Houghton Students, Professor Tackle Decentralization in Meetings with Government Officials in Sierra Leone
HOUGHTON, N.Y. – A team of Houghton students and their professor have completed field research for a study and recommendations on government restructuring in Sierra Leone, West Africa.
The team developed a written report titled One Finger Cannot Lift a Stone (after a Sierra Leone proverb) and accepted an invitation to participate in a government-sponsored workshop on decentralizing government held in late May in Freetown, the country’s capital. The workshop followed an intense, in-country, three-week study of the decentralization process guided by Dr. Ronald Oakerson, Professor of Political Science, who led a research team of six students.
Sierra Leone is actively seeking to transfer authority and power from a centralized government in Freetown to local, democratically elected leaders and bring services nearer to the point of delivery, Oakerson said. Sierra Leone lacked locally elected governments for 32 years, which contributed to the country’s devastating civil war that raged for a decade until ending in 2002.
Representing the student team at the workshop on decentralization were Houghton seniors Steven Grudda of Albion, ME, an international relations major who grew up in West Africa; Wesley Dean of Fillmore, NY, also an international relations major who was raised in Latin America; and graduating senior Ryan Musser of Mount Joy, PA, an intercultural studies major concentrating in international development who had been an elections observer in Sierra Leone in 2007.
Other students participating in the study were graduating seniors Michael Humphrey of Warsaw, NY an environmental biology major; Shawn Livingston of Owings, MD, an intercultural studies major; and Joshua Turner of Yardley, PA, an intercultural studies major concentrating in international development.
“Our team conducted interviews at all levels of Sierra Leonean society from central government ministries to remote villages,” Dr. Oakerson said. “We spoke to members of parliament, two paramount chiefs -- traditional rulers who continue to exercise considerable authority in the countryside -- and a number of village headmen and other villagers such as youth leaders and women’s leaders in addition to the newly elected leadership of Local Councils, Sierra Leone’s new local governments.
GOVERNMENT WORKSHOP
At the conclusion of their study, the students were invited to attend the workshop, which focused on how to fully implement decentralization, a process that began in 2004 with an act of the Sierra Leone parliament. Progress has been slow, partly due to mistrust and the need for a clear process and shared understandings.
Houghton students and Dr. Oakerson were among the few Westerners who attended the workshop. Following a time of small-group discussion and interaction, the chairman asked Steven Grudda to present his group’s findings to the full assembly. With local government ministers listening closely, Grudda delivered a 10-minute presentation that focused on fiscal issues and the transfer of revenues from national to local levels, one of the most troublesome aspects of decentralization.
“I was part of a very sharp group,” Grudda said. “It was really an honor to have been given the opportunity to address such a respected audience.”
EFFECT ON STUDENTS
The concerted study of a relevant topic of high importance to a developing nation left a strong impression on the Houghton students, all of whom had previous coursework in development studies.
“The trip enabled me to apply to a real life situation what I’ve learned about development in class as well as my previous knowledge of Sierra Leone,” said Ryan Musser. “The experience was profoundly challenging as I was forced to familiarize myself with deeply complicated issues while evaluating and analyzing the problems we discovered.”
Wes Dean added, “Our trip was like solving a mystery. Every time we interviewed someone, we left with a better understanding of how things work in Sierra Leone.”
FACILITATED BY WORLD HOPE INTERNATIONAL
The research process was facilitated by World Hope International, a faith-based non-government organization active in rural development and micro-finance in developing countries including Sierra Leone. World Hope International has headquarters in Arlington, VA.
Dr. Oakerson is an 18-year professor at Houghton who has a 20-year background on issues of African governance and development. In 2008, he traveled to Sierra Leone with a college contingent including College President Shirley Mullen seeking to renew and rejuvenate ties with the country, where early graduates of Houghton College served as missionaries.
