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Sierra Leone News: NATCOM Initiates ‘One Area Network’ in Kambia & Kabala

Officials of the National Telecommunications Commission (NATCOM), on Saturday, 8th June, 2019, took sensitization drive to Kambia and Kabala on the ‘One Area Network.’

Kambia and Kabala in the Koinadugu District, which are in the northwest and north-eastern regions of Sierra Leone respectively, share border with Sierra Leone’s neighbor – Guinea, which is also one of the beneficiary countries of the ‘One Area Network’.

Dubbed ‘free international roaming’, the ‘One Area Network’ seeks to enhance regional integration among beneficiary countries.

Sierra Leoneans who travel to these countries will make and receive calls at the same cost of the tariff they use in Sierra Leone.

NATCOM’s Director of Regulatory Affairs, Sahr Sewa, said in December 2017, that ministers in charge of telecommunications met and signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to have the free international roaming.

He said the objectives of free international roaming are to promote regional integration, enhance socio-economic development among member countries, among others.

“Telecommunication companies are key players to achieving these objectives. This free international roaming is not applicable to the telecommunications services provided by the military, police, and fire force. It comprises voice calls, text messages, and data services for social media,” he said.

He noted that the benefits include – no need to change SIM cards in the beneficiary countries, your contact numbers that people know will be reached if they call you from outside Sierra Leone, among other benefits.

However, he said the service will only last for 300 minutes or 30 days, adding that only callers will pay for services and not the receivers.

He said the free international roaming will come into effect in 90 days’ time, noting that that was why NATCOM has started to sensitize towns that are closer to neighboring countries because the people there travel very often than those that are far away.

“We have requested mobile network operators (MNOs) to present the tariff that they charge per minute to consumers. Francophone West Africa countries had already started the free international roaming and we are now bringing such service to Anglophone ones,” he noted.

Dr. Abdul Kamara, Manager of Regulatory Affairs, said the government has a responsibility to protect consumers and NATCOM has been very pivotal in that direction.

“NATCOM is encouraging all of you to register your SIM cards by 15th July, 2019 or else we can deactivate you. This is to ensure that we are able to minimize cybercrime. It will also help those who are travelling overseas to get visas from embassies that are requesting for call logs from the people they are going to meet in foreign countries. Many times, foreign embassies request call logs and the consumers always come to NATCOM for them,” he said.

He said they have a program called ‘know-your-customer’ so as to ensure that MNOs know who are carrying their sim cards.

Commissioner Madiana Samba of NATCOM, who doubles as chairperson of the program, said President Bio wants every Sierra Leonean to benefit from telecommunications services at a reduced cost.

Government put NATCOM in charge to issue licenses to all telecommunications companies, radio stations, etc., regulate them so as to ensure there are checks and balances, and to also generate revenue for government.

“Consumer protection is part of our mandates as well. In order to achieve this, we do lots of sensitization so as to ensure that consumers are not cheated,” he said.

Paramount Chief, Alimamy Lahai V of Masumgbala Chiefdom in Kambia district, who also doubles as the Deputy Chairman District Council of Paramount Chiefs, said there are some areas within Kambia District where they experience poor network services.

The traditional leader further noted that people have to climb trees to access good network, thereby urging NATCOM to salvage the problem for them.

Chairman, Kambia District Council, Mohamed Y. Bangura, said the free international roaming was an improvement in the area of communication in Sierra Leone.

“This will help us to come together with other West African nations. We always find it difficult to communicate with our relatives in those countries because of high tariff but this has given us a sigh of relief. It will also reduce crime and enhance national security,” he stated.

Member of Parliament of Constituency 060, Mohamed A. Sesay, said Orange is a bit better than Africell in Kambia District, noting that Bamoi Luma, the biggest international market center, has poor network services and there is no Africell network there.

NATCOM’s Quality of Service’s Spectrum Monitoring Technician, Magdalene Williams, said NATCOM will not implement the free international roaming with poor quality network, adding that they will ensure that poor quality network will be solved before the ‘One Area Network’ commences.

