The Head of Audit Sierra Leone, Mrs. Lara Taylor-Pearce, on the 10th April 2019 undressed both the Minister of Finance, Jacob Jusu Saffa and the Financial Secretary, Sahr Jusu, by sharply contradicting what both had previously told newsmen at a Press Conference and by extension the public that during the tenure of the main opposition APC Party a whopping sum of 1 Billion Dollars was misappropriated. Besides, the Finance Minister ordered that those who were mentioned in the Technical Audit Report of pilfering the said amount must repay the amount in three months’ time.

Interviewed over Radio Democracy Good Morning Sierra Leone Program the eloquent and professional Auditor General, Mrs. Lara Taylor-Pearce lay bare the fact that there is nowhere it is mentioned in the report that such an amount of money was pilfered or squandered.
She noted that the composition of the special audit was highly professional adding that her office lacked the capacity to conduct certain technical audits hence she invited renowned audit experts to help.
When it was mentioned that it is being mooted in some quarters that particular individuals of the four institutions that were audited were not contacted she replied by stating that they audit institutions and not individuals further maintaining that even if shortcomings were discovered in some departments of those institutions, where officials who were there are no longer working, it is the responsibility of the Heads to make available relevant documents. She highlighted that before the auditing was conducted they notified the targeted institutions.
The Auditor General reiterated that the Audit Service Sierra Leone issued circularization letters but the response was very poor, thereby making it impossible or difficult for the auditors to reliably confirm some balances for some of the institutions audited.
“One of the reasons why people find themselves drawn into adverse findings in audits is because they fail to produce and/or retire documents on how they spent public money but they now have an opportunity to do so in Parliament”, she pointed out.

“The Managements of both Sierratel and NASSIT failed to respond to the draft technical audit reports within the required timeframe (i.e. 15 days), in accordance with Section 93(3) of the Public Financial Management Act, 2016. This negatively impacted the audit process which all parties concerned were aware of the limited timing that had been allocated for the exercise,” she revealed.
Quizzed as to why she first submitted a summary of the Technical Audit Report to the Ministry of Finance instead of Parliament as stipulated Lara Taylor-Pearce stated that she was mandated by President Maada Bio to conduct the Technical Audit and therefore thought it fit that after completing the task she must first report to the Executive Branch of Government particularly the Ministry of Finance but however she confirmed that the full report has been tabled before Parliament.
In a related matter the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Hon. Segepoh Thomas issued a warning to the Auditor General to first table audit reports before Parliament and not to Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
“I am warning all MDAs to keep off the audit report and if they obstruct the work of Parliament it is contempt of Parliament,” he sternly stated.
It was noted that the Minister of Finance does not have the legal authority to order individuals to refund public funds as it does not fall within his purview and it is only Parliament or the courts that are mandated to do so
There is a particular school of thought holding the view that the Minister of Finance, JJ Saffa and the Financial Secretary. Sahr Jusu, have both blundered big time by telling a lie and by extension damaged the integrity of the SLPP led administration headed by President Julius Maada Bio adding that it is a failed attempt to discredit the opposition All Peoples Congress Party. “It is very unimaginable for a whooping sum of 1 Billion Dollars to be squandered or chopped within three years by few people named in the Technical Report,” Mahmoud Sesay an Accountant of long standing experience said vehemently.
It is mooted that for the embarrassment that both Saffa and Jusu have caused the SLPP Government they will soon be shown the exit door although the party is now struggling to do damage control.

