On Wednesday, February 26, 2026, the Public Sector Reform Unit (PSRU) handed over a comprehensive Management and Functional Review (MFR) report aimed at repairing and modernising the Sierra Leone Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC). PSRU Head Sulaiman Phoray Musa formally presented the findings and recommendations to the Minister of Information and Civic Education, Chernor Bah, providing a strategic roadmap intended to strengthen governance, operational effectiveness and public service delivery at the national broadcaster.
The review was commissioned under Recommendation 77 of the Tripartite Agreement between the Government, the All People’s Congress (APC) and donor partners, and is designed to reposition SLBC as a modern, independent and responsive public broadcaster. The MFR examined a wide range of institutional dimensions, including management structures, operational capacity, financial health, human resources systems and governance arrangements.
The report documents persistent weaknesses that have hampered SLBC’s ability to deliver professional broadcasting. Key issues identified include weak governance and oversight, overlapping and unclear roles, ineffective performance management, obsolete technical equipment, insufficient investment in staff training, and constrained financial autonomy. To ensure its conclusions were grounded in reality, the PSRU employed a participatory process that comprised staff consultations, one-on-one interviews, focus group discussions, questionnaires and a formal SWOT analysis.
To address the problems identified, the MFR sets out practical reform measures across human resources, administration, logistics and core operations. Proposed interventions aim to clarify governance frameworks, streamline responsibilities, introduce robust performance-management systems, upgrade broadcasting equipment and expand capacity-building programmes for staff, alongside reforms to improve financial management and autonomy.
Minister Bah welcomed the report, underlining the Ministry’s commitment to implementing the recommended changes and restoring public confidence in SLBC. He also asked the PSRU to apply a similar modernisation exercise to the Government Printer to enhance the efficiency of official communications and publications. Musa pledged full technical support, and both parties agreed to convene next week to begin mapping out concrete implementation steps.
The MFR is presented as a pivotal component of the Ministry’s broader reform agenda to modernise state communication institutions, improve public service delivery and ensure SLBC can fulfil its mandate as a credible, professional national broadcaster.