Sierra Leone News: Unabated War against Corruption -Pres. Bio Reaffirms

President Julius Maada

Expressing his dogged commitment to combat graft,  President Julius Maada Bio of Sierra Leone has reiterated his Government’s resolve to fight corruption in order to make this country more attractive to foreign investment.

“We inherited an economy burdened with debt in which corruption was rife,” he said at the UK-Sierra Leone Trade and Investment Forum in London last week.

“The IMF and the World Bank, among others, had abandoned the country.

“The pace of new investments stalled and the iron ore mines especially ceased production as murky deals unravelled.

“So, before and when we acceded to power, we asked ourselves questions about what business and investors would like us to get right,” President Bio added.

He won last year’s presidential election for the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) against the All Peoples Congress (APC).

A Government Transition Team discovered widespread corruption and cronyism under the APC.

The new government asked the African Organisation of English-speaking Supreme Audit Institutions to help carry out a forensic audit of the financial activities of the APC government.

A team of 43 auditors from Ghana, Kenya and Tanzania, working with the Sierra Leone Audit Service, spent a month scrutinising the national social security agency and the energy, telecoms and civil works sector, covering the period – January 2016 to July 2018.

The auditors reported that US$1 billion could not be accounted for.

President Bio told the London investment forum that his government was now clamping down on corruption.

“But it’s a continuous fight because corruption has a way of fighting back.”

His government started off with getting the macroeconomics right.

“We clamped down on out-of-control spending; closed off leakages for fraud, waste, and abuse of public funds; and we have clamped down on corruption.

“In the ratings on corruption by the Millennium Corporation Challenge, we moved from 47 points to 71 points on the scorecard for the control of corruption,” President Bio said.

“We believe that clamping down on corruption is good for governance, good for the economy, and especially good for business.

“It cuts out unnecessary red tape, corruption, and unpredictability about registering and doing business and there is less likelihood of predatory businesses thriving in the same economic space.

“The IMF and World Bank have re-established working relationships with Sierra Leone and their assessment indicates that we continue getting the macroeconomic fundamentals right. “To us, fiscal discipline, controlling corruption, and a responsible management of our economy are good for business,” he added.

In a country that sees 100,000 young people enter the jobs market each year, President Bio said there was an urgent need to expand and diversify the economy “in order to make it more resilient”.

“We believe it takes private capital to do that and lots of it too,” he added.

“We have developed a medium-term national development plan that is pro-growth and encourages private capital investment in key priority areas in agribusiness and fisheries, tourism, infrastructure, and renewable energy.”

President Bio said that his government had introduced reforms that were now making registering a business corruption-free and less cumbersome.

“No more endless forms, bribes to dodgy middle men and facilitators, and tortuous process that often end in frustration,” he said.

As a result, he said, the number of businesses registered in the last year had doubled and “we have seen an upward tick in Sierra Leone’s Starting a Business Indicator and that of Protecting Minority Investors under the World Bank Ease of Doing Business Report 2019”.

Apart from these indicators, the country now has its first National Corporate Governance code to improve transparency and accountability.

It has adopted global best practices and trends that improve the investment climate in countries around the world.

President Bio said that in line with Sustainable Development Goal 5, which calls for effective participation of women in leadership, all boards in Sierra Leone must now have a minimum of 30 per cent female representation.

“We are listening to business and we will continue acting to make business easy for business,” President Bio told the forum.

“We are eager to cultivate a culture of trust and confidence around investing in Sierra Leone.

“We want our potential investors to know that we are looking for credible partners who are interested in a sustainable, long-term, win-win relationship where they know that their investments are protected by a government that truly cares about business and they are able to make good returns on their investments,” he added.

Held at the offices of international law firm Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF), the forum was oversubscribed, according to the organisers, Development Markets Associates.

Since 2010, HSF’s Fair Deal Sierra Leone has provided £7 million of pro bono advice to the government of Sierra Leone on matters relating to foreign direct investment.