Commentary

The revelations being made at the Commissions of Inquiry; the recovery of huge sums of money by the ACC; the administrative and managerial excesses, lapses and gross professional incompetence revealed by the Special Technical Audit; the dismal annual Audit Department Reports on how MDAs willfully misuse funds clearly show that President Bio cannot go far in the New Direction without the active cooperation and participation of a dynamic, committed, patriotic minded national civil service.
The civil service is the backbone of the State. It can support or undermine a country’s entire system of governance. Donors recognize this important fact and have tried to promote civil service reform in the countries they are providing aid to. However these attempts have all too often been limited in success.
There are eight principles key to effective civil service reform that builds on the five principles of the Paris Declaration: local country ownership; donor alignment to local objectives; harmonization of donor processes; focus on results, and mutual accountability between donors and aid recipients. These principles are:
1. Appreciate the long term nature of reform.
2. Focus on the timing and sequencing of reform activities.
3. Ground reform in analysis.
4. Ensure national ownership of the development process.
5. Involve a broad range of stakeholders.
6. Co-ordinate with other donors.
7. Decide whether systematic or incremental reforms are appropriate.
8. Determine clearly what the most common barriers to effective civil service reform are and how they can be overcome
Barriers to successful civil service reform include:
1. Political will – Political will is the greatest single challenge to civil service reform. If political leaders are not invested in reform then donors are unlikely to make any major headway. Political will is so important to civil service reform because the civil service is fundamental to the political system to the extent that change cannot take place without the agreement of the most powerful players. They are essential both in terms of ensuring reforms continue over the long term and as a source of accountability. Furthermore civil service reform can be politically costly upfront and as such politicians are unlikely to persist with it unless truly committed.
2. Patronage – Political patronage often leads to vested interests that see the civil service as a source of personal gain through pay, promotions, and employment status. Such interests are likely to see any reforms to the civil service as a threat to these benefits. Similarly, many within the civil service benefit from being able to dole out public money, jobs, and other contracts and are unlikely to willingly give up such powers.
3. Weak institutions – Systems with weak institutions will often lack the drive necessary to push reforms through. Weak institutions are often associated with a lack of civil society, and thus external pressure for reform may be absent. Furthermore if the rule of law is weak in the country as a whole, it may well be weak within the public service. This can mean that policies are not properly elaborated and that employees are not aware of their rights and responsibilities. Reform processes in systems of weak governance start from a lower point and have more to accomplish.
4. Sustainable reform – Civil service reform can be costly in terms of time and money, and many countries undergoing reform could not afford to undertake it without donor support. However donor support cannot be indefinite and donors therefore need to ensure that the reforms can continue once their funding is focused elsewhere.
5. Lack of an analytical framework – The data and evidence necessary to conduct an analysis of civil service reform is not always easy to come by. Conducting research, such as a census, to determine this necessary information can be a costly and time-consuming process. Consequently it is often difficult to find a baseline against which to measure progress. Furthermore many analysts argue that it is impossible to measure progress in civil service reform due to the many factors that affect developments.
6. Donors – The final challenges are created by donors themselves. Short budget cycles, staff rotation, and priority shifts can lead to a lack of stability. Furthermore donors often do not coordinate with each other as well as they could.

Paying a congratulatory visit to His Excellency President Julius Maada Bio at State House on Wednesday 10 April 2019 members of The Body of Christ Sierra Leone commended him for his remarkable approach to governance one year since his election as President of Sierra Leone.

President of the Pentecostal Churches, His Grace Bishop Archibald Cole, said as moral guarantors they were biblically mandated to engage the leadership on a time-to-time basis, with the aim of ensuring development in the country, noting that they were delighted at the prospects of developments based on efforts the government had made so far.

He described the launch of the Free Quality Education programme as a laudable step by the government, adding that that would lay a perfect foundation for development and as well provide opportunities for the less privileged in society. He also commended the President for his stance in the fight against corruption, saying that corruption was an impediment to the development of the nation.

“Your Excellency, we take this opportunity as the Body serving as moral guarantors in this nation to assure you of our readiness to work with you and your government in the New Direction. It is on that note that we wish to put on record our heartiest and sincerest congratulation to you and your government for banning masquerading of mask devils along our streets during Holy days and holidays.

“We are highly gratified, again, by your government’s recent banning of initiation into secret societies and it is our hope that such a ban will go a long way in respecting the human rights of citizens in this country. I salute you on the great strides you have taken in the fight against corruption and the results so far achieved. The successful launching of the Commissions of Inquiry is demonstrative of the positive efforts you have personally invested in fighting this cancer in our society,” he said.

He said another gratifying effort was the President’s clarion call for action against the high incidents of sexual violence, especially the sickening malaise of adult men abusing innocent girls and children, saying that they were in full support of whatever action being taken to curb the menace.

On his part, President Bio said he was happy to meet with members of the faith-based group, adding that as spiritual leaders they owed a lot to the country. He said his government was involved in many activities because, for far too long, a lot had gone wrong. He noted that there was a need to recover from those wrongs, which required collective work and energy.

