VP Jalloh Challenges Government to Move From Policy Production to Delivery

Vice President Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh has challenged Sierra Leone’s public service to shift its focus from producing policy documents to demonstrating measurable results from those policies.
Speaking at the National Symposium on Policy Standardisation, he said the production of a policy, its approval by Cabinet or its public launch should not be treated as evidence that the intended development objective has been achieved.
“The true test of a policy is whether it solves the problem it was designed to address and improves outcomes for citizens,” he said.
VP Juldeh Jalloh said effective policy development must begin with a clear understanding of the problem and be supported by credible evidence.
He said policymakers must consider the wider legal and institutional environment, identify affected institutions, assess costs and financing requirements and establish how implementation and results would be measured.
“Policy development must begin with a clear understanding of the problem, informed by credible evidence,” he said, arguing that implementation considerations should be incorporated into policy design rather than treated as an afterthought.
The Vice President urged public institutions to move “from institutional silos to coordinated delivery; from duplication to complementarity; from policy production to implementation; and from reporting activities to demonstrating measurable results.”
He said the ultimate ambition should be a public service that is better equipped to convert Government policies into tangible improvements for citizens. “Our public service must become better not simply at producing policy, but at turning policy into impact,” Dr. Jalloh said.