Sierra Leone - The Role of the Rapid Results Approach in Decentralization and Strengthening Local Governance

Although Sierra Leone is endowed with rich natural resources, it is one of the poorest countries in the world. An eleven-year war over the period 1991-2002 destroyed the country's infrastructure and social fabric. The concentration of political power and public resources in the capital city Freetown, and the marginalization of the provinces were perceived as one of the root causes of the war. In 2004, Sierra Leone ranked bottom in the United Nations Human Development Indicators, and 70 percent of the population is said to be under the poverty line. To support the decentralization process, following the Local Council Election of May-June 2004, the councils were encouraged to adopt the Rapid Results Approach (RRA), which became an important driver in building a culture of performance, accountability and results. The initial efforts have also unleashed implementation capacity within the newly-created local councils that delivered measurable improvements in public services over a short period. The note further examines the first wave of rapid results initiatives, scaling-up, and devolution, and, stipulates that by adopting a structured process, based on a few principles designed to unleash capacity, and empower local teams, a favorable environment was created for achieving results in a short period.