He said the need for providing quality and accessible education could not be overemphasised. He reiterated his belief that the Free Quality Education programme would only be successful with the involvement of everyone, noting that parents were integral to the initiative because they play the moral guarantors’ role. He stressed that the universal access to education for pre-primary, primary and secondary education policy should not be seen as a programme exclusive to the government but should be considered as a project that belonged to the people.

President Bio also mentioned that few individuals had labelled his fight against corruption as a witch-hunt but he emphasised that he had a clear conscience that the fight was in the best interest of the country, noting that development would not thrive where there was corruption. He stated that by closing the financial loopholes in the country, his government had been able to achieve a lot by internally generating huge resources to support social programmes.

“The fight against corruption is not about any one person. It is also about us sitting in positions today because we know someday we will be called to give an account of our stewardship and that in itself is a deterrent. We are serious about this fight and there will be no sacred cows. The fight is something we cannot do alone, so we need you as spiritual leaders to be preaching about it in your different platforms. Your voices are not small and you can make an impact,” he urged the religious leaders.

Youth Affairs Minister, Hon. Mohamed O. Bangura received an outstanding recognition from visiting Armed Forces from Ghana, Zambia, Niger, Togo and Nigeria.
Receiving thirteen (13) students and six (6) instructors from the rank of Major, Colonel, Lieutenant Colonel and General, the Minister said he inherited a huge challenge in the youth sector but his focus was to change the thinking pattern of the youth towards governance and their country in particular.
“With my team, I have been able to design and develop a lot of programmes and projects that will help address the problem of youth unemployment,” he said, whilst describing the situation as a ticking time bomb.
Outlining his Ministry’s vision in line with the UN Youth Strategy, he said the Ministry has the Youth Commission and National Youth Service (NYS) designed to empower and capacitate the youth to be self- reliant in society. He said even those who are not graduates will be absorbed in the Car Wash and Youth in Entrepreneurship Projects.
He used the occasion to urge African leaders to see African youths as partners in national development and not bag carriers.
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Youth Affairs-Andrew Lawrence Sorie heartedly welcomed the team and said most of those projects have just been developed.
He described some of the projects as quick impact projects intended to have an immediate effect on reversing the growing unemployment rate and to bring back dignity to youth.
The Permanent Secretary emphasized that President Bio’s focus on youth uplift mentality is geared toward empowerment today and positioning for the future.
“This is what visionaries do,” he concluded, and assured that they will fully implement those projects in line with the President’s New Direction administration.
Speaking on the need to foster inclusive and sustainable development agenda for Africans, the team leader from Ghana, Moses KwadzoBeick-Baffour, said, “I am very much impressed with your leadership style and I am sure if these projects are well implemented, it will be able to cushion the unemployment gap in your country.”
He admitted that Africa is faced with a lot of challenges and those challenges would continue to have security implications if left unattended. That, according him, needs vibrant political will from African leaders.
Commending President Julius Maada Bio’s leadership, Major SouleymaneOusmaneSalifou from Niger said their stay has been successful with an impressive hospitality from the host country.

Experts from the Anti -Corruption Commission, ACC, have called at State House to update His Excellency President Julius Maada Bio on the ongoing crafting of the fourth generation of the National Anti-Corruption Strategy.

The 2019-2023 Strategy, which is the fourth after the expiration of the third generation of 2014-2018, seeks to map out the vision aimed at focusing on the efficient delivery of public services, mainstreaming anti-corruption measures and strengthening the public sector to confront the scourge of corruption.

During the meeting, Director National Anti-Corruption Strategy Secretariat, Nabilahi Musa-Kamara, said the meeting with the President was part of the ongoing consultation regarding the crafting of the document. He said the issue of corruption was very critical to the development of the country, adding that they were aware of the commitment already demonstrated by President Bio in the fight against corruption.

He said since its establishment in 2000 the ACC had experimented with the implementation of three National Anti-Corruption Strategies. He said they had gone across the country and had engaged almost every sector of the society on what people should expect to see in the Strategy in years to come. He noted that the ACC was both nationally and internationally obliged to develop or maintain effective anti-corruption policies from the participation of everyone within the context of its legal system.

“The ACC has put together a team of competent citizens to provide leadership in the crafting of the Strategy. The purpose of this meeting is to get the views of the President in terms of what should get into the National Anti-Corruption Strategy. Essentially, the Strategy is a prevention mechanism to address corruption. We have engaged all political parties and they all have accepted the fact that corruption is endemic in our country. We have gone throughout the country and the fight against corruption has received wider acceptance,” he said.

