Since 2002, NDI has worked with Sierra Leoneans to increase citizen engagement, promote democratic political parties, enhance women's political participation, strengthen the legislature, and support transparent, inclusive, and credible elections. NDI has collaborated recently with civil society organizations (CSOs) including the Men’s Association for Gender Equality Sierra Leone (MAGE-SL), the National Elections Watch (NEW), the National Political Debate Committee (NPDC), and the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ) to increase women’s political participation through male allyship in political parties, conduct systematic citizen election observation, promote issue-based political discourse, and strengthen civil society’s capacity to combat disinformation and hate speech around elections. 

Before, during, and after Sierra Leone’s June 2023 general elections, NDI played a critical role in helping Sierra Leonean women pursue greater political representation at the national and local levels. Following the passage of three groundbreaking pieces of gender legislation in 2022 – the Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Act, the Political Parties Act, and the Public Elections Act – establishing, among other policies, a 30 percent quota for women in all appointed and elected positions and political party leadership, the Institute worked closely with women political aspirants and candidates, elected politicians, and political party members to increase their capacity to run for and serve efficiently in political offices. Through this training and support, the Institute helped to increase the number of women local council members throughout Sierra Leone, including the historic election of the first female member of parliament and a number of female councilors in Koinadugu district.   

Concurrently, NDI also worked closely with citizen election observation groups to promote credible elections through 1) a systematic election observation methodology known as process and results verification for transparency (PRVT), which allows observers to independently and impartially assess the quality of voting and counting on election day as well as the accuracy of official results, and 2) an analysis of candidate nomination lists and election results to assess party compliance with election legislation for the 2023 elections. In the year since the election, NDI has provided technical assistance to key government and opposition party stakeholders serving on the Cross-Party Committee on Electoral Systems and Management Bodies Review to develop 80 electoral reform recommendations aimed at strengthening electoral integrity throughout the country. The Institute continues to provide non-partisan technical assistance to ongoing electoral reform processes and to promote national cohesion through peaceful inter-party dialogues.