By John Kelly Marah
At the Bintumani II Conference Centre, on 24th October 2025, Dr. Kaifala Marah, leading figure of the All People’s Congress (APC) flag bearer race come 2026, delivered a powerful address during the National Dialogue on Deepening Decentralisation and Community Development, unveiling his vision for data-driven solutions to empower paramount chiefs, local councils, NGOs, and development partners across Sierra Leone.
With the theme: “A New Dawn for Local Communities: Building Development from the Grassroots through Data and Empowerment,” Dr. Marah emphasized that true national progress begins where the people live — in the villages and chiefdoms.
“For over sixty years, Sierra Leone has struggled with planning without evidence. We have treated national development like guesswork — without real data, without real understanding of people’s needs,” he said. “You cannot treat a patient without first running a test. Development is no different.”
Dr. Marah outlined the APC’s new vision for inclusive governance – one rooted in data collection, community ownership, and strategic coordination. He announced plans to conduct a comprehensive national survey across all 190 chiefdoms; to map the realities of schools, roads, health facilities, and water systems.
According to Dr. Marah, Sierra Leone’s future depends on breaking away from top-down planning and embracing grassroots-led decision-making.
“Too often, we plan from offices in Freetown for communities we have never visited,” he said. “Development must start from the ground up. Every chiefdom must have a voice in its future.”
He noted that many rural communities continue to suffer from poor infrastructure, untrained teachers, and lack of basic healthcare. Out of dozens of local communities surveyed, 13 have no access to clean water, and most Primary Health Units (PHUs) lack reliable ambulance services.
“This is not just a statistics problem,” he said. “It’s a human problem. And we must address it with urgency, data, and compassion.”
Dr. Marah proposed a new collaborative model that strengthens partnerships between paramount chiefs, local councils, NGOs, and central government institutions.
Under this model, each chiefdom will establish functional community committees — focusing on education, water, health, and local governance — to support participatory planning and service delivery.
“When councils sit to plan, these committees must be represented. Real development happens when communities are part of the process, not just the recipients,” he emphasized.
He also encouraged NGOs and development partners to use the findings of this nationwide data collection to align their interventions with local realities, rather than pre-designed external agendas.
Recognizing the crucial role of Sierra Leoneans abroad, Dr. Marah highlighted a new effort to connect diaspora citizens to local community development through a digital platform.
“We have created a WhatsApp network through Paramount Chiefs to share development reports with our people overseas,” he revealed. “Someone from a village now living in London or New York may see the data and decide to rebuild a school or dig a borehole. That is citizen-driven development.”
Dr. Marah also unveiled a mobile app designed to collect and track real-time community data — a key step toward evidence-based planning and accountability.
“This technology will ensure that no village, no chiefdom, and no citizen is left behind,” he said. “Development is not an accident; it is the result of strategy, structure, and shared responsibility.”
He concluded by reaffirming his commitment to a “New Sierra Leone” — one driven by data, discipline, and development, powered by the people, and rooted in the APC’s vision of inclusive national progress.
“The new dawn for Sierra Leone begins in our chiefdoms. With data, community empowerment, and collective action, we can transform every local community into a center of national progress,” Dr. Kelfala Marah said.