In his response, President Bio thanked the ACC and the Team of Experts for doing a great job. He said corruption was a menace to the development of the society and was a security threat, adding that the political will to fight corruption was not only about making statements but it was more about taking actions, which he had demonstrated so far.

“I am happy that all the other political parties have accepted that corruption is endemic. We will not only make statements but also give the necessary freedom and support to all the institutions fighting corruption. I have spoken quite a lot about this and to the best of my knowledge I have given the support to all the agencies to fight corruption and we are supporting the Audit Service Sierra Leone to be able to come up with their reports every year.

“When I spoke about science, technology and innovation, it is about how we can prevent and how we can reduce the human contact because it is only when people are in touch with it that they can steal. If we can effectively use science and technology in the systems and processes to have little human interfaces it will be possible for us to control corruption. We will not hesitate to deal with anyone found wanting of corruption,” he said.

Commissioners of the Human Rights Commission of Sierra Leone have on Wednesday 10th April, 2019 subscribed to the oath of office before His Excellency, President Julius Maada Bio at State House.

Speaking on behalf of the Commissioners at the swearing in ceremony, the Chairperson of HRCSL, Patricia Naasu Ndanema said their appointment was to speak out on behalf of the people of Sierra Leone and to hold right holders accountable for violations of human rights.

The Chairperson assured the President of their capabilities and capacities in the protection and promotion of human rights and called on all to work towards the realization of rights in Sierra Leone.

Whilst congratulating the Commissioners, His Excellency President Julius Maada Bio assured them of government support in the discharge of their duties. The President also informed them that they were meticulously chosen to serve the country and therefore, they should set the standard expectations to protect human rights of all in the country.

The Commissioners are:

Patricia Naasu Ndanema, Chairman. Lawyer Victor Lansana, Vice Chairman, Hassan Samba Yarjah, Commissioner, Simitie Lavaly, Commissioner and Dr. Gassam Abess, Commissioner.

The new Electoral Commissioner for Southern Region and Judicial and legal Service Commissioners have subscribed to the oath of office before His Excellency President Julius Maada Bio in Freetown.

Section 32 sub-section 6 of the 1991 Constitution of Sierra Leone provides that: “A member of the Electoral Commission shall before assuming the functions of his office take and subscribe before the President the Oath as set out in the Third Schedule to this Constitution”.

Commissioner Edmond Sylvester Alpha thanked President Julius Maada Bio for the trust and confidence reposed in him. He assured the president and the people of Sierra Leone that he would work assiduously with the leadership of the National Electoral Commission, NEC, for effective teamwork, adding that he would help to provide a level playing field for all political parties and stakeholders and to conduct credible, transparent and impartial elections in the country.

His Excellency President Julius Maada Bio congratulated Commissioner Alpha and admonished him to perform his duty with all amount of professionalism that would help build national cohesion and strengthen the democratic principles of the country.

“My government will give NEC the necessary support that is required for the effective functioning and conduct of a free, fair and transparent election that will help strengthen our democracy. I congratulate you once more and I wish you well in your new office,” President Bio said.

In another related event, Section 140 of the 1991 Constitution of Sierra Leone provides that: “There shall be established a Judicial and Legal Service Commission which shall advise the Chief Justice in the performance of his administrative functions and perform such other functions as provided in this Constitution or by any other law”.

To that end, Justice Reginald Sydney Fynn, President of the Court of Appeal and Lawyer Mohamed Lamin Tarawalley, recently appointed Solicitor General, took the oath of office. They thanked the President for the opportunity to serve at the judiciary and the country, adding that they would work very hard to maintain and uphold high standards at the judiciary, which they described as an important ingredient towards the success of a country.

The President congratulated the two and urged them to dispense justice to everyone in a transparent manner, noting that justice was an important component of a democratic state.

It would be recalled that in early March this year President Julius Maada Bio paid a strategic visit to the World Bank top management team during which he articulated his Government’s agenda and engaged the Bank’s Management in a dialogue where he showcased tremendous achievements the Government has made in the first year of his Presidency.

At the meetings, the President reiterated his undiluted commitment to push ahead with the reform agenda by raising domestic revenue, streamlining expenditures to ensure value for money and fight corruption. Following President Bio’s fruitful discussions with the Bank’s top management, the Bank committed to scaling up resources in the tune of over US$300 million in the next few months.

