A delegation of senior security officials from The Gambia is on a study tour in Freetown, Sierra Leone.

The visit is for the Gambian security officials to learn from their Sierra Leonean counterparts about their security sector reforms.

The delegation includes the president’s security adviser, Rtd Col Momodou Badjie, Chief of Defence Staff General Masaneh Kinteh, and the permanent secretaries of the ministries of Defence and Interior respectively. The visit is from the September 7 to 12.

The Gambian delegation in Freetown will also visit the provinces to learn how Sierra Leone successfully decentralised its security sector reforms.

Francis Langumba Kelli, Director of Sierra Leone Office of National Security (ONS), at a press briefing in Freetown on Thursday, said that the visit serves “as a testament of the recognition of Sierra Leone for best practices in security sector reforms.

Mr. Kaili said: “It is a high powered delegation coming to learn from our peace building processes. How we have gone this far to sustain the peace of the nation, how we blend our interagency coordination, decentralisation of the security structure, the best practices that they can collect (sic) from Sierra Leone since they are currently on their security sector reforms and how they democratise their security sectors.”

He added: “the Sierra Leone security sector is people centred and not a regime protection system, as opposed to what obtains in other parts of the world. This has been the envy for many (African) countries, which has served as an attraction to a lot of researchers.”

Sierra Leone has gone through two security sector reforms after its brutal civil war which lasted for 10 years.