A leading light in African local government spent two weeks last month sharing learning with the council and local partners in Warwickshire. William Alpha, Chief Administrator (CEO) of Bo City Council in Sierra Leone visited his partner authority -Warwickshire County Council - to progress cooperation on planning, waste management, financial management, environmental health and water issues.

The visit formed part of the DFID funded Commonwealth Local Government Good Practice Scheme, which aims to improve the delivery of local authority services through the sharing of technical expertise between partner authorities in Commonwealth countries. Warwickshire are working with Bo and Makeni City Councils in Sierra Leone to share expertise around waste management, environmental health, water, planning and GIS mapping. This three year project is in collaboration with local partners at Warwick District Council, Warwick One World Link and local Rotary clubs and was developed from a nearly 30 year community link between Bo, Leamington and Warwick.

William, recently awarded Civil Servant of the Year in Sierra Leone, shared how a visible difference in street cleanliness in Bo has improved the council’s ability to get people to pay their rates. It is also hoped that over time it will help to reduce malaria occurrences. As well as meeting with planning, environmental health and waste management experts within the council, William also met with senior management at JCB in Staffordshire to secure a commitment to ongoing training and after sales support for equipment bought as part of the waste management project.

Further information:

Warwickshire County Council Website

Commonwealth Local Government Forum Good Practice Scheme