_edited_e.jpg){kind=logo}
NaCSA at a Glance
NaCSA is a semi-autonomous government agency which augments the work of social sector Ministries and Agencies and local authorities in delivering social services to deprived and remote communities across the country. It is governed by a Board of Directors with representatives from Government, donors and civil society. NaCSA’s broad mandate is “to provide and otherwise engage in social relief programmes and to promote community-based demand-driven and sustainable development activities leading to the alleviation of poverty and improvement in the speed, quality and impact of development initiatives in cooperation with non-governmental organizations, relevant ministries, private sector partners and other interested partners”.
Vision
The Vision of the Commission is to operate as a viable and exemplary institution for efficient and effective pro-poor service delivery and good project governance which ensures meaningful engagement and personalization of the benefits of development by citizens especially vulnerable groups, as well as inspire the trust and confidence of other stakeholders in the country’s development endeavors.
Mission
To promote community-based, demand-driven and sustainable social and economic activities leading to the alleviation of poverty, reduction in the threat of renewed conflict and improvement in the speed, quality and impact of development initiatives, while also providing social protection to vulnerable groups, in collaboration with other stakeholders in the country’s development endeavours.
Geographic Coverage
NaCSA is a national agency, hence, our work is spread across the country. We are headquartered in Freetown and with field offices in all of the 14 districts.
HOW IT ALL BEGAN
NaCSA started in 1996 as a Government Ministry known as the Ministry of National Reconstruction, Resettlement and Rehabilitation (MNRRR) with a broad mandate to respond to the immediate humanitarian crisis that emanated from the civil war and to handle the disarmament, demobilsation and reintegration of ex-combatants. The Ministry however could not cope with the level of urgency required for delivering such services within the prevailing context because of the bureaucratic procedures typical of government ministries.
In order to address the administrative bottleneck, Government in November 1998 transformed the Ministry into a Commission called the National Commission for Reconstruction, Resettlement and Rehabilitation (NCRRR) with a more focused three year mandate of providing assistance for post conflict reconstruction, resettlement and rehabilitation. Government created a separate Agency to handle Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration of ex-combatants known as DDR. When the NCRRR mandate expired in November 2001 it was restructured and renamed the National Commission for Social Action (NaCSA) through an act of parliament. This period coincided with the official end of the war hence the Commission new mandate included managing the transition from emergency and relief to development. The work of the Commission during this period included closing the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps; concluding the movement and resettlement of IDPs and refugees; completing the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration of ex-combatants; and scaling up the provision of social and economic infrastructure and services in communities across the country.
HOW OUR ACTIVITIES ARE FUNDED
The work of NaCSA is funded through grants and concessional loans from development partners and the government of Sierra Leone. The development partners include: the World Bank; the Islamic Development Bank, the German Development Bank (KfW); the African Development Bank; UNHCR; the United Nations; and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)