone Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC), chaired by Deputy Speaker Hon. Ibrahim Tawa Conteh, convened a one-day National Dialogue on Monday, December 8, 2025, to enhance efforts to generate revenue for Local Councils and Chiefdom Authorities. On Monday, December 8, 2025, Brahim Tawa Conteh convened a one-day National Dialogue to enhance efforts to generate revenue for Local Councils and Chiefdom Authorities. Government agencies, civil society, and development partners came together to adopt seven key measures now known as “The Freetown Resolutions 2025.”
The Dialogue, according to organisers, is a critical step toward improving the mobilisation, management, and utilisation of locally generated revenues to fund sustainable development within council and chiefdom jurisdictions. Throughout the day, stakeholders participated in intensive presentations and discussions, sharing challenges, practical experiences, and recommendations aimed at modernising revenue systems and strengthening collaboration between Local Councils and Chiefdom Authorities.
Sallieu Kamara, Assistant Director of the Ministry of Finance’s Fiscal Decentralisation Division, stated that the Dialogue is directly aligned with the Ministry’s mandate and welcomed the opportunity for collaboration. Mr Kamara emphasised the importance of ongoing stakeholder engagement and increased local revenue generation in the advancement of fiscal decentralisation.
He stated that the meeting’s outcomes will help to chart a clear path for progress in delegating more fiscal responsibility to subnational authorities while ensuring alignment with national policy.
Madam Lydia S. Kargbo, Acting Director of the Public Financial Management Reform Department (PFMRD), thanked the organisers and participants while highlighting a number of operational challenges impeding local revenue mobilisation.
She identified capacity gaps, outdated collection systems, and limited resources as persistent barriers, but expressed confidence that the Dialogue’s recommendations could mark a watershed moment in efforts to modernise revenue practices and improve accountability at the local level.
Hon. PC Sheku Tejan Fasuluku Sonsiama III, Chairman of the National Council for Paramount Chiefs, reflected on the historical role of paramount chiefs in chiefdom revenue collection, noting that traditional authorities continue to play an important role in local governance and revenue mobilisation. He also highlighted the pressures that chiefdom administrations face, such as low pay and insufficient logistical support, and called for clearer recognition and funding of their role within the decentralisation framework.
Speaking on behalf of the Council Chairmen, Dr M.M.B. Sisay, Chairperson of Bombali District Council, emphasised the importance of transparency and accountability in local government. Dr Sisay advocated for digitalised revenue systems to reduce leakages, expand the local tax base, and improve council staff capacity. He contended that consistent enforcement of existing revenue laws, combined with administrative modernisation, would significantly boost domestic revenue growth and strengthen councils’ ability to provide services.
Kweku Lisk, the Deputy Mayor of Freetown City Council, spoke on behalf of the mayors. Mr Lisk provided practical insights into municipal revenue mobilisation, emphasising the importance of locally appropriate solutions that balance revenue enhancement with fairness to residents and businesses.
PAC Chairman and Deputy Speaker Hon. Ibrahim Tawa Conteh delivered the keynote address, emphasising the importance of chiefdoms in the national revenue ecosystem. He emphasised the importance of closing gaps between Local Councils and Chiefdom Authorities through clearly defined roles, transparent revenue-sharing formulas, and collaborative approaches to enforcement and service delivery. Hon. Conteh promised that the PAC would extend the Dialogue beyond Freetown, committing to ongoing engagement with councils across the provinces to monitor implementation and build momentum for reform.
Representatives from over 300 participants signed the seven measures agreed upon at the Dialogue, which are now officially known as The Freetown Resolutions 2025.
While the resolutions themselves set out a range of priorities, common themes articulated during the event included digitalisation of revenue systems, expansion of the local tax base, capacity building for council and chiefdom staff, stricter enforcement of revenue laws, and transparent revenue sharing. While the resolutions themselves set out a range of priorities, common themes articulated during the event included digitalisation of revenue systems, expansion of the local tax base, capacity building for council and chiefdom staff, stricter enforcement of revenue laws, and transparent revenue sharing. I’ve called on government ministries, local governments, traditional leaders, civil society organisations, and development partners to turn the Dialogue’s agreements into concrete actions that will increase revenue flows and catalyse local development.
Sheku Lamin Turay, Director of the Parliamentary and Public Relations Department, moderated the event and provided participants with an overview of the historical development of Sierra Leone’s Local Councils, situating the day’s discussions within the larger decentralisation journey.
As organisers and participants move from consensus to action, the immediate challenge will be to put the commitments in The Freetown Resolutions 2025 into practice.
Technical support, funding, legislative clarity, and sustained political will are required to modernise collection systems, ensure transparency and accountability, and strengthen the partnership between Local Councils and Chiefdom Authorities so that locally generated revenues can be more effective. To modernise collection systems, ensure transparency and accountability, and strengthen the partnership between Local Councils and Chiefdom Authorities, technical support, funding, legislative clarity, and sustained political will will be required, so that locally generated revenues can more effectively support service delivery and development throughout Sierra Leone.