National Women’s Conference on the Constitutional Review Process, the Tripartite Recommendations, and Women’s Empowerment – 10th October 2025
Campaign for Good Governance (CGG), in collaboration with the ICSP partners, the Yellow Ribbon Campaign Group, and the Ministry of Gender and Children’s Affairs, with support from Trócaire and Irish Aid, facilitated a National Women’s Conference on the Constitutional Review Process, the Tripartite Recommendations, and Women’s Empowerment on 10th October 2025 at the Family Kingdom, Freetown.
The conference brought together community and women leaders from all sixteen districts of Sierra Leone to dialogue on key national governance and gender equality reforms.
The conference created a vital platform for accountability and engagement on the status of the constitutional review process and the Tripartite Recommendations, with a special focus on the progress made toward integrating women’s empowerment provisions outlined in the Sierra Leone Women’s Communiqué of 27th June 2024 into the reviewed 1991 Constitution of Sierra Leone.
An update from Mr Ngolo Katta, National Coordinator of the Sierra Leone Tripartite Committee Secretariat, on the implementation of the 80 recommendations was particularly impressive, highlighting the government’s efforts and progress in advancing the reform agenda.
From his update, eleven (11) out of the 80 Tripartite Recommendations (TR) specifically address women’s rights issues by Ministries Departments and Agencies and 84 % of the 80+ Tripartite recommendations have been completed, 37 % completed – in draft bills ready to be laid in parliament, 47% in progress and 16 % still to be started;
Participants were further impressed by the statement from the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Alpha Sesay Esq., who confirmed that out of the 16 recommendations presented in the Sierra Leone National Women’s Communiqué on the Constitutional Review Process, 15.5 have been accepted by the government and will be incorporated into the final reviewed 1991 Constitution of Sierra Leone.
Some of the accepted recommendations are:
- The rights to health and adequate medical facilities and universal basic education have been included as justiciable rights in the draft constitution.
- The Customary Land Rights Act a new Chapter has also been accepted for inclusion in the constitution.
- The recommendation of one-third voter representation for women to be an entrenched clause has been accepted and included in the constitution;
Participants were also glad to hear that, the government with women and other stakeholders together will draft a new provision for sec 27 of the 1991 constitution amendment 4(d) and (e) to eliminate the discriminatory clause against women;
He concluded on the note that legislative bills that are non-entrenched constitutional clauses such as electoral reforms and others will be the first to be laid in Parliament early in 2026, and entrenchment clauses will follow immediately in a referendum in 2027;
Campaign for Good Governance (CGG) and its partners reaffirm their commitment to supporting the constitutional review process and to advancing women’s empowerment initiatives across Sierra Leone.
We are glad that the conference concluded with a collective call for continued collaboration among government institutions, civil society, and women’s groups to ensure that the reviewed constitution reflects the voices, rights, and aspirations of all women in Sierra Leone.
©️CGG Communications Unit