 

Sierra Leone News: SLCS Clears the Air

Sierra Leone Correctional Service, Director General, Joseph Lamboi

The Sierra Leone Correctional Services (SLCS) has frowned on a publication done by one of the country’s local tabloids the ‘Independent Observer’ on Tuesday 11th June 2019, highlighting Prison Officers’ strike. According to the Regional Commander Western Area- Mr. Mustapha Sherrif Conteh the thrust of the said publication is false and inaccurate,
He clarified that  inmates were escorted to the Pademba Road Court, Siaka Stevens Street Court and Ross Road Court in the early hours of Monday.

However, the said newspaper stated clearly that there was no court seating on Monday the 10th June 2019, Mr. Conteh observed, adding that it is far from the truth.

“When we got to court past Monday, we were informed that the Judiciary had a workshop in which some court officials were to be part. That’s why cases were looked into quickly, so we had to return with inmates before the usual time. But there’s nothing to worry about. I am sure the journalist who wrote that story was under the impression that we were on strike because we left court earlier than usual.”

He said probably the report could likely be a ploy to paint the institution negatively adding how for the past three months positive reforms were rolled out, under the competent leadership of Mr. Joseph Lamboi and Mr. Dennis Harman.

Sierra Leone News: ‘Sufficient Fuel Available’ –Trade Minister Confirms

Edward Hinga Sandy, Minister of Trade and Industry

Amidst a lot of rumours making the rounds that there is acute shortage of fuel it has been clarified by the Minister of Trade and Industry, Edward Hinga Sandy that fuel, especially petrol, is available for the foreseeable future despite appearances of a shortage.

A press release from the Ministry stated that it had noticed that there appears to be a shortage in the volume of fuel and accessibility in obtaining it at certain points in the country especially the capital, Freetown.

It added that whilst this tension has caused an understandable crisis, ‘we will like to assure the public that this is just not the case. Fuel is available across the country.’

The release added that however, one of the nation’s leading oil marketing company (OMC) underwent some difficulty to sufficiently supply fuel at their outlets due to some internal issues. It went on to state that this created an unwanted burden on other OMCs to assuage the additional demand, leading to queues and exploitation by unscrupulous citizens, resulting in additional difficulties.

‘As a proactive Government, the Ministry of Trade and Industry has however intervened and provided the additional support needed to the specific OMC and the matter has been resolved. Fuel especially petrol is now available across the country,’ the release maintained.

It went on to advise against granting attention to social media journalists who capitalize on situations like these to spread unsubstantiated assumptions and presuppositions.

It went on to commend citizens for their patience and understanding during the short difficulty.

 

 

 

Sierra Leone News: Media Probe Unearths Challenges Facing Vibrant, Indigenous Petroleum Companies

During in-depth and sustained investigations mounted by this medium, a lot was unearthed in relation to some of the country’s petroleum marketers including the National Petroleum Limited.

It was first learnt that NP -SL Limited recorded a massive loss from January to April 2019 to the tune of over 96bn Leones as a result of the huge difference between the actual price PLATTS and average purchase price of USD $ to the Leone when matched against that of the Petroleum Regulatory Agency Pricing Formula.

It was further understood that presently some of the teething challenges  NP is daunted or encumbered with range from variations in the actual price quoted on PLATTS and the PRA Pricing Formula, variation in the actual market price of USD and PRA pricing Formula, variation in the actual market price of USD and PRA pricing formula. Currently, the company is paying an average of Le9, 000/1USD as compared to Le8, 600/1USD to effect transactions. What this situation has put the company into is that it owes its suppliers over $42m which they are very much challenged to honor.

It could be recalled that in the past when the Petroleum industry in the country had been rocked by challenges and to avert public indignation that have the propensity into degenerating to crisis, Governments stepped up to subsidize the prices of petroleum products. Such a move ensured that pump prices are at affordable prices which the populace will settle with.

However, what now obtains is that Government has increased the pricing regimes to reflect the real market prices of petroleum products in our market place. As it is of now it is the oil marketing companies that are subsidizing virtually all sectors in the industry to the detriment to their very survival of these companies. “This situation must be seriously reversed,” an expert in Petroleum issues admonished.

