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| President Koroma commissioning the new fruit juice factory in Newton |
The celebration was basically for about a week or two but what struck me deeply about our lovely country is the renewed spirit of business and development that permeates every sector and corner of the country. The infrastructural and socioeconomic development now taking place in Sierra Leone is visible everywhere you go and in almost every part of the country. This small West African nation that was once a pariah in Africa is now being transformed into a nation that is spurring economic and human development initiatives. Thanks to the ingenuity and forward thinking of President Ernest Bai Koroma. President Koroma is now being hailed as a progressive leader whose ‘agenda for change’ has been the driving force for this once moribund nation to rise up again and become a shining example in Africa. After 50 years of independence with nothing much to showcase it is now apparent that Sierra Leone has ‘turned the corner’ and is heading for meaningful economic and human development.
After the devastation of war the people of Sierra Leone have risen up from the ashes and are now real partners for development with investors from all over the world who now see a viable nation with potential for growth and development. I see in Sierra Leone an urgent desire and yeaning for peace, development and unity. I see ordinary men and women working very hard as traders, small business owners and service providers all contributing to an economy on the move. I now see a new political landscape that has enhanced the countries image not only in Africa but around the world where Sierra Leone is now being positively noticed and recognized for the transformation it has made over the last few years.
President Koroma is the only recent president who has made a serious attempt to grapple with Sierra Leone’s problems and road-blocks to meaningful development. The presidents progressive ideas and his ‘agenda for change’ which are forward-thinking initiatives has changed Sierra Leone’s outlook and have produced amazing development projects and results all over the country. The president has provided extraordinary leadership and authority to drive and direct his ‘agenda for change’ but there is still a lot of work to be done because Sierra Leoneans have to ‘change’ to reflect the new reality. We have had a flawed and lackluster system for too long that meaningful strides in the area of anti corruption, health care delivery and civil service efficiency can only be achieved if there is a complete change in the systemic culture of corruption, inefficiency and complacency that has permeated the government and other sectors of society for far too long.
President Koroma and his government have garnered praise from governments and financial and economic institutions around the world for an economic and human development program that has stimulated development and growth within key sectors of the economy. The agenda for change did prioritize four key areas that were essential to growth and development: ENERGY, TRANSPORTATION, AGRICULTURE, and HEALTH AND EDUCATION. No doubt these are key areas in the development process that deteriorated over the last 20 years due to inept government policies, the rebel war, underfunding, corruption etc.
ENERGY
No significant development will actualize in Sierra Leone unless delivery of nationwide electricity is developed and sustained. Previous governments did very little to enhance energy and water production even with a burgeoning population in the urban areas. President Koroma’s bold initiative to grapple with Sierra Leone’s energy problem as soon as he took office should be highly commended not because we are seeing short term improvements but in the long term the country will see a higher return on the investments that are now being made. The completion of the first phase of Bumbuna is a great stride in the right direction and completion of Bumbuna phase 2 and other energy delivery projects will boost electricity output considerably in a bid to enhance the country’s development goals. The recent signing of a memorandum of understanding between the government of Sierra Leone and California based Joule Africa for the completion of phase 2 of the Bumbuna hydro-electricity project is the key to boosting Sierra Leone’s electricity capacity to a level that can provide sustained electricity supply for the entire country and even for export.
AGRICULTURE AND FISHERIES
Massive investment in agriculture could be the panacea for Sierra Leone’s fledgling economy and would no doubt provide the much needed impetus that the economy greatly needs. With the new incentives the government has put in place we should see more investors coming in to invest in agriculture, fisheries and agro-based industries. I was impressed with the investment that some Sierra Leoneans are already making in agricultural projects around the country. Duvanette Davies’ Arul Enterprises is one such venture that is boosting agricultural production in the country. With the investment that companies like Addax and Genesis Farms are making the move is now being made from subsistence farming to commercialization. The Soros Foundation is also investing $50m in a banana plantation in Bo district that would create about 10,000 jobs. Another, good news is that the World Bank has indicated that the institution will be providing additional financing for the Rural Private Sector Development Project ‘that would improve access to markets through rehabilitation and maintenance of feeder roads’. These are all encouraging indicators for a sector of the economy that will contribute hugely to Sierra Leone’s rebound. There is still however a lot more room for Sierra Leone to reach its full potential in terms of agricultural production so more investment is needed especially in the areas of equipment leasing, production and marketing. As food prices spike across the world Sierra Leone would be able to feed its people and export food commodities if the agricultural and fisheries sectors continue to receive the appropriate investment and manpower development.
In my next piece I will be looking at the roll tourism and Infrastructure development could play in expanding and transforming Sierra Leone’s new economy.
