Ministry of Information and Civic Education Ends 3-Day Salone Civic Festival 2025
By Sorie Sesay
The Ministry of Information and Civic Education on 14 December 2025, concluded a three-day Salone Civic Festival and Civic Townhall Meeting at the Miatta Civic Centre, Youyi Building, Brookfields, Freetown, with senior government officials highlighting job creation, youth empowerment, civic responsibility and transparency as key achievements of the Bio-led administration.
Addressing participants, Chief Minister Dr. David Moinina Sengeh said the government has implemented several programmes aimed at expanding employment opportunities for young people and women. He disclosed that the Feed Salone programme alone created about 85,000 direct and indirect jobs last year, with between 40 and 45 percent of the beneficiaries being women.
The Chief Minister also addressed public concerns about the government’s pledge to create 5,000 jobs, explaining that employment creation goes beyond direct recruitment into the civil service. He noted that the establishment of new universities and institutions across the country has generated additional jobs, while ongoing collaboration with the private sector is expected to further expand employment opportunities.
Dr. Sengeh further revealed that President Julius Maada Bio recently launched the country’s first National Youth Report, which provides data on the status, activities and challenges facing young people, alongside policy recommendations, some of which are already being implemented. He added that the Ministry of Youth Affairs, under Minister Ibrahim Sannoh, is engaging commercial motorbike riders through training in financial literacy, youth development and alternative livelihood skills.
He also disclosed that over the past two years, more than 3,000 people have benefited from government cash transfers of 300 dollars each, with many beneficiaries using the funds to establish small businesses that are now employing others.
SLPP National Chairman, Jimmy Batilo Songa, commended the Ministry of Information and Civic Education and its partners, including the media, civil society organisations, NGOs, INGOs and international representatives, for the successful hosting of the festival. He said the townhall engagements demonstrate the ruling SLPP’s commitment to transparency, inclusiveness and empowerment, adding that allowing citizens to question ministers directly reflects accountable governance.
Delivering closing remarks on behalf of the Vice President, the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Hon. Ibrahim Tawa Conteh, said the creation of the Ministry of Information and Civic Education had initially been met with skepticism, but the Civic Festival and townhall meetings have shown the ministry’s capacity to take government information directly to the people.
Speaking on the theme “Salone Big Pass We All,” Hon. Tawa Conteh stressed that national development depends on citizens’ attitudes and their willingness to perform civic duties, particularly the payment of taxes. He warned that no country can develop without adequate tax revenue and urged Sierra Leoneans to emulate developed nations whose infrastructure and services are funded by taxpayers.
He also highlighted progress in the education sector during President Bio’s second term, noting record student intakes at both the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education and the Ministry of Technical and Higher Education. He called for unity and collective responsibility, emphasizing that national development cannot be achieved by one individual alone.
Hon. Conteh concluded by referencing major government investments in road infrastructure and urged the Ministry of Information and Civic Education to extend townhall meetings to rural and village communities to deepen public understanding of civic rights and responsibilities.
