President Bio Engages Development Partners on Coronavirus Preparedness

March 27, 2020

By Theresa Kef Sesay

On Wednesday 25 March 2020 at State House President Bio engaged development partners and members of the diplomatic and consular corps on Government’s recent enhanced preparedness for the coronavirus disease in Sierra Leone.

“We have declared a State of Public Emergency to facilitate a more agile but robust response to a rapidly changing situation in the sub-region. Let me assure you that our actions during the period of the emergency will be non-discriminatory, proportionate and undertaken only if necessary. This is not a lockdown. But we will consider further measures based on developments in our neighbouring countries and in our country,” he said.

President Bio said the Government anticipated a disproportionate economic impact, adding that they intend to remain disciplined and focused on their agenda of fiscal discipline, public financial management and their overarching fight against corruption.

He said he had set broad achievable goals that include supporting the private sector and local entrepreneurship, maintaining a stable foreign exchange rate and stable prices for key commodities, expanding the social safety net to cushion the impact of the anticipated contraction of the economy and supporting labor-based public works, plus assistance for the local production and processing of staple food items.

“In view of the situation, Government is seeking augmentation of our current allocation under the Extended Credit Facility Programme with the International Monetary Fund. Additionally, we are also seeking three key interventions: Debt relief from the IMF under the Containment Window of the Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust; debt relief from other Bilateral Partners and Multilateral Agencies; and additional grant resources from other Development Partners,” he said.

Minister of Planning and Economic Development, Dr Francis Kaikai, said that the key development partners were meeting on the request of the President as part of the Government’s engagement with critical stakeholders on its Coronavirus preparedness efforts.

United Nations Resident Coordinator to Sierra Leone, Sunil Saigal, thanked the President for convening the meeting, saying that it was timely to engage. He also commended the Government for being so proactive in its preparedness and its prevention efforts by building on the experience from the Ebola outbreak of 2014-2015.

He noted that coordination would be very crucial and added that he was satisfied with the structures that had been laid out. He also said that they were pleased to be able to help so far, especially with the health authorities to support the preparedness and prevention while assuring that they were ready to stand with and support the Government.

Lands Minister Continues to Excel in Pres. Bio’s New Direction Government

March 27, 2020

By Fatmata Jengbe

Minister of Lands is among the best choices President Bio made. After winning the Presidential Election in 2018 HE President Bio didn’t even bat an eyelid to name Dr. Dennis Sandy as his Minister of Land knowing full well who the man is. Since then Dr. Sandy has not disappointed him but has really impressed his boss.

Before Dr. Sandy the Lands Ministry was looked at as the Ministry that never worked but now under him the Ministry of Lands is seen as the most active and very admirable Ministry. Before Dr. Sandy much of Government property were in the hands of rogue elements who grabbed them with impunity but since Dr. Sandy ascended that position he has retrieved most of them with no hassle but with his usual softly, softly approach.

Before Dr. Sandy, the Lands Ministry was always overcrowded with people who have been wronged by land thieves or encroachers but those are becoming things of the past now. Most outstanding land disputes have been settled without the intervention of either the Police or the courts. Dr. Sandy has proved his Ministry to be the most active now and most citizens are very happy with the way he is handling things.

President Bio will definitely be pleased with himself to have appointed Dr. Sandy into that position where he is now working according to the New Direction’s promises to the people as embedded in the SLPP manifesto.

“No Easy Cure for Recession Triggered by the Coronavirus” -Economist Jacob Macauley

March 27, 2020

By Foday Moriba Conteh

The world appears to be on the brink of a sudden recession. The economic disruption caused by the coronavirus might put an end to what has been a heady decade on the world stock market since, after the 2008 global financial crisis, low interest rates and quantitative easing became the new situation. Today’s markets are registering massive falls of up to 10%, unprecedented since 2008. Billions of dollars and pounds are vanishing.

Markets were heading for a fall after a reckless few years, but what starts as a classic “bear” plunge can drive a fall in global demand, stall investment and unemployment. At this point, Sierra Leone faces something new. Most recessions have confined themselves to one continent or two. But globalisation – particularly the rise of Sierra Leone – has seen trade, migration and tourism dissolve national, even continental, borders. As airlines and factories close down round the country oil price plummets to half its peak in the world market.

