Permit me to undeniably state that the council and people of Kenema District are fully determined to face the range of difficulties facing the district with the view of overcoming them. We will pay deep attention to school enrolment and eventually render untiring support to the Free Quality Education. In spite of our support and commitment to Education, we are equally concerned with giving weight to other sectors to enhance quality service delivery which include Health, Agriculture, Rural Water, Solid Waste, Youth Empowerment and Roads. Apparently, the district is faced with appalling road network in almost, all of the sixteen Chiefdoms. There are quite a number of broken culverts and bridges which account for non-access to health centres, commercially viable communities, and ultimately decreasing agricultural productivity in the district. The drive to improving on the quality of these roads will usher in potentials for economic growth, livelihood sustainability and good health care service delivery.  Against this backdrop, the council often relate with central level institutions including Road maintenance Fund Administration, Ministry of Finance on purpose to attract funding support for the maintenance of these roads including construction and rehabilitation of culverts and bridges. 

Roads being strategic impetus to drive home development actions, the council also considers the use of own source revenue to support road maintenance in the district There has been much collaboration between the council and other development partners with the view to ascertain complementarity in the overall service delivery trajectory of the district.

It’s worth echoing that my current administration is fully abreast with the many challenges thus, works closely with people and other organizations within the district so as to proffer solutions and surmount these challenges.

I am delighted to express my profound gratitude to the European Union Commission for providing grant support to the council, to the tune Two Million Five hundred Euro for implementation of wide range of activities under three strategic objectives; institutional capacity building, service delivery in Agriculture, Infrastructure including WASH and revenue mobilization.

   As we glide into each financial year, I recognize the task of entreating all the devolved sectors and the administrative staff of the Kenema District Council, implementing partners, and Civil Society Organizations for effective and regular collaboration and cooperation amongst all of us in ensuring that we achieve the expected goal of the Council.

The annual budget of the council underscores the basis for translating our district development plan into expenditure programmes year in year out. Thus, quite apart from the grant we receive from the central government to implement sectoral activities, we are mindful of our role as a council to collect internal revenue to complement in-year fiscal transfers from central government for the overall delivery of services to the people of Kenema district.  Also, let me state clearly  that  our  budget is  developed  using inclusive approach – active public participation in the process.  Wider consultation is carried out in the course of the review of our Development Plan, to provide the basis for developing the Medium-Term Expenditure framework that speaks to the service delivery interest of the district and in line with the ‘’New Direction’’ development agenda.

Bearing in mind that we are a Sub- National Government institution, responsible for effective service delivery within the district, we have collectively, at management level, resolved to pursue, in the course of my tenure as chairman, the following strategic policy actions:    

• Promote good governance
• Pursue thorough fiscal discipline to consolidate financial viability, sustainability and probity
• Increase the tax base of Council through the resuscitation of the property cadastral system.
• Provide support to achieve the flagship programme of the New Direction (Free Quality Education), Health care Services and promote the attainment of food sufficiency.
• Empower citizens, through Stakeholders Consultations and Civil Society engagements.
• Improve on the quality of the lives of our people across key measurable indicators.
• Promote Gender Equality and Women Empowerment.
• Celebrate our cultural diversity as strength towards reinforcing our developments across all sectors.
• Improve on the feeder roads network and infrastructural facilities within the district.
• Increase local participation in the affairs of Council.
• Ensure the functionality of all ward Committees within the district.
• Foster cooperation between Chiefdom and District Councils.
• Effective coordination of all IPs operating within the district, thereby establishing a comprehensive database of development interventions within the district.

In conclusion, I wish to make a clarion call and a passionate appeal to each and every resident of the respective wards in the district, and Non-Governmental Organizations to cooperate and collaborate with us positively, in meeting our stated objectives, as we endeavor to achieve our definitive Vision, concentrating on the New Direction and Sustainable Development Goals. May I re-iterate that it is only with your unified commitment and support that we can achieve our objectives of national development and prosperity.