The National Long-Term Perspective Studies (NLTPS) Sierra Leone Vision 2025 was formally instituted in June 2000 but became effective in September 2000 with the main objective of assisting the Government conduct a national dialogue in order to formulate a shared national vision and design broad-based strategies for long-term national development.

The philosophy of NLTPS is that development starts and ends with the people. Thus, a key element in the study is the utilisation of participatory approaches for the formulation of a shared national vision and development strategies for the country. Keeping in the line with this philosophy, a sensitisation mission was undertaken to the provinces in order to create awareness among key stakeholders of the NLTPS - Sierra Leone Vision 2025 programme, with a view to soliciting national commitment and collective participation in the process.

In a participatory exercise, the mission was able to get participants to undertake the following about the NLTPS:

• What NLTPS - Sierra Leone Vision 2025 is all about and why NLTPS-Vision 2025?
• How the NLTPS process will be conducted (what is the participatory approach).
• NLTPS Methodology, including the five phases; The uses/benefits of the results of the NLTPS process to the country as a whole; and
• The roles and expectations of all Sierra Leoneans in the NLTPS process

Reactions of Participants:
While applauding the concept of Vision 2025, the following were some of the comments made by the participants:

• Of all the programmes and projects of Government, the NLTPS appears to be the best initiative of Government.
• How can Sierra Leoneans be assured that programmes and action plans developed after this visioning process are not put aside by successive governments?
• After the colonial era, governments have formulated several - 5 and 10 year development plans, none of these have created any impact or have been fully implemented. How can we be sure that Sierra Leone Vision 2025 will ever be implemented?
• That whatever development programmes and plans are developed for this country, successful implementation will depend on the attitude of Sierra Leoneans. How can a change of attitude be effected?
• Involvement of the defence forces in national development planning is a wise decision, as this will ensure commitment by both the forces and authorities to respect and uphold the development document.
• That the process of consultation be extended to rebel held areas so that all Sierra Leoneans will participate in the planning process so as not to be rejected by any one group.
• Tribalism and regionalism be put aside in the development of a national development plan. The Core Team appointed to execute this task should facilitate equitable distribution of development nationwide.

The following questions came up repeatedly in all the areas covered by the Mission:

Whether the programme had the support and blessings of parliament and the various opposition parties.

How certain was the mission that succeeding governments after the present one would uphold the ideas of the project?

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