What again shed light on this is the nature of the petroleum business in this country which is such that importation of the product is in US Dollars but on the flipside sold locally in Leones. Interestingly, NP continues its buy and sell processes all over again even at its own detriment.

Regrettably, the company is finding it extremely difficult to procure dollars in the market although they have been receiving tacit support from the Bank of Sierra Leone but even at that the amounts received are not adequate.

Though, indeed it is not the business of Government to provide foreign currency for businesses yet it could be prudent on the part of the Central Bank to develop a mechanism where foreign exchange is provided for oil marketing companies to enable them to pay for badly needed petroleum products in our market place considering its fluidity.

It is understood that NP strongly believes in the digital revolution which is why they welcomed the ASYCUDA software in their operations. Lamentably, however, its implementation is impacting negatively on their speed to market initiatives. Therefore it is recommended that the relevant authorities should build solid capacity amongst their team to ensure seamless flow of products that are free of interruption due to the implementation of the ASSYCUDA system.

Another thing that was unraveled during the conduct of investigations was that NP’s working capital and cash flow are affected by what the Ministry of Energy presently owes them.

The Ministry needs to liquidate that amount owed because its negative impact hinders the company’s ability to purchase much needed petroleum products and that cannot be over emphasized. It was understood that if this is done immediately it will put the company in better stead to continue its operations.

Besides, the company pays Toll Gate fees, ASSYCUDA processing fees, Environmental Protection Agency fees, storage fees and other fees imposed by the Petroleum Regulatory Agency…and all these are having a toll on the company’s spending power.

However, despite the fact that the company has been facing all these challenges it is determinedly weathering the storm.

Other companies also interviewed outlined similar militating challenges and called for workable solutions to overcome these challenges.

Sierra Leone News: Govt. Urged to Create Gender Equity Court

President of 50/50 Group, Dr. Fatou Taqi

President of 50/50 Group, Dr. Fatou Taqi, has launched the Gender Equity Society Fourah Bay College University of Sierra Leone branch. The launching took place at the E.J Hall, Strasser King Building with the theme: ‘New World, We Imagine,’ on Saturday 8th June, 2019.

The launching of the society came twenty seven years after the Institute of Gender Research and Documentation (INGRADOC) was established in 1992 by the University of Sierra Leone and linked with the Centre for West African Studies (CWAS) of the University of Birmingham.

Its mission is to develop both national and international human resources for the empowerment of men and women, boys and girls and to promote peace and social justice by working for gender equity and making equality between the two sexes work through teaching, research and training.

Speaking at the ceremony Dr. Fatou Taqi, disclosed that she is very elated because they were contemplating having a Gender Equity Society and that the launching of the Gender Equity Society is a move in the right direction in achieving the mission for the establishment of the department which is to promote peace and social justice by working for gender equity.

She further explained that it manifests dividends of decades of work and steadfastness by various individuals who could be referred to as pioneers working towards achieving gender equity by bringing men and women together. ‘There is going to be sustainability because we have young people that are involved, and I believe with all hands on deck we will get to where we want; where we see gender parity, men and women serving and making decisions collectively, working together to see a better Sierra Leone,’ she said.

She added that by encouraging students regardless of sex to work together, respect and give support to each other, there is much to be achieved.

Justice M.D. Kamara of the Court of Appeal in her statement disclosed that it is in recognition of the Judiciary’s contributions towards gender equality and women’s empowerment in the country, particularly through the justice system, that her experience will lend credence to a just and equitable Sierra Leonean society as embedded in the theme: ‘A New World, Imagine’.

She went on to say: ‘Already, we have measures in place for the effective implementation of a New World, We Imagine. It seems to me that what is obstructing us from realizing the full effects of these measures is lack of knowledge and appreciation of their relevance when properly invoked.’

She highlighted the role of the Judiciary to narrowing the gap of inequality experienced amongst various groups through gender-based laws, peace and social justice.

