Members of Parliament (MP) have ratified the revised Non Government Organisations Policy Regulation 2009.

The draft policy regulation, which was approved yesterday Thursday 19th November 2009, was laid before the House of Parliament by the Deputy Minister of Finance and Economic Development on Tuesday 3rd November 2009.

Prior to the ratification, Hon Philip Tondonneh, representing the main opposition Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP), expressed the need for the Finance Ministry to set up a national monitoring and evaluation unit to enhance the effectiveness of non governmental and community based organizations, due to the fact that the said organizations are partners in development.

He further urged the Ministry to liaise with big organizations and diplomats, whilst pointing out that they have different categories of fund including project support which is mainly for NGOs and the budgetary support fund meant for government.

He furthered that the aforementioned is the most effective way for government to track down fake NGOs and CBOs.

Hon. Eric Jumu, also of the SLPP, iterated that some NGOs and CBOs are performing exceptionally well, whilst others are bent on collecting money from donors for their selfish use.

The Acting Majority Leader of the APC, Hon. S.B.B Dumbuya buttressed the fact that the government should be fully aware of the budget allocation of non governmental organizations. He said most NGOs hardly contact the residential stakeholders before undertaking a project, whilst noting that community members should be engaged in developmental activities concerning their various communities.

For him, the pilot Minister emphasized that the regulations are not going to be rigid, but are only meant to ensure transparency and accountability. He said the policy was drafted in order to avert numerous allegations made by stakeholders and donors in relation to funds spent without the knowledge of the government.

He used the forum as an opportunity to commend NGOs and CBOs for complementing developmental strides of the government.