The whooping financial deal announcement was delivered to the Minister of Finance, Jacob Jusu Saffa by the Bank’s Regional Vice President, Dr. Hafez Ghanem who confirmed that the Bank will approve US$230 million dollars against June 30 this year.
Dr. Ghanem said that top management of the Bank are happy with the progress the Government has made in few months in governance and that they as a development financing institution, they stand ready to support the reforms and actions taken to provide efficient and effective management of the economy.
The Management also recognized the bold steps taken by Government in the fight against corruption and the conduct of an unbiased technical audit; the findings, which have sent shockwaves in the nerves of the global community.
The scaling up of scaling up of resources by $230 million to existing projects is a strategy adopted by the Bank to make available more funds to Sierra Leone in recognition of the smart and hard policy choices taken by Government. The amount is allocated to the following projects:
1) SCADEP-$30 million, 2) supplemental financing to Energy Utility Project-$50m to improve on Freetown T&D network, 3) Social Safety Net for NACSAC-$30.0 million,4) Urban Mobility Project-$50.0 million, and 5) Free Quality Education Programme-$70.0 million; all totalling $230 million.
The Bank has also made another commitment to provide another set of operations starting July this year which is worth nearly US$400 million under IDA 19.
Recently, the World Bank disbursed US$40 million grant to Government as budget support; the largest in economic management history of the republic. Funds disbursed is boosting the Bank of Sierra Leone’s international reserve stimulating market confidence in the foreign exchange market.

The World Bank has also responded to President Bio’s request during his visit to scale up the 2019/2020 Budget support of at least $100.0 million; which will all be grant disbursement.
The Minister of Finance Jacob Jusu Saffa expressed thanks and appreciation on behalf of the Government to the Bank and reiterated the government’s commitment to work with partners to change the narrative of Sierra Leone.
Minister Saffa assured the Bank of a judicious use of the said monies as the New Direction believes in transparency and accountability and that all project resources will be monitored by close oversight by the Ministry of Finance. Therefore, he emphasized the Government commitments to strengthening to the Integrated Project Fiduciary Unit so the development partners’ resources can be reported and account for on their use consistent with international standards.
The recent responses of Sierra Leone’s Development partners have is a demonstration of the fact that the New Directions is changing the landscape of Sierra Leone.
The Finance Minister has already been invited to discuss at several fora and with eminent panels during the Spring Meetings on topic issues that relate to jobs and economic transformation.

For instance he’s a panellist at a special seminar organized by the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) of the World Bank. He is expected to speak on the topic: Driving Private Investment to a fragile Setting. How you can de-risk fragile environment to attract private investments. Minister Saffa will be live to discuss the efforts Government is making to attract private investment in Sierra Leone.