Justice Kamara said the role of the Judiciary is to ensure that people who are accused of gender-based violence are judged swiftly without delay and punishment meted out to them. “The legislature should also ensure that the punishment is commensurate to the gravity of the offence according to the application of law,” she affirmed.

She recommended that in order to achieve this and create impact in society, the government should create a special court under the Family Support Division and assign judges who are knowledgeable in family law, those who appreciate that it is not right for family members, elders, clergy, parents or society in general to cover-up offences in the name of settlement.

She rounded-up by saying that what is paramount is that we show determination to pursue gender equity and social justice. In that regard, she said, the free quality basic/civic education will serve as one of the pillars upon which we will anchor our hopes for a gender balanced, just and equitable Sierra Leone, “a new Sierra Leone/World we Imagine.”

The event was climaxed by reading of poems and musical performances by students of the department in appreciation of the launching.

 

 

 

Sierra Leone News: C4C, RUFP, SLPP, Police & NEC Sign By-election MOU

The leadership of Coalition for Change (C4C), Revolutionary United Front Party (RUFP) and the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) together with key elections stakeholders, the National Electoral Commission (NEC), Office of National Security (ONS) and the Sierra Leone Police (SLP) on 10th June 2019 signed a Memorandum of Understanding ahead of the June 22nd, 2019 By- Election in Ward 099 in Constituency 030 in Kono District.

The signing of the communiqué formed the highpoint of the stakeholders’ meeting organized by the Political Parties Registration Commission (PPRC) at the Commission’s headquarters in Freetown.

The Commission on Saturday 15th June 2019 will organize a stakeholders’ meeting in Koidu as a follow-up to the signing.

It is hoped that the by-election will turn out to be peaceful, taking into account that in recent past there were bloody skirmishes that marred past by-elections.

 

Sierra Leone News: Orange SL CEO Shines at Africa Digital Summit

Aminata Kane

The result oriented, Aminata Kane, Chief Executive Officer of one of the country’s telecommunications companies operating in Sierra Leone, Orange SL, was one of the panel speakers at the Africa Digital Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia that brought together individuals from different countries of the telecommunications landscape. On the 10th June 2019 the CEO spoke  on the topic “Competitive Market Best Practices.”

Aminata said: “We need to find the right balance between taxation of the industry and the development of digitalization. We need to lower the specific telecom taxes.”  Furthermore, she said there must be a right balance to be defined on taxation pressure versus investment on infrastructure.

She also shared insights based on why business engagement is important to leverage on technology and innovation for development.

On the 11th June 2019 the charismatic Aminata Kane will be a panel speaker on “Competitive Market Best Practices” where she will share insights based on why business engagement is important to leverage on technology and innovation for development.

The first session was very interesting interactive and informative.

In a snap telephone interview Aminata stated that she felt honored to be part of the event maintaining that it will help in broadening her horizon on some of the issues that relate to the telecommunications industry.

Indeed, the erudite CEO held the audience spellbound with her first contributions in the  penal discussion  and there is no doubt that she will replicate the same on the 11th June 2019.

 

Sierra Leone News: NP Loses Le96B between January to May 2019

In connection with recent hiccups in the supply of petroleum products particulary as it concerns National Petroleum Sierra Leone (NP-SL) it has been learnt by this medium that NP SL Limited recorded a massive loss from January to May 2019 to the tune of over Le 96 billion (Ninety six billion Leones).

This is as a result of the huge difference between the actual price of PLATTS and the average purchase price of USD $ to the Leone when matched against that of the Petroleum Regulatory Agency Pricing Formula.

 Other related challenges recorded by NP-SL Limited uncovered by this press that is seriously affecting the status qou include but are not limited to variations in the actual price quoted on PLATTS and the PRA,variation in the actual market price of USD and PRA pricing formula. The NP-SL as a result is currently paying an average of Le9,000 to $1 (USD) as compared to L8,600 to $1 (USD) in the PRA Pricing Formula. Another challenge facing NP-SL Limited is volatility and unavailability of US Dollars to effect transactions.

The rippling effect of the above is such that NP-SL Limited currently owes its suppliers over $42M which NP-SL Limited is challenged to honor.