When whole economies quarantine themselves, everyone suffers. Modern capitalism depends on the maintenance of demand and the dynamics of production. It depends on confidence, that of millions of individual decisions, interacting with those of Governments. But the decisions of Governments are motivated by politics and ideology, viruses that no one can control.

During medieval plagues, people turned to priests for advice, comfort and prediction. Today we turn to scientists and doctors. Where their decisions have external consequences, as today, we turn to economists. The easiest answer to a pandemic-induced recession is to eliminate its proximate consequences. Do not overly suppress people’s economic activity. Sustain demand and production, even at some risk to those who may fall ill. People also die when economies go into recession. There is a balance of risks to be assessed when Sierra Leone Government declared a state of health emergency.

The globalization of this possible recession must make it peculiarly hard to counter. The tools of economic recovery available to Governments are national not international. There is no global treasury to stimulate demand, pump cash into circulation, subsidize employment and maintain investment. The instinct of a nation’s Government is now to self-isolate, build walls, impede congregation and stifle trade. The body politic, when threatened, retreats by instinct towards recession or state of emergency.

The coronavirus has shown a world vulnerable to fear of illness. We have yet to experience its vulnerability to the economic consequences of that fear. The World Health Organization may be on the alert. So, too, should be the World Bank, the IMF, the OECD, the G8 leaders and the world’s central bankers. Vast sums of money may be needed to help the poorest victim nations. Sick economies are just as morbid as sick people, perhaps more so. When the scientists are stood down, the economists must have their day.

The COIs, Corruption & the Search for Good State Governance

March 27, 2020

By Amin Kef Sesay

The existence of anti-corruption laws and institutions to identify and suppress corruption in our polity brings to the fore the continued question of the commitment of our Government to combat corruption which remains a challenge to governance since the 1960s.

This is because hardly will anybody read any of the national dailies in a week without the issue related to corruption not mentioned which is of great concern to both Government and citizens; considering the damage it causes as unearthed by the Auditor General’s annual reports now substantiated by the Commissions of Inquiry findings.

The aim of this commentary is to assess the dimension and challenges to anti-corruption efforts in the country and to question the country’s leadership on what it intends to do, going forward, to ensure that the findings and recommendations of the COI serve as concrete foundation for drastically reducing the temptation to corruption by those whom state power and resources are entrusted to.

Generally, the institutional approach to fighting corruption needs to be fortified as the main weapon in the fight against corruption, as it is corrupt State institutions that fuel and perpetuate corruption of the kind investigated by the COI.

Corruption generally has internal and external dimension that are interrelated. These are illegal practices perpetrated by corrupt public officials in partnership with foreign owned entities. This is widespread in banking and finance, trade and commerce, mining and large scale public contracts.

Demand for good governance by Civil Society Groups, stiffer penalty for corruption, relative autonomy for anti-graft institutions are internal mechanisms for fighting corruption, while setting up International Government Organizations at the global, regional and sub-regional levels to assess performance in governance, tying international aids/assistance and loan to performance in governance by international donors are among external mechanisms to combat corruption.

Failure to deal with the issue of corruption from both internal and external dimension is responsible for increasing level of corruption in Sierra Leone, even today. Foreign owed companies exploit us by price fixing and many such unethical trade practices with no State institution empowered or capable of checking them and bringing them to book.

Without any obscurantism, there are both domestic and foreign aspects of corruption that continue to cause poverty and misery in this country that needs careful examination, exposure and prosecution. Definitely, in the fight against corruption, good State governance at both central and local Government levels plays significant role in determining the relationship between the leaders and the followers in allocating and monitoring of State resources in order to improve the socio-economic wellbeing of citizens.

Still, citizens are hardly represented on State accountability structures. The media remains stifled in many ways to investigate and report corruption.

For the fight against corruption to be all-inclusive, there must be robust measures for Government to depend on the citizens to carry out its constitutional functions and provide the needed platform for social engagement between the leaders and the citizens in addressing the socio-economic ills of society because the burning issue of poverty is directly linked to corruption at the institutional level.

This means that to rid Sierra Leone of corruption, efforts must start and be targeted at all levels of State governance; on the premise that, a country that is plagued with corruption cannot develop its citizens to their fullest potentials. It should be fully understood and appreciated by Government and citizens that corruption, like transparency and good governance, affects all facets of a country’s existence – economy, society and polity, thereby leading to underdevelopment.

