Bridging Knowledge & Policy
How can we bridge the gap between knowledge and policy? The Institute for Governance Reform is a research and advocacy think tank based in Freetown, Sierra Leone. We believe that weak public oversight of resource allocation and budget management is one of the underlying causes of poverty, inequality, and tension in Sierra Leone. We support public and private institutions to respond to economic development challenges, poverty, and state effectiveness.
Episodes
This week we sit down with IGR’s Data Manager, Gilbert Allieu, to discuss the recent creation of a digital election’s app known as Sense Bod. Sense Bod is an election’s app for smartphone users that provides a high-tech civic education platform that seeks to educate citizens on Sierra Leone’s electoral system, laws & regulations that govern the 2023 elections. In addition, the app also...
Ahead of the 2023 elections, political parties and candidates are busy developing their party manifestos and plans on which they expect citizens to vote for them. On Tuesday, 23rd May 2023, the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party launched the People’s Manifesto in Kenema. It is expected that other political parties, including the opposition APC, will follow suit in the coming week.
This week we sit down with Mr. Kalilu Totangi from NaCCED (National Council for Civic Education and Democracy (NaCCED) to discuss youth and electoral ignorance in Sierra Leone. In particular, recent surveys from IGR have revealed a striking amount of ignorance regarding the PR system despite its recent adoption, a switch from first-past-the-post (FPTP). Youth make up approximately 50% ...
This week we continue our prior week’s discussion with Charlie Hughes to discuss the BioMeter (BM). The BM is an initiative funded by the Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA) to evaluate the campaign promises of President Bio that were made in 2018. All in all, President Bio made a staggering 536 promises in the Sierra Leone People’s Party “New Direction” Manifesto. So IGR has tracked and ...
This week we continue last week’s discussion with IGR’s Governance Officer, Emmanuella Sandy, to further build on our previous episode that discussed the demands of citizens as it relates to citizen policy priorities within the context of the Citizen’s Manifesto (CM). The CM was first introduced in 2018 as a way to identify citizen policy priorities and the desires of citizens that should be taken on...
This week we sit down with IGR’s Governance Officer, Emmanuella Sandy, to further build on our previous episode that discussed the second iteration of the Citizen’s Manifesto (CM). The CM was first introduced in 2018 as a way to identify citizen policy priorities and the desires of citizens that should be taken on board by political parties. In this week we discuss what are the demands of citizens in...
This week we sit down with IGR’s Executive Director, Andrew Lavali, to discuss the second iteration of the Citizen’s Manifesto (CM). The CM was first introduced in 2018 as a way to identify citizen policy priorities and the desires of citizens that should be taken on board by political parties. Now in 2023, the CM is back, but this new iteration now looks at not only national policy pr...
IGR speaks with Executive Director, Ibrahim Tommy, of the Center for Accountability and Rule of Law (CARL) on the often overlooked issue of electoral justice and its relationship to elections and democracy. Mr. Tommy unpacks the complex nature of electoral justice and how it transcends both formal and informal aspects of electoral politics to demonstrate that how electoral justice is c...
IGR speaks with its Executive Director, Andrew Lavali, on Proportional Representation and its tendency to lead to violence. By looking at the evidence and trend lines on PR, will PR help mitigate the issues that often lead to violence in Sierra Leone? Or will PR accentuate these issues and lead to a new round of election-related violence in 2023?
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IGR speaks to its own Research & Policy Director on the recent adoption of the 30% law in light of the switch to proportional representation (PR). What does this 30% law mean for women in light of the recent PR switch for the upcoming elections? Can women achieve 30% in light of the new legislation, and what are the challenges and obstacles women still face in Sierra Leone?
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This week IGR speaks with Raymond George, Director of Media & Communications, of the National Electoral Commission (NEC). In this episode we discuss the electoral process and the government’s recent decision to utilize Proportional Representation (PR) in the upcoming election. In particular, we highlight IGR’s recent Knowledge, Attitudes and Practice (KAP) survey work that demonstrates...
IGR speaks to the National Coordinator of National Elections Watch (NEW) on the recent switch from a First-Past-The-Post to Proportional Representation system in Sierra Leone. What does this mean for the upcoming elections?
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Twitter: @GovernanceFor
For comments, please email us at: info@igrsl.org
As many of you probably already know, there are several African countries that are holding national elections this 2023 (such as SL, Liberia, Nigeria, Democratic Republic of Congo, Chad, Gabon and also South Sudan). Bridging Knowledge and Policy will produce a brief weekly elections-series podcast that will cover substantive topics that will focus on issues related to the lead-up to th...
In this episode we speak with Paul Jibateh to look at the ongoing challenges of hate speech in Sierra Leone and the role it plays in undermining social cohesion. Paul helps us to better understand the role that the media plays and its ongoing role in disseminating hate speech.
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This episode talks about Sierra Leones' strong religious tolerance to temper political tensions.
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Twitter: @GovernanceFor
For comments, please email us at: info@igrsl.org
In this episode, we speak with Kelfala Kallon, the Bank Governor of Sierra Leone about the current state of inflation and its impact on Sierra Leone’s economy. But what can one say are the causes of the unstable rate of inflation in the country and what can be done about it?
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Facebook: Institute for Governance Reform
Twitter: @GovernanceFor
For comments, please email us at: info@igrsl.org
In this episode, we speak with Dr. Kelfala Kallon, the Bank Governor of Sierra Leone about our country’s currency redenomination process.
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Twitter: @GovernanceFor
For comments, please email us at: info@igrsl.org
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