It could be recalled that over the past years when the industry was faced with some challanges and in order to avoid a crisis the Governement would step in to subsidise the prices of petroleum products to ensure that the pump prices are at affordable level to the general populace. However, if that route is not desirable, the Goverment increases the pricing regimes to reflect the real market prices of petroleum products in the market, to ensure the industry does not collaspe. As it is right now, Oil Marketing companies are subsidising virtually all sectors in the industry to the deteriment of its own survival. ‘This trend should be reversed immedaitely,’ said a driver who owns a fleet of vehicles.

In addition, the nature of NP-SL’s business is such that NP-SL imports petroleum products in US Dollars, sells in Leones and has to then convert the Leones into US Dollars to continue the buying and selling processes all over agian. However, according to NP-SL, it is regretable that the company is finding it extremely difficult to purchase US Dollars in the market place currently. It is a fact that over the years, NP-SL received tacit support from the central bank even though the amounts normally received were inadequate. Though it is not the business of the governemnt to provide foreign currency for businesses, but due to the fact that NP-SL’s demands a fluid situation, the company has over the years appreciaited this gesture.

However, NP still craves efforts by the central bank to develop a mechanism where foreign currency is provided for the oil marketing companies to enable them pay for badly-needed petroleum products.

It is understood that NP-SL is a strong believer of the digital revolution and welcomes the introduction of the ASSYCUDA software in their operations. However this press learnt that the method of implementation is impacting negatively on NP-SL’s speed to market initiatives; the reason why it is recommendable that the relevant authorities build solid capacity amongst their team to ensure seamless flow of products free of interruption due to the implemetation of the ASSYCUDA system.

The current pricing fomula dictates that the pump price of petroleum products be adjusted upwards or downwards periodically as and when the combined effect of the changes in world market prices (quoted in PLATTS) and the exchange rate (measured by the average selling rates quoted by the Oil Marketing Company, commercial banks and Bank of Sierra Leone) cause a +/- 5%  change in the Leone-Based landed cost of the product (s).

This Trigger Mechanism needs to be looked into so that prices should be changed upwards or downwards in small increments that will not create panic in the market place. The way it is currently, allows for a big jump at anytime which makes it difficult for Governement to effect change at the right time.

This medium also learnt that also affecting the NP-SL’s working capital and cash flow, is the fact that the company is owed by the Ministry of Energy that is yet to liquidate such amount which is negatively effecting NP-SL’s ability to purchase much-needed petroleum products. Despite requests by NP-SL for this issue to be resolved immediately to put the company in better stead to be able to operate without strain, not much has been achieved in this direction.

As all of this is going on, NP-SL is further encumbered with other charges that are not provided for in the price build up fomula, and these include: Toll Gate fees, ASYCUDA processing fees, Environmental Protection Agency fees, storage fees and other fees imposed by the Petroleum Regulatory Agency.

 

 

 

Sierra Leone News: Race for Life: Healing Trafficking Survivors in Sierra Leone through Awareness Raising

Each year, thousands of young Sierra Leoneans go on ‘temple run’ to escape poverty and chronic underemployment. They use the services of fraudulent ‘agents’ who require them to pay big money for fake job or study abroad opportunities. Inspired from the popular mobile phone game, the idiomatic expression ‘temple run’ describes the risky journey young Sierra Leoneans — some of them victims of trafficking — take through the desert and the sea. In the game, the player endlessly runs, defying various obstacles to escape demons nipping at their heels. There is no end to the journey — except for death — but along the way, the player collects gold coins, that is, if they survive.

In 2015, Mariam was a hotel manager in Freetown, Sierra Leone’s vibrant capital city. She earned 600 000 Leones per month, about 100 USD back then, barely enough to take care of herself and her infant son.

One day, she heard from a friend about “someone who could give [her] a good job abroad.”

“At the time, I did not know the tactics used by traffickers,” she says. “They ask desperate youths to give huge sums of money in return for a one-way ticket to a better life,” she added.

