Khadija Sesay
Board Chair
I have a successful professional life and am well-versed in corporate governance and education. In addition, I have 14 years of experience In the United States as a classroom learning facilitator teaching in providing children with equal learning opportunities.
I was appointed the Executive Director of the Open Government Initiative (OGI) and, subsequently, the Open Government Partnership (OGP), a Department of the Government established by the President of Sierra Leone to ensure transparency, accountability, and citizen participation in governance processes.
Both initiatives (OGI/ OGP) are reflected in the government policy choices to evaluate the impact of participatory democracy, allowing me to coordinate national efforts across various sectors that support good governance.
In my ten years as Director of OGI, I have worked in Sierra Leone‘s Government‘s public relations and good governance. It has been my honor to lead the Open Government Partnership, which requires me to conduct technical assessments of organizations and initiatives that track performance and identify best practices.
My primary role was collaborating closely with authorities and stakeholders at the local, national, and international levels. I created, planned, carried out, assessed, and evaluated strategies, policies, operational standards, and sociopolitical programs to advance society. The OGP Global Summits in the OGP allow my governments and civil society to demonstrate some of our accomplishments with open government reforms and innovations from Sierra Leone and Africa. These allow my team to participate and learn and exchange information with people from other nations.
Under my leadership, the World Bank, with which I had the chance to collaborate, helped build Sierra Leone‘s first National Open Data Portal. These accomplishments led us to develop the Open Data Readiness Assessment (ODRA) methodological tool, which was used to undertake an action-oriented assessment of the Sierra Leone government’s readiness to analyze, plan, and implement an open data project. As a result, I am familiar with the standards and practices of the partnership.
Sierra Leone‘s national action plans were a commitment to empowering the citizens with climate change information in an open data format. In October 2016, Government endorsed the Joint Declaration on Harnessing the Data Revolution for Climate Resilience. Commits to working with other supporters of the Joint Declaration on Harnessing the Data Revolution for Climate Resilience, other OGP countries, and neighboring countries in Africa to share her experiences in making data more available and valuable to local communities and subnational governments to better inform decision-making to build resilience to climate risks.
In addition, I represented Sierra Leone in one of ten participating countries to join the International Transparency Aid Initiative (IATI) Data Task Force and Institutional Arrangement on a worldwide scale. I had the privilege to earn membership with the following organizations: The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), The International Association for Early Childhood Education, and Advocate for Progressive Alliance of Women in West Africa.
In WIMAGE, my primary goal is to inspire women to act and join coalitions of “champion” nations eager to establish a Global Partnership on Sustainable Advancement for Women in Politics to leadership positions. Building on this outstanding success. WIMAGE will work with 38 pilot nations to implement the three gender commitments of the SDGs to make the world more sustainable for women. I am enthusiastic about collaborating with partners to develop, coordinate, and implement programs based on our demonstrated expertise. In addition, I wish to bring a new viewpoint to the organization to support further the capacity building of women in the political sector. Under my leadership as a part of this powerful organization, we intend to offer beneficial advice to promote social justice and women’s full potential. Finally, establish the frameworks necessary for my team and me to work closely with governmental institutions to ensure credible, fair, and free elections, providing an effective election-monitoring system that will enhance the credibility of the voting processes and support the emerging democratic culture.
Awards By Madam Khadija Sesay
Presidential Award for Leadership in the Fight Against Ebola.
Certificate of Achievement in the Open Government Partnership.
Women in the Media Awards. (WIMSA)
Central Union International Award. (Europe: presented in Holland)
Transparency and Accountability Award.
1996 Positive Image Award in Atlanta, GA.
Certificate of appreciation, Right to Access Information (RAIC), for her relentless effort in establishing the first national open data portal in Sierra Leone.