Sierra Leone

The United Nations Assistant Secretary General and UNDP Assistant Administrator of the Regional Bureau for Africa, Mr. Gilbert Houngbo was in Sierra Leone for a three-day official visit in July.

Mr. Houngbo arrived in the West African State which was devastated by a decade long civil conflict on Sunday 27th July 2008.The country is now faced with a lots development challenges.

During his visit, Mr. Houngbo met with a wide spectrum of Senior Government Officials, Donor Agencies, Civil Society Organizations, and Community leaders to have a better understanding about the problems and challenges facing the country. The UNDP Assistant Administrator said understanding the problems and challenges will help him to fast-track development efforts in the country through UNDP entry points.

As Director of the Regional Bureau for Africa, Mr. Houngbo leads 1,500 UNDP staff covering 45 countries of Sub-Saharan Africa and the largest UNDP’s five regional programmes.
He said his greatest desire is to contribute to Africa's renaissance, growth and capacity for good governance.
Sierra Leone had just concluded a peaceful local government election, in less than ten months after the widely acclaimed presidential and parliamentary elections last year which was supported by the UNDP and other international partners.