PSRU and IFES commence Independent MFR for ECSL

The Independent Management and Functional Review is in fulfilment of Recommendations 6, 10, 21, 76 and 77, of the Tripartite Recommendations that was developed during the Unity Agreement that was signed between the Government of Sierra Leone and the opposition All Peoples Congress party.
In his presentation at the ECSL Headquarters on Tuesday 5th November, 2024, the Director of PSRU, Mr. Sulaiman Phoray-Musa, noted that the inception meeting was the entry point of series of engagements that will be held with the ECSL and other related bodies during the period of the review exercise.
The Director explained that PSRU was mandated by the Chief Minister’s office, as Chairman of the Steering Committee, to implement the above recommendations in the Tripartite Report and also take the lead of the entire process. IFES will provide technical support whilst the Government of Sierra Leone and USAID will provide the financial support, he stressed.
Mr. Phoray-Musa inter-earlier informed the meeting that a Memorandum of Understanding was signed with the Director of IFES, the Office of the Chief Minister and Director, PSRU to ensure proper coordination of the review process.
The objective of the IMFR was to assess the organisational structure of the Commission and related bodies to determine their roles and responsibilities, their reporting lines, relationships and alignment and if they are fit for purpose for current and future needs. It will also assess the governance architecture of the electoral system based on the applicable legal and regulatory instruments.

The IMFR, the Director pointed, is a comprehensive diagnostic assessment to thoroughly investigate whether the Electoral Commission of Sierra Leone has the requisite institutional structure, systems and processes, capacity and resources to effectively deliver on its mandate and ensure efficient service delivery to the people of Sierra Leone. It will also assess the existing capacities, functional effectiveness, and efficiency and identify gaps in the Commission and related bodies’ organisational structure.

He stressed that the comprehensive review underscores the government’s commitment to strengthening the electoral systems and structures, ensuring that ECSL and related bodies can effectively preside over future elections in Sierra Leone.
Mr. Phoray-Musa explained that PSRU will combined his existing methodological tool with IFES Electoral Process Diagnostic (EPD) tool to conduct the studies. The IFES tool according to the Director, was developed in 2010 and has been used in several countries including Nigeria and Kenya, to assess performance of Election Management Bodies, EMBs, and is designed to make comparison overtime.
In conducting the Review according to the Director, critical attention will be directed to the implications of proposed legal reforms on roles and responsibilities and the operational structure of the EMBs.

The ultimate output of the assignment, Mr Phoray-Musa noted will be a comprehensive review report with detailed recommendations on improving the corporate governance architecture of the EMBs in line with new legal and regulatory requirements. It will also identify capacity needs and gaps across all units and departments with a focus on optimising technology, digital tools and other approaches to deliver free, fair, and credible elections consistently and at all levels and the development of monitoring framework, and budget for implementing the findings and recommendations, he concluded.