When the opportunity to leave Sierra Leone knocked on her door, she seized it.

To fundraise for her journey, Mariam took a 2,500 USD loan from a micro financing institution. She gave the entire sum to the “agent” who promised to take her to Australia.

She hoped to work for some time and then come back to Sierra Leone to take her son, so they would live together in Australia.

Later, Mariam realized she had been duped, and that she had been sold to a family in Kuwait.

In Kuwait, Mariam worked without salary for nine months before being sold to another family where the ‘master’ tried to rape her several times.

Eventually, Mariam ran away and sought help from the Sierra Leone embassy which helped her to return home.

Four years later, Mariam, 33, is back in Sierra Leone. As one of the seven outreach staff of the Freetown-based Advocacy Network against Irregular Migration (ANAIM), she has shared her story with many Sierra Leoneans to raise awareness on this risk of falling in the hands of unscrupulous dream merchants.

For her, sharing some of the most difficult moments of her life with her peers is a form of healing.

“Even though sometimes it is difficult, every time I think about my experience, I want to share it with my colleagues who may be tempted to temple run,” Mariam says.

A Complex and Troubling Issue

Apart from the annual report of the US Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, there is little data available on human trafficking practices in Sierra Leone.

Evidence of the phenomenon is often hard to come by because of the shame and stigma survivors, especially women face, as well as the difficulty of reporting on such a sensitive topic.

Reported cases are hardly prosecuted because the victims often have to travel from remote regions to the capital city to testify at their own cost. Coincidentally, there has been no conviction for trafficking or trafficking-related offenses since 2011.

Human trafficking in Sierra Leone is driven by unemployment and underemployment among the country’s youths. More than fifteen years after the civil war destroyed the country’s economy, Sierra Leone has one of the highest youth unemployment rates in Africa.

Despite visible economic growth in the past decades, many young Sierra Leoneans are out of work, or like Mariam, they earn barely enough to meet their needs. Families fractured by the 2013–2016 Ebola crisis still struggle to put food on the table and send children to school.

The crisis forced the closure of several iron ore mines — Sierra Leone’s primary export commodity, and the dissolution of many businesses that were suppliers to the mining operations.

“When an opportunity, especially to go abroad, is presented, most young people seize it because they presume they do not have a better alternative,” says Sanusi Tejan Savage, Head of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Office in Sierra Leone.

The ambiguity of human trafficking also means that sometimes, people do not know that they are being trafficked, or that what they are doing is a form of trafficking.

“Sending a child from a rural town to live and work with a next-of-kin in an urban or work-intensive area is common practice for many families,” explains Savage. “What we see as a form of child trafficking, families see it as a way to increase their income,” he adds.

Raising Awareness

When she returned to Sierra Leone, Mariam joined the Advocacy Network against Irregular Migration, an association formed by a returned migrant, Sheku Bangura, who had attempted unsuccessfully to reach Europe through Libya.

In the premises of the association located in the Eastern area of Freetown, registration certificates and pictures from past outreach events hang on the wall.

More than 1,400 Sierra Leoneans including survivors of trafficking stranded in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, have returned with IOM’s assistance since November 2017 in the framework of the EU-IOM Joint Initiative for Migrant Protection and Reintegration.

Sheku was one of them. After six difficult months in Libya, he gave up on his dream to travel to Europe and decided to return home in an IOM chartered flight from Tripoli. He founded ANAIM with his reintegration grant, hoping to help other young Sierra Leoneans not fall into the trap of deceitful smugglers and traffickers.

Since its founding, the ANAIM has become a safe space where returned migrants and survivors of human trafficking can hope to find support.

The association is self-funded so Sheku pays for all the expenses related to outreach activities from his salary as a teacher.

“We went through similar experiences, so we rely on each other for moral, emotional and sometimes material support,” Sheku explains.

“Being part of the association helped me get through difficult times,” admits Mariam. “I hope my story will inspire others and help change their minds.”

In Sierra Leone, IOM strengthens the technical capacity of identified governmental, non-governmental and civil society partners to help survivors of human trafficking.

 

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