APC-Led Mayors and Chairpersons Tell World Bank: Political Interference Risks Donor Gains

Freetown, Sierra Leone – Ten local councils led by the All Peoples Congress (APC) have formally alerted the World Bank to what they describe as a politically driven attempt to undermine donor-funded governance and accountability projects, warning that recent decentralization gains could be eroded.

In a sharply worded letter dated April 1, 2026, addressed to World Bank Country Director Robert Tallercio O’Brien and Country Manager Abdu Muwonge, the APC mayors and chairpersons expressed grave concerns over a proposal from Sierra Leone’s Ministry of Finance (MOF) that they argue would allow the Ministry of Local Government and Community Affairs (MLGCA) to appoint interim political heads over APC-led councils—bypassing the electorate’s mandate.

“We will not accept any responsibility for ineligible expenditure or any other adverse outcome from implementation of World Bank‑funded project interventions in our localities delivered under an illegally imposed political leadership,” the letter states.

Billions Invested in Decentralization at Risk

The signatories noted that over two decades, the World Bank has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in Sierra Leone’s decentralization through successive projects: the Institutional Reform and Capacity Building Project (2004), the Decentralized Service Delivery Project (DSDP 1 & 2), and the current Accountable Governance for Basic Service Delivery Project (AGBSDP) .

Key achievements under the AGBSDP cited by the council leaders include:

• The Fiscal Decentralization Policy and Strategy, aimed at empowering local councils with financial autonomy.
• Upgrading accounting systems from the obsolete PETRA to the new PFM Smart software across all 22 local councils, including solar systems, computers, and training.
• Development of manuals clarifying councilors’ roles under the Local Government Act.
• Revenue mobilization strategies for 15 district councils with technical and equipment support.
• Two completed rounds of development grants upgrading over 50 critical local infrastructure projects (health centers, schools, markets, water facilities).

The Core Dispute: Legal Ambiguity and Political Interference

According to the letter, the crisis stems from a March 26, 2026, demand by the MLGCA that the Financial Secretary interfere in the operational management of APC-led councils—allegedly as a political tool to circumvent Tripartite Committee recommendations regarding the appointment of a new Electoral Commission Chairman.

The MOF responded on April 1, 2026, with a proposal that the APC leaders say deliberately creates legal ambiguity. While the Solicitor‑General’s legal opinion did not support arbitrary appointments, the MOF’s letter is said to have gone further, reposing in the MLGCA an “arbitrary authority to appoint an interim political head” over fiscal affairs.

The APC councils fear this would:

1. Jeopardize Round 3 of the AGBSDP development grants (planned for implementation this fiscal year), for which all 15 beneficiary councils have already met criteria and included approved projects in their 2026 budgets.
2. Undermine financial management committees (Budget & Finance, Internal Audit, sector committees) that are constituted and led by councillors—many of whom are currently participating in an APC governance boycott.
3. Set a dangerous precedent eroding two decades of decentralization and citizen trust in democratic governance.

“We Will Not Accept Responsibility”

The mayors and chairpersons emphasized that their decision to suspend participation in governance is a democratic right exercised for the general good of Sierra Leoneans. However, they made clear that under any illegally imposed leadership, they will not be held accountable for ineligible expenditures or adverse project outcomes.

“The delayed Round 3 of the subgrant will be implemented this fiscal year. … These committees are constituted and led by councillors, many of whom are currently participating in the APC governance boycott.”

The letter was signed by prominent APC council leaders, including:

• Mohammed M. B. Sesay – Chairman, Bombali District Council
• Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr OBE – Mayor, Freetown City Council
• Abubakar Kamara – Mayor, Makeni City Council
• Aleu Badara Tarawalle – Mayor, Port Loko City Council
• Yabom Teslim Sesay – Chairperson, Tonkolili District Council
• Kasho Holland-Cole – Chairman, Western Area Rural District Council
• And other chairpersons from Kambia, Karene, Koinadugu, and Port Loko District Council.

Copies and Next Steps

Copies of the letter were sent to the Ministers of Finance and Local Government, the UN Resident Coordinator in Sierra Leone, the Moral Guarantors of the Agreement for National Unity, the Independent Commission for Peace and National Cohesion, and the APC Party leadership.

The World Bank has not yet issued a public response. However, given the Bank’s fiduciary obligations and its long-standing support for accountable governance, the letter represents a significant challenge to ongoing decentralization reforms in Sierra Leone.

Ten APC-led local councils in Sierra Leone warn the World Bank that political interference by the Ministries of Finance and Local Government risks eroding two decades of decentralization gains and jeopardizes AGBSDP development grants.