Sierra Leone’s Crippling Underdevelopment:
Spotlight on the British Government's Antidote
Abdul R Thomas
Editor - The Sierra Leone Telegraph
4 March 2010
It has often been said that if Sierra Leone was a
sickly patient, she would sadly have passed away two
decades ago, due to neglect, poverty, disease and
environmental degradation. But thankfully, not even
a brutal war that lasted for a decade, succeeded in
taking the life of this chronically sick patient.
Sierra Leone is alive, though unwell, and has been out
of intensive care since 2001, with the support of
the international community. But, poverty, poor
health care, illiteracy, corruption, poor governance
and lack of human resource capacity, are
significantly holding the nation back from
harnessing its abundant natural resources, to
transform the country into a modern economic
success, capable of competing with the likes of
South Africa.
As the international community prepares for what they
are hoping to be a celebration of the achievements
of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals
(MDGs), at a Summit in September 2010, in reality
member states will instead be frustratingly
negotiating a new Global Development Action Plan
aimed at delivering the MDGs. But time is running
out, as 2015 is just five years away.
Although results of the achievements of the MDGs have
been mixed, quite frankly, there are many poor
countries like Sierra Leone that have failed in
meeting the prime target of halving poverty –
hunger, nutrition, education and health - by 2015.
With the impact of the global economic recession,
poor countries like Sierra Leone are struggling to
maintain pre-2007 levels of economic growth, let
alone achieving the MDGs.
Poverty in poorer countries has worsened and this is a
real worry for developed nations, such as Britain,
who despite weathering the economic storm
themselves, have somehow managed to continue to
provide international aid to countries like Sierra
Leone.
The British government believes that with
international aid, poverty can be reduced in Sierra
Leone, if key development prerequisites are
addressed, such as; economic growth, political
stability and good governance, the empowerment of
women and climate change.
But the British government is under no illusion about
the importance of shoring up the country’s fledgling
and vulnerable democracy. In a recent correspondence
with the Editor of the Sierra Leone Telegraph, the
British government minister for International
Development – Gareth Thomas, said that “each of the
stakeholders involved has a responsibility to the
people of Sierra Leone, to continue to actively
promote an open and transparent democratisation
process in the country.”
The experiences of the post-2007 local and
bye-elections violence in parts of the country have
left a stain on years of hard work by the
international community and civil society groups,
trying to change the culture of political violence.
The attack on the offices and supporters of the
opposition in March 2009 had engendered strong
suspicion of worsening violence at the 2012 general
elections. Mutual trust and confidence need to be
built.
But the British minister for International Development
is quite resolute about preparations for the 2012
general elections. He explained to the Editor of the
Sierra Leone Telegraph, that; “DFID is in the
process of finalising a programme of support to
‘Deepening Democracy in Sierra Leone’, one of the
aims of which is to support an inclusive, free and
fair election process in the run-up to the 2012
elections.” This programme will run from 2010-2013.
It is no surprising therefore, that the highest
percentage of British government aid to Sierra Leone
– over 56%, is spent on promoting good governance,
and in supporting the Security and justice system.
Since the end of the war, Sierra Leone has received
over £100 million in British government aid, to help
develop an apolitical, centrally coordinated,
affordable and sustainable security sector.
But although much has been achieved, there is fear
that the police force in particular may have become
highly politicised by the current government, which
if true, does not bode well for the promotion of
liberal democratic freedoms. President Koroma has
recently accused the police of complicity in
corruption. No senior officer has been charged or
investigated.
In justifying its significantly high expenditure on
governance and security, the British government
asserts that “poor governance is one of the causes
of poverty. People suffer when governments do not
allow participation in political life, provide
access to justice and security, deliver adequate
public services or control corruption.”
Although massive improvements have been achieved in
the conduct of local and general elections since
1996, it was the historical and relatively peaceful
change of government through the ballot box in 2007,
which has yielded the greatest dividend for British
investment in building Sierra Leone’s democracy,
after thirty years of dictatorship and ten years of
civil war. It is hoped that the same could be
achieved in 2012.