The Milton Margai College of Education and Technology (MMCET) polytechnic on Tuesday 9th April 2019 commissioned the newly-renovated hotels, toilets, the college’s website and table tennis all for the welfare of students at the Great Hall of the Goderich campus.
In her welcome statement, Mrs. Alima Jumu, Head of the Brookfields campus (Hotel Tourism and Training Center), revealed that the Acting Principal, Dr. Philip John Kanu has mobilized significant resources to rebrand the college including painting of the buildings, renovation of the library, a modern science laboratory equipped with equipment, chemicals and reagents and electrification of the campus, especially at night.
The renovated hotels include Berthus Wilson, Sylvester Renner, Femi Taylor, Harry Sawyer, Elizabeth Hirst and Tunde Benka-Coker.
The contractor, Mr. Mathias Brima, Managing Director of COMTECH Solutions appealed to the students to use the facilities properly and take ownership of them and to contact him for any problems revealing that the modern toilets cost over a million Leones per unit.
The Chief Technical Adviser of the website (Alhfan Adaptive Tech ICT Solutions in partnership with BMCC UK) enlightened that the address for the website is www.mmcet.edu.sl and can be accessed through Facebook, twitter and instragram revealing that some of the features of the website are the popular courses offered in the college, brochures, the three campuses of the polytechnic, distance learning, news and informed that students can download the free guide.
He also encouraged students to send in their comments, suggestions and contributions that would be published on the website.
The Acting Principal of the college, Dr. Philip John Kanu thanked God Almighty for making the day possible, reiterated his commitment to the development of the institution and recalled that since his appointment his priority has always been to make students comfortable and improve their welfare.
He also disclosed that a second website would soon be launched and that by the next academic year, students would apply online affirming that government is passionate about institutions of higher learning going online, that students offering science subjects are entitled to automatic scholarships including members of the armed forces in Teacher Training Colleges and children of teachers who have taught for 10 years and above.
He went on to state that the government of President Julius Maada Bio is sincerely committed to improve the country through human resource development, that his administration has a lot of initiatives and that next year, admission into the college would be stiff with English Language being compulsory and commended the Ministry of Technical and Higher Education for its support without which the college would not have made such progress.
The Deputy Minister of Technical and Higher Education, Dr. Turad Senesie observed that students are in a jubilant mood, assured that government would support students to interact freely within the confines of the law articulating that the New Direction is to change the mindset of Sierra Leoneans until there is a change for them to see the country as a national asset for future generations.
He continued that they would respect the people who voted them into office as they would leave office one day and condemned the practice of students serving as bag carriers for politicians lamenting that even the educated justify the wrongs of politicians affirming that the New Direction is for Sierra Leoneans to move away from the old practices.
According to Dr. Turad Senesie, the New Direction is people-centered, that government would experiment new models asserting that one should not like the SLPP but its development aspirations pointing out that unlike the SLPP where knowledge is overflowing, there is a knowledge gap in other parties.
He continued that the methodology of the New Direction is persistent resistance to make sure that there is a change otherwise they would force people to change as government wants results, deliverables and performance and not excuses or explanations informing that government is introducing other policies to ensure quality assurance in the educational system.
According to the Deputy Minister, students would soon start assessing lecturers while senior lecturers would assess the junior ones, that the Ministry wants a curriculum that meets the demands of the job market and affirmed that the Ministry wants the best from students and lecturers.
He also observed that bad governance is responsible for the deplorable state of the colleges in the country, that at the moment, Milton Margai should have modern teaching and learning equipment and facilities like projectors/video conference halls, a computer science laboratory, commended Dr. Philip John Kanu for doing a lot for the college pointing out that government wants a holistic development of the country and appealed to Sierra Leoneans to just “appreciate the SLPP. You will metamorphose” and for students to take good care of the expensive facilities.
Dr. Senesie guaranteed that unlike in the past, the award of government scholarships would be level with students offering the sciences as top priority, that there has been a 12.7% increase in enrollment in tertiary institutions that would double next year, that the Milton Margai College, that has been neglected for long, would be expanded through the BADEA project reiterating that his government is sincerely committed to service to the nation not individuals.
Dr. Senesie added that the college’s website would market its programs and activities including the personal contacts of staff and students in its domain/portal and that when students apply online the standard of the college would not be compromised as they would not have contacts with individuals.
He called for the web manager to be available 24-hours to respond to questions and queries and urged the Acting Principal to establish an electronics library, for fees to be paid online, that the Inter-Varsity Games would soon commence that would add value to education and that elections for the National Union of Sierra Leone Students would soon be conducted.
The vote of thanks was rendered by Rosaline Kamara, Interim President of the Students Union, who pledged that the facilities would be utilized for their intended purpose.
Highlights of the ceremony were a conducted tour of the renovated hotels, toilets and other facilities, PowerPoint presentation of the developments projects undertaken by the Acting Principal, Dr. Philip John Kanu by the college’s Estate Officer, Paul Samba who recalled that the toilets in the hotels were in a deplorable condition and without water with no showers and wash-hand basins.

His Excellency Former President Ernest Bai Koroma of the Republic of Sierra Leone has enthralled the world at Horasis Global Meeting, Cascais which started on the 6thApril 2019 and ended on the 9th April 2019.

This was what he told the world:

Good evening distinguished panellists, ladies and gentlemen.

Thank you for your kind introduction, Mr. Zimmerman, thank you to Dr. Richter and his great team, for the invitation to the 2019 Horasis Leading Global Change. This is my first trip to Portugal, yet it feels wonderful being here with all of you. Interestingly, the name of my country Sierra Leone, dates back to 1462, when a Portuguese explorer, Pedro Di Cintra, sailed down the coast of West Africa.

I am therefore grateful for the opportunity to be here to exchange ideas on ‘how we could work together to wage peace more effectively’.