Critically, the enormous resources lost to corruption both internally and externally that would have been channeled to address the issue of underdevelopment have been a great concern to those who see corruption as a threat that must be addressed if as a nation we are to escape from the tight grip of poverty.

Orange-SL Donates Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to Constituency 128

March 27, 2020

By Foday Moriba Conteh

In order to enhance the preparedness against the Coronavirus in the country, Sierra Leone’s prominent telecommunications company, Orange-SL, has on Thursday 26^th March 2020 donated Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to the Hon. Member of Parliament for Constituency 128 in the Western Urban Area, Hon. Honorable Benjamin Turay at the company’s Headquarter on Hill Station in Freetown.

Public Relations Assistant of Orange-Sierra Leone, Cordelia Thomas, in demonstrating a symbolic handing over of the items disclosed that Sierra Leone is among few countries that have not recorded any corona case as of now but was quick to state that Orange-SL has been supporting the preparedness against the coronavirus evident in their drive to educate and share the correct information with the populace about the coronavirus.

She further disclosed that Orange as a telecommunications company do care about its customers and all Sierra Leoneans furthering that to fulfill their Corporate Social Responsibility they deemed it necessary to donate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to various communities.

She underscored that Orange Sierra Leone has been supporting local communities through donation of Personal Protective Equipment, adding that in coordination with the Ministry of Information and Communications, the Company has zero rated the following sites, Ministry of Information and Communication http://www.mic.gov.sl, World Health Organization https://www.who.int/, and the Center for Disease and Control Prevention https://www.cdc.gov/, to ensure customers get FREE access to accurate and correct information on the precautionary measures against the Coronavirus.

Receiving the items, the Honorable Member of Parliament of Constituency 112 in the Western Urban Area, Hon. Benjamin Turay expressed gratitude to Orange-SL for the donation of the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to his Constituency and promised that his constituents will make good use of the items in order to enhance the preparedness against the coronavirus in the country.

He urged all Sierra Leoneans to ensure that they adhere to all directives given by the Government and the Ministry of Health in order to prevent the disease from entering into the country.

He also called on other institutions to follow the company’s footstep and promised to make good use of the gesture.

Similar donations were made to the Kabala District Council and Makeni City Council.

Handing Over Ceremony of PPE to Makeni City Council

Handing Over Ceremony of PPE to Kabala District Council

Handing Over Ceremony of PPE to Hon. Member of Parliament for Constituency 128 in the Western Urban Area, Hon. Honorable Benjamin Turay in Freetown

Pres. Bio Brings 3 Commissions of Inquiry to a Close

March 27, 2020

By Amin Kef Sesay

President Julius Maada Bio has on Wednesday 25 March 2020 addressed the closing of the three Commissions of Enquiry (COI) into governance processes, assets and forensic audits of former administration, warning serving officials of his Government not to betray public trust. The event took place at the Special Court Complex in Freetown.

“As I have maintained before, this must be the last Commission of Inquiry in our history. As a nation, we should have learned and applied the singular lesson from these Commissions – that persons who hold the public trust must serve honestly, justly, fairly, and diligently; and that as a country, we must put an end to a culture of rampant thieving, abuse, waste, and impunity. So, these Commissions should serve as a warning and a deterrent to serving officials.

“As the Attorney General and Minister of Justice has stated, the Commissions of Inquiry looked at three key issues: governance processes, assets and forensic audits. The forensic audits tracked fraudulent activities within entire chains of governance. The Commission on Assets examined disparities between income or means and assets. The Commission on Governance processes looked at inefficiencies and deficits in governance especially where people deliberately misused or took advantage of State institutions,” he said.

Talking to the occasion at the Special Court Complex on Jomo Kenyatta Road in Freetown, the President also noted that in spite of partisan wrangling over the legal instrument and the very legitimacy of the COI, the President said he was glad to report that there had been no reports of public humiliations, lynching or even tribal wars as the political prophets of doom had boldly predicted. He added that at the end of the day, nobody was questioned because of their ethnic group or their place of origin.

“I have argued that corruption is a key deterrent to the development of Sierra Leone. The fraudulent conversion of public funds and resources to private use, the waste of public funds with impunity, and the abuse of offices and authority to the detriment of millions of Sierra Leoneans, are all threats to our development as a nation. The machinery of State and its governance institutions have been weakened by corruption and it would seem we have failed to heed the bitter lessons of The Truth and Reconciliation Commission report and the collective shame of our underachievement as a nation,” he said.

