By Bampia James Bundu
Restoration of the country’s lost glory was part of the campaign promises of President Julius Maada Bio to the people of Sierra Leone prior to his election as President in March 2018. However, there is no gainsaying that under the previous administration of erstwhile President Ernest Bai Koroma, the country’s ranking in many development spheres plummeted, and its international status battered.
The last two weeks have been hugely productive for Sierra Leone in general and President Bio in particular. Over the said period, the European Union and International Monetary Fund disbursed $10m and $143m respectively to Sierra Leone as budgetary support, help to fight COVID-19 and augment other development programs of the Government.
These are gestures indicative of the confidence President Julius Maada Bio has rebuilt in donors after the country’s international image had nose-dived under the previous administration which saw the World Bank suspend the country from the Extended Credit Facility program.
Then the icing on the cake came when the Global Peace Index was released last week and ranked Sierra Leone the 4th most peaceful country in Africa and the 46th in the world of many nations.
The Global Peace Index ranking of Sierra Leone as the 4th most peaceful country in the world strengthens the belief that under the New Direction of President Julius Maada Bio Sierra Leone is on another trajectory. In the middle of an intense campaign by the main opposition All Peoples Congress party to smear the country’s image under the New Direction and gloat over a poor ranking, the Government has defied the odds and putting the country on the map for all the pleasant reasons – from corruption perception index to global peace ranking.
It also negates the spineless propaganda of the opposition that President Bio will reverse the gains of the past, especially after the restoration of peace. On the contrary President Bio has continued to fly the flag of the country high and gradually taking it to the pinnacle of success, in an unprecedented manner.
World leaders have continued to admire the shrewd and astute leadership of President Julius Maada Bio and the country continues to benefit from it.
With the latest GPR very positive for the country, and the Government looking for credible investors to help in its development agenda, the country will soon be the cynosure of attraction.
