Vice President Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh has a message for Sierra Leone’s traditional leaders: the country still needs them.
Speaking on the second day of the National Council of Paramount Chiefs Conference on Security and Governance in Bo City, VP Juldeh Jalloh called Paramount Chiefs indispensable partners in peace, security and development. He made the remarks as chair of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Decentralization and Local Governance.
Chiefs from Kambia and Karene in the north to Kailahun in the east, Pujehun and Bonthe in the south gathered to hear him. His message was simple. Chieftaincy still matters, decades of reform notwithstanding.
The stakes go beyond ceremony. Sierra Leone’s 149 chiefdoms remain the backbone of local governance, even after elected councils returned under the Local Government Act of 2004.
Chiefs preside over Chiefdom Councils. They manage customary land in the provinces. They mediate disputes and work alongside the Sierra Leone Police and the Office of National Security to keep the peace.
Governments have leaned on them for decades, from public health drives to civil registration, from farming programs to disaster response.
VP Juldeh Jalloh underscored that reliance again in Bo, telling chiefs they remain vital to service delivery, investment and national unity.
Timing sharpens the stakes. Sierra Leone is edging toward the 2028 general elections. Political parties will soon sharpen their internal battles. Government wants stability to hold.
Paramount Chiefs carry unusual weight here. They elect representatives to Parliament. They arbitrate local conflicts. They proved their worth after the civil war ended in 2002, helping rebuild shattered communities and broker reconciliation.
The Vice President’s appeal in Bo leaned on that history. The path to 2028, he suggested, runs through the same institution that helped the country find its footing after war.