Sole Commissioner for Commission No. 1 Justice Biobele Georgewill, who spoke on behalf of the other Commissioners, said that with the highest sense of responsibility they felt fulfilled to present their final report. He said that during the proceedings of the COI, they adopted a robust approach to ensure that they carried out their work in accordance with due process and the rule of law in Sierra Leone.

He further noted that during the process, the State and Persons of Interests were given equal treatment to ensure fairness and impartiality and commended President Bio for giving them the independence to do their work, saying that was unprecedented. He expressed hope that an assiduous implementation of the recommendations of the report would go a long way to change the narrative in public governance in the country.

Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Dr Priscilla Schwartz, said that the COI was not a witch-hunt but a quest for accountability, adding that the process was demonstrative of the strength of the country’s democracy and the beginning of the restoration of the rule of law and equal access to justice. She also commended the Commissioners for showing tremendous courage and professionalism and described them as being outstanding for which the people of Sierra Leone were grateful.

Commissioner for Commission No. 1 Justice Biobele Georgewill

General Manager of Radisson Blu Hotel & Others Arrested

March 27, 2020

By Amin Kef Sesay

The Radisson Blu Mammy Yoko Hotel, located in Aberdeen, Western Freetown was raided on the 25^th March 2020 by the Anti-Corruption Commission’s Scorpion Squad and some workers of the Energy Ministry. The raid was part of a crackdown on corruption in the energy sector especially electricity abstraction. During the raid, the combined team discovered extensive improper connections and unmetered sources of electricity consumption. The Manager and other staff were arrested during the process.

The raid came in the wake of an intelligence surveillance and confirmation and is part of series of sting operations aimed at clamping down on electricity abstraction across Freetown by mainly large electricity consumers who are avoiding paying their fair and rightful bills for electricity consumption, including other corrupt practices in the sector that have led to perennial revenue loss to the EDSA and the Energy sector.

According to EDSA technical staff, who went to inspect the Radisson Blu Mammy Yoko Hotel electricity installations there was a clear power supply coming in from two sources into the hotel – one taken from the main poles bordering the Hotel and the Helipad in Aberdeen, which was the EDSA approved dedicated power line and another unapproved line. This unapproved line was partly unmetered on the High Voltage power line and only metered on the low voltage line. This entire installation was done by the Hotel without EDSA’s approval. As a result, for over a year, the EDSA has been losing Billions of Leones from this illegal and improper connection by a High Consumer Customer like the Radisson Blu Hotel.

What also came out clearly is that the initial metering system set up by EDSA had been bypassed through a new installation put up by the Management of the Radisson Blu Hotel, who admitted but claimed that it was the contractor of CEC, a foreign energy company that installed the system over a year ago, but did not follow the required process.

EDSA staff also found new transformer systems installed at the Hotel without, it is claimed, the knowledge of the EDSA, of which one was discovered not to be billed through EDSA meter systems, thereby causing the Authority huge loss in revenue.

There were also issues of the Hotel Management, due to the new installations, converting energy consumed by the Hotel from High Voltage (HC) to Low Current (LC) and reverting their billing system from Pre-paid to post-paid, without going through the proper processes.

From preliminary investigations and if all what EDSA discovered holds true, as further investigations towards proving all these issues continue, the Management of the Radisson Blu Hotel may have flouted EDSA electricity utilization regime bordering on corruption and revenue diversion. The two Hotel officials, including its General Manager, George Bellasis, have been released on bail by the ACC and are expected to appear at the Commission on Thursday to continue assisting with the investigation.

The crackdown on Radisson Blu Mammy Yoko Hotel follows a recent sting operation on LEOCEM Cement Factory in Cline Town, on Friday March 20, arresting six officials for similar instances of improper connections leading to massive revenue loss.

Executive Director of YAC Donates to Various Organizations

March 27, 2020

By Amin Kef Sesay

On the 18^th March 2020, the Executive Director of Youth Against Corruption, Sheku Koroma, donated veronica rubber buckets, open bowls, tissues and shampoo soaps to the National Stadium Management as part of its contribution to enhance preparedness against the deadly corona virus.

