Sierra Leone On A Steady Road To Recovery: Open For Business

August 4, 2014
Innocent Chia
Posted in Around The World Black Stories

Beginning with Sierra Leone, Dunia Magazine is embarking on a series that will be exploring mutations that are unfolding even in erstwhile war-torn countries in Africa. The sing-song across the board has been of Africa “the Continent of the future” brandishing six of the world’s fastest growing economies; a far cry from the narrative of a not too distant past, which condemned the Continent to inevitable doom. The question begs to be asked, whether this doomsday narrative is really in the rearview mirror for a growing number of citizens? Are they feeling the rise out and above from the poverty line of $1.25 a day? Such is the promise of President Koroma’s second term “Agenda for Prosperity” to help 80% of the population of Sierra Leone rise above the poverty line by the year 2035. Dr. Bai Koroma, a former insurance salesman, has been putting up a gargantuan sales pitch to his people and the world that Sierra Leone is “open for business”. His immediate challenge, however, is tackling the worst Ebola virus outbreak that has consumed the lives of over 200 Sierra Leoneans and counting.

The Ebola Virus outbreak could not have been worse timing for President Koroma and his team – on the eve of the first US and African heads meeting being hosted by President Obama in Washington, DC on August 5-6, 2014. Fears of an infection, or even the possibility of getting quarantined by the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC), may explain why the clarion and wishful calls for President Koroma to visit either families of the besieged or victims have, at best, mostly met the resolve of government officials to stay focused on containing the virus and healing the sick. The current outbreak (recording more than 1,200 cases in Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia, and resulting in 700 plus deaths, one of which was reported in Nigeria), is the largest since the first recorded cases in 1976 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and in southern Sudan.

Yet, if anything, the Ebola Virus outbreak highlights the urgency with which President Koroma and his team must embark on accomplishing the 163 page “Agenda for Prosperity (AfP)” sold to Sierra Leoneans as a platform for a second term. In the preface to his Agenda, President Koroma invited fellow citizens to buckle up for an “epic journey to become a middle income country”. Without a doubt, such a path must include crisis management structures and professionals, capable of handling the pervasive pandemonium that has been exposed on the heels of this Ebola Virus outbreak.

Before this unfortunate detour, however, observers have been watching the unemployment numbers; especially unemployment among the youth. The consensus reached by the President and his team is that it is a cankerworm which must be treated by an all offensive strategy, including special attention to the health and education of young females and a leveling of the field of opportunities across genders.

Also in full display on this AfP is the business background of President Koroma, with constant and often interchangeable references of citizens as stakeholders and vice versa. But the plea for urgency in professionalizing the workforce or building capacity in Sierra Leone is largely complemented by an appeal for international investors in sectors ranging from transportation to fisheries, from health care to hospitality services. This invitation is more than welcome news to Sama Forna-King, a Sierra Leonean based in the United States:

“I think the President is definitely on the right path. He is making necessary changes in the government to ensure that the right people are in the right places. But you know that is not going to happen overnight.”

Sama Forna-King, a Marketting Sales and Customer Service expert, agrees on the importance of capacity building in the sector of excellent customer service, touting its bedrock status to tourism and other related industries. “It is amazing how a little smile can go a long way,” says Sama, speaking of her readiness to go back home to apply and share her knowledge and experience in an area that has hardly ever seen the light of day in the country. “After almost 29 years in the United States, I am open to the opportunities/possibilities for me to go back and give back to my sisters,” she adds.

While the return of Sama and thousands of other Sierra Leoneans in the Diaspora will certainly bode well for the socio-economic well-being of the country, there is no denying that it will take more than Sierra Leoneans to eject the country from under-development unto a path of sustained development. Foreign capital and investors are likely to play more than a key role in the equation. Observers not only point out that Returns on Investment (ROI) in Africa, everything being equal, are phenomenal; they also agree that there is floor level opportunity in every imaginable sector including in manufacturing, agriculture, tourism, fisheries, and iron ore mining.

Without a doubt, hurdles on the way such as the outbreak of the Ebola Virus, could be hurting the message and impetus of President Koroma. These challenges, say Sama and other Sierra Leoneans we have talked to, must only reinforce the resolve of every well wishing citizen to dig deeper and do the necessary to flee from the same temptations that have often led to its bruised past.

The Republic of Sierra Leone, located in West Africa, is bordered by Guinea to the northeast, Liberia to the southeast and the Atlantic Ocean to the Southwest. It has a tropical climate with diverse environments that range from savannah to rain-forests. Covering a total area of 71,740 square kilometer and an estimated population of 6 million, Sierra Leone is about half the size of the U.S. state of Illinois.

Freetown, the capital, Sierra Leone’s largest city as well as its economic, commercial and political centre, is located in the western area of the country. Bo is the second largest city. All three provinces that make up Sierra Leone – Eastern, Southern and Northern – have shorelines, like the Sulima Shoreline, that are mini paradises for surfers. Human memory is long enough to remember, however, that these open waters and beautiful shorelines also predisposed Sierra Leone to the ugliness of Slave trade.

After 8years of civil war ending in 1999, the country has been rebuilding and on a steady road to recovery. Many acknowledge the business friendly approach and stewardship of President Koroma and some key members of his administration. Sources close to the President say he is betting on the good people of Sierra Leone, security, stability and love for country to steer the ship to the promise land that is their future.

SIERRA LEONE PHOTO

Photo of Sulima shoreline. Courtesy Herwigphoto.com