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The dialogue was  a high-level event opened principally to senior officials of the Ministries of Finance and Economic Development, Trade and Industry and Mineral Resources; the bank of Sierra Leone, development assistance coordination office and the Anti-Corruption Commission. In other words, it was designed to be an inter-ministerial, cross-departmental forum that will allow participants to gain a holistic understanding of the post-conflict reconstruction and development strategy that is being pursued and the place they occupy within the bigger picture.

Moreover, the dialogue allowed Sierra Leone’s top most development policy officials and practitioners to engage one another in an assessment of the progress that has been registered for rebuilding the country. The dialogue forum also brought together representatives from West African Countries like Nigeria, Ghana and Liberia. Each of these countries presented a paper on their experience of reconstruction and development after a period of conflict. The measures were reviewed as part of the proceedings of the advanced policy dialogue facilitated by the United Nations African Institute for Economic Development and Planning  (UNIDEP).

 In his keynote address, the Secretary to the President, Mr. Osho Coker on behalf of the President Said Government was determined to over come the challenges through a road map that reflects the peoples’ aspirations for change and the requirements for economic growth. The Agenda for Change, he said was designed to support economic growth and development through substantially higher public investment. He noted that the economic recovery programme was also supported by other multi-lateral and bilateral development partners including the ADB, DFID, EU and the World Bank through a number of economic recovery and poverty reduction programmes.

The Deputy Minister of Finance Dr. Richard Konteh noted that the national policy dialogue on planning for Economic recovery and development in post-conflict Sierra Leone will surely mark the beginning of this engagement and hoped that it would be an annual exercise. He disclosed that the main objective of the national policy dialogue was to re-launch the culture of planning and to underscore its relevance and importance especially for countries coming out of conflict like Sierra Leone.