Before handing over the items, the organization’s Executive Director said they decided to dish out the donation at this material time in order to avail individuals, workers as well as visitors, the opportunity to practically prevent themselves from contracting the contagious disease if it surfaces its ugly head in this country.

Expressing appreciation for the kind gesture, the Manager of the National Stadium, Paul Damulay Jr. and team thanked YAC-SL for what they described as a timely move.

The Executive Director of YAC-SL noted that they will ensure that people adhere to precautionary measures such as hand washing and social distancing whenever they enter the stadium. He further revealed that this is one of the many donations they have offered saying they are also collaborating with some youth organizations in Freetown to strategize on how to step up corona virus sensitization and awareness to ensure that the populace become aware of how it is contracted and how to prevent oneself from getting the disease.

The Executive Director of Youth Against Corruption (YAC-SL) and CEO of Miracle Media Network, Sheku Koroma, said they donated preventive toolkits comprising 2 buckets, tissue rolls and cartons of soap to the youths at the Congo Water Ataya Base in Wellington.

He said it is their own little way of contributing to a state of effective preparedness against the corona virus as well as to simultaneously create an atmosphere where everyone adheres to all preventive measures put out by health officials.

The organization also made a donation to the Solami Vocational Institute at Texaco in Freetown where preventive toolkits of 2 Veronica rubbers, 2 bowl buckets, 2 tissue rolls, and 2 bacterial soap were handed over.

Bring Back Hope in Africa Aids Children and Agricultural Organization on Kamara Street at Upper Allen Town, Black Street Car Wash and Friends of the Dead all benefitted from the organization’s donations.

SLCB Takes Corona Precautionary Messages to the Public

March 27, 2020

By Amin Kef Sesay

Sierra Leone Commercial Bank (SLCB), the leading and biggest commercial bank in Sierra Leone has taken a giant step by undertaking sensitization and awareness raising drives on the precautionary measures against the spread of coronavirus disease.

The bank has demonstrated exemplary leadership as the big brother in the corporate and banking sector to be the first public institution to embark on a street parade with stickers carrying preventive messages issued by the Ministry of Health and Sanitation as well as the global health body, the World Health Organization.

Speaking at the launch of the precautionary measures sensitization campaign on Tuesday 24th March, 2020, SLCB’s Managing Director, Abdul Fidelis Turay informed his audience at the Bank’s Head Office, on Siaka Stevens Street, Freetown that the endeavour was geared towards answering the clarion call of President Julius Maada Bio for Ministries, Departments and Agencies to take proactive measures in the prevention against the disease.

He called on all to adhere to the directives of the President and the Ministry responsible for the fight against coronavirus spread in the country.

MD Turay further reiterated that: “Prevention is key, Corona virus is real, prevent the spread of corona, wash your hands regularly with soap and water, practice social distancing and avoid hands shaking.” “Adhering to the precautionary measures, together we say NO TO CORONAVIRUS,” he averred adding that the preventive measures launched will be replicated at all the Bank’s offices across the country to reach out its numerous customers and citizens.

University of Sierra Leone Poise to Conduct Online Classes

March 27, 2020

By Foday Moriba Conteh

It was understood that students of the University of Sierra Leone will start taking lectures/classes online due to the coronavirus pandemic. Universities are about to close down due to preventive measures being put in place because of the COVID- 19. The University Administration has however, promised to start offering lectures online. The University of Sierra Leone consists of Fourah Bay College, IPAM and College of Medicine collectively.

The Management of the University of Sierra Leone asked all academic staff of the University to prepare their courses outline, lecture notes and reference materials for transmission to students through the University’s portal system. This was after a consultative meeting held with various Institutional Heads, Heads of Department, and members of the student representation body on Friday 20 March 2020 at the various colleges. The system will be operated by the ICT Directorate to organize training sessions for the effective use of real-time virtual teaching tools and techniques.

The request for the ICT Directorate to operate the system was done by the Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of Sierra Leone Brigadier Professor Foday Sahr. The online lectures is one of the measures the Administrations of the three constituent bodies have put in place in compliance with the joint press release from the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary School and Ministry of Technical and Higher Education that all Institutions of learning must close on the 31st March 2020.

This will be the first of such system put in place during an unforeseen break by the University of Sierra Leone. Even during the Ebola outbreak lectures came to a standstill. In May last year the university launched an electronic digital platform which is designed to provide the management of its administration.