The literature shows that the drivers of tomorrow’s conflicts are already impacting us. From climate change to human trafficking, to disorderly migration, religious and political extremism, to the rogue application of information and communication technology; today’s conflicts are generally global, more complex and more persistence.

The World Bank estimates that about 2 billion people live in countries affected by conflict; costing the world in excess of $10 trillion yearly.

This constitutes a direct risk to the aspirations of the Sustainable Development Goals and it has been amply reinforced by the devastation occasioned by extreme alterations in the climate which we witnessed recently in Mozambique and its Southern African neighbours. In no lesser magnitude, fires, hurricanes, floods, in practically every region of the world, have been unforgiving as drought and desertification have been merciless in causing famine for thousands in the Sahel.

This discussion therefore, could not have come at a more opportune time given the current realities we are faced with.

I have used the phrase ‘our world’ deliberately to underscore the important fact that distance and boundaries no longer serve as sufficient restrain; that we are bound together not only by geography but also by history of common challenges and shared interests; and that our interconnectedness as a global village requires us to pull together in harmony and in peace.
The problem however is that:
• • •
Obsession with self-preservation, bullying and the absence of consensus building; Anxiety about protecting political power over and above addressing social and economic disparities;
Persecution of political opponents through manipulation of public opinion using unbridle propaganda and fake news are no doubt bringing the world closer to a new cold war – making the achievement of peace ever elusive.

How do we address these? First, by accepting that war and insecurity in whatever form is costly, retrogressive and can only bring suffering and disruptions; no matter your region, religious beliefs, ethnicity or political persuasion. The waves of immigrants towards Europe are a stark reminder of this fact.

Second, we should seek sustainable ways to promote peace in a truly innovative and collaborative way. The Paris Agreement, in spite of whatever challenges it may have, if made truly functional, should be a good example of how the world could work together for the common good.

Further, there is a need to redouble efforts on improving the general welfare of the world populace by striving to address the challenge of income disparity.

We should also deepen trust between the citizenry, especially the youths and governments by discouraging fake news and maligning of opponents.

Promoting intergenerational exchange to consolidate peace requires opening the political space by encouraging genuine inclusiveness in governance – no community, country or region should be made to feel too small or inadequate to be accorded its rightful place in society;

It is also critical to enhance access to justice, transparent and accountable leadership, as well as building and integrating a culture of peace over violence through monitoring and evaluation.

In all of these, rebuilding infrastructure represents a critical pathway to peace and the restoration or establishment of the rule of law because ultimately, people need access to markets to restore economic growth which generates the preconditions for peace and reconstruction.

I have leveraged on those principles during my ten years as president of the Republic of Sierra Leone and in my contribution to the West African regional mediation efforts of the political conflicts in Ivory Coast, Guinea Bissau, and in the Gambia.

I am proud that during my tenure, Sierra Leone, once devasted by conflict, enjoyed national cohesion, became the most peaceful since independence to the extent that we ‘exported’ peace by deploying our police and military as part of the African Union and United Nations Peace Keeping Missions in Sudan, Somalia and Mali. We also gained Grade A Status at the United Nations Human Rights Council, and by the time I left office, the International Peace Index ranked Sierra Leone as the most peaceful in West Africa and the third most peaceful in Africa.

How could Europe and Africa collaborate? I subscribe to the creation of a West African Peace Engineering- Corps or African Union Peace Engineering – Corps in which African soldiers would work together with a proposed European Peace Engineering Corps to build civilian infrastructure like water and sewage systems, solar power systems, or forest regeneration projects. While this would increase access to services, contribute to the preservation of the environment, it would also invariably increase the proportion of a nation’s soldiers toward waging peace instead of in preparing for war. These projects will be inspired and guided by the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.

Further, we should encourage amongst the youth as well as in an intergenerational teamwork, problem-solving, and personal initiative training courses which will put young people through intensive experimental training programmes in which they learn teamwork, problem- solving, and self-discipline in the context of a culture of peace.

Finally, there should be increased emphasis on early mediation of budding political conflicts to avoid an escalation. We are in this together, our destinies are bound together by nature and globalization. We cannot run away from our common heritage. We owe it to ourselves and to future generations to work together in making our world a better place for everyone.

Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, I look forward to our time together.

Thank you for your attention.