By Emmanuel Mbowa

Freetown, May 7, 2026 — The government of Sierra Leone has pledged full support for reforms at the Sierra Leone Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC), as stakeholders validated draft review reports aimed at transforming the state-owned broadcaster into an independent, financially autonomous, and editorially free institution.

The reforms, recommended by the National Media Viability and Investment Conference and captured in Recommendation 77 of the Tripartite Report, are being driven by the Media Reform Coordinating Group (MRCG) under the EU-funded Media Empowerment for Democracy, Inclusion, and Accountability (MEDIA) project, implemented by BBC Media Action.

Information and Civic Education Minister Chernor Bah told participants that the government is committed to seeing SLBC overcome its long-standing challenges.

“Our starting point is that we need reforms,” he said. “We are proud as a government to say we stand with MRCG on this reform journey. We are fully behind this proposal they have developed, and we are partners and allies for the full implementation of these reforms.”

MRCG’s National Coordinator, Dr. Francis Sowa Esq., explained that consultations had gathered diverse views to ensure the recommendations reflect broad interests in SLBC’s governance and management. “If you have different interests represented on the board, then they can provide and push to have everyone’s views in the public service broadcaster,” he noted.

Dr. Sowa outlined the next steps: validation by stakeholders, submission to the Ministry of Information, drafting of a bill by the Attorney General’s office, and eventual passage in Parliament. “Again, when it becomes a law, we will push for it to be implemented,” he added.

Stakeholders welcomed the reform process, urging that SLBC be reshaped into a more equitable, responsible, and inclusive broadcaster capable of fostering national cohesion and unity.

The validation marks a significant step in Sierra Leone’s media reform journey, with expectations that the reforms will strengthen SLBC’s role as a genuine public service broadcaster.