On Sunday March 19, 2023, a team consisting management of National Council for Civic Education and Democracy (NaCCED, in collaboration with District Youth Coordinators, representing the National Youth Council, embarked on a five-day field visit to all chiefdoms in the Southern and Eastern regions, to operationalize the national solar powered television project and to deliver relevant video and audio contents containing activities of the government and partners in all (87) chiefdoms in the two regions.
In the departure briefing, the Council Chairman Kalilu Ibrahim Totangi emphasized the need to engage all relevant stakeholders (Paramount Chiefs or Regent Chiefs, Town and Section Chiefs, District and Chiefdom Youth Council Leaders, etc.) of the project in all the chiefdoms to understand the rationale of the project as well as promote sustainability and community ownership.
“As you embark on this field trip, I encourage you to engage all key stakeholders, discuss the relevant issues pertaining the project, promote the importance of community ownership and sustainability, and ensure you test the video and audio contents at every facility”, the Chairman advised.
In fulfillment of the responsibility to nurture an informed and engaged society, you will recall that by mid last year, NaCCED unveiled a national solar-powered television project the Council runs in all 190 chiefdoms of the country. The primary objective of this project is to keep the community informed of government and partner activities across the country, and to keep the public abreast with development projects nationally.
This endeavor will get community members up to speed with government activities – to know about as well as understand various development projects undertaken nationally with the hope of minimizing misinformation, disinformation and fake news.
On explaining the objectives of the project to stakeholders of her chiefdom, P. C. Haja Fatmata Mima Kajue, the Paramount Chief of Manor Dasse Chiefdom who also doubles as the Paramount Chief Member of Parliament for Moyamba District, welcomed the team to her chiefdom. She thanked the central government and NaCCED, for, in her words, “a laudable community intervention”. She added that “this project is a very good step taken by the government through the Council. It will ensure dissemination of correct and authentic information across the country. Be assured of my unflinching support to ensure the project succeeds”, she committed.
Mr. Jinah A. Kpundeh, District Youth Chairman of Kailahun District thanked the government for, in his words, “involving young people in community development and for taking government to the people, and the people to the government,”. Mr. Kpundeh also underscored the importance of information dissemination to national development. He promised to work closely with colleague Youth Chairmen and chiefdom authorities in his region to ensure the project achieves its objectives.
In his words, “I will work with my colleague youth leaders and all stakeholders to achieve the objectives of this project because it is very important to national development”, he ended. Madam Umu Koroma a resident of Teilu, chiefdom headquarter town of Bongor Chiefdom in Bo District, thanked government for the facility. In addition to facilitating dissemination of credible information in the community, Madam Koroma informed the team that the project also supports the Free Quality Education programme because pupils use the electricity generated by the solar to prepare for exams, which in her words, “eases the burden associated with night study before the project started”.
The teams visited 83 chiefdoms out of 87 (95.4%), engaged stakeholders, and delivered and tested the video and audio contents at every location. NaCCED Regional Coordinators assured the authorities that they would keep in constant touch to support the project and they would be visiting them for the same purpose, occasionally and whenever necessary. Similar field visit will be carried out in the remaining chiefdoms in the North-eastern and North-western regions of the country.
