The President of the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ), Ahmed Sahid Nasralla, departed Sierra Leone yesterday for Washington D.C, USA, to attend the fifth International Debate Best Practices Symposium from September 20 – 22, 2023.

The symposium, jointly organized by Debates International, The Commission on Presidential Debates, and National Democratic Institute (NDI), brings together new and long-standing members of the Debates International network from all corners of the globe to share the latest experiences in organizing and producing candidate debates, including common challenges and solutions.

In addition to sharing his experience in all the discussions, the SLAJ President will participate as a commentator in the specific panel on ‘Building a Debate Culture–Experiences with Non-Election Debates’ along with other panelists from The Gambia, Malawi, Hindouras, and Mexico.

Mr Nasralla is attending the event as the Chairman of the National Political Debates Committee (NPDC) in Sierra Leone.

“This is a great opportunity to share the experience of the NPDC in organizing presidential and non-candidates debates, and learn from organisations in other parts of the world as we strive to build a culture of debate and issue-based dialogue in our body politic in Sierra Leone,” said Mr Nasralla.

The trip is sponsored by the NDI, and the SLAJ President is expected back home in about a month’s time.