Sierra Leone has one of the lowest domestic revenue
bases in the world, with government revenue from
taxation and export receipts down to a meagre 11% of
GDP in 2009. Since 2007, the country has received
more than £90 Million from the British tax payer in
financial aid, to support economic reforms and
growth, health, education, security, justice,
governance, water and sanitation. There is little
doubt, that without this support, the country would
grind to a halt.
Conscious of the need for the government of Sierra
Leone to improve on the collection of domestic
revenue – especially taxation, since 2004 the
British government has continued to support efforts
to overhaul, simplify and make the country’s
taxation system more transparent in a bid to
fighting corruption.
Although highly controversial and unpopular, the
British government had provided financial support
for the development of management systems at the
National Revenue Authority, which saw the
introduction of the new 15% flat rate - Goods and
Services Tax, with effect from January 2009.
This new tax is widely perceived to have contributed
to inflationary pressures, and continues to be
unpopular amongst the country’s consumers and shop
keepers, who were ill-informed and ill-prepared for
its introduction. Perhaps in time, when the
political dust has settled, the benefits of GST
would be appreciated – provided revenues generated
do not end up in the pockets of corrupt officials.
The introduction of a new computerised on-line
recording and verification system at the customs and
excise department, funded by the British government
is expected to reap dividends for the government of
Sierra Leone. With Billions of Leones lost to the
economy, due to false declaration of imported goods,
this new computerised system will make a huge
difference in the fight against corruption at the
NRA.
In 2008/2009 alone, the British government contributed
more than £47 Million towards a $300 Million
multi-lateral financial aid package, aimed at
propping up Sierra Leone’s ailing economy,
infrastructure and public institutions.
With over 23% of British aid to Sierra Leone spent on
economic reform, measures to make aid more
effective, private sector development and growth; it
is the restructuring of the public sector that is
perhaps most crucial. But as reported in earlier
editions of the Sierra Leone Telegraph, there is
evidence to suggest a lack of political will to
undertake root and branch change.
Most of the aid now being provided by the British
government for economic reform and to promote growth
- a £15m a year programme, is subject to the
achievement of performance targets and key results
by President Koroma’s government. These include; the
removal of administrative barriers to investment,
the implementation of a national private sector
development strategy – including measures to improve
imports, exports and inward investment, establishing
new enterprises and expansion of existing
businesses.
Through DFID the British government is aiming to work
with Sierra Leoneans living in the UK, to utilise
their skills and expertise back home in Sierra
Leone. But with the marked absence of a structure
and mechanism to facilitate this very important
strategy, it is not yet clear how it will be
achieved.
With thousands of highly qualified and experienced
professional Sierra Leoneans living and working in
the UK, this may well be the country’s answer to
decades of brain drain suffered by the nation, which
has incapacitated the performance of both the public
and private sector. The Sierra Leone Telegraph will
be following up on this proposal to ensure it comes
to fruition.
On the 27April 2010, President Koroma will announce
the rolling out of a nationwide free health care
programme for all pregnant and lactating women,
children under 5 and all vulnerable groups, such as
the elderly and the very poor by 2015. This will
mark the nation’s 49th year of independence from
British colonial rule. The President will quite
happily receive £34 million from the British
government to help pay for this new ‘free at point
of access’ national health care programme.
This £34 Million funding, which will help scrap user
fees, will be an addition to the current 12% of the
overall British aid of £47 million budgeted to be
spent in the country this year. With Sierra Leone
having one of the worst infant, child and maternal
mortality rates in the world, this much needed
investment is expected to yield huge dividends.
The funding will also support Sierra Leone in
preparing for the introduction of a National Health
Insurance Scheme that will help pay for free
healthcare for the poor, while those at work will
contribute a small percentage of their salary
towards their health care costs. It is anticipated
that employers will also make contributions to the
cost of their employees’ health care bills, in order
for the scheme to succeed.
Sierra Leone’s health service had suffered an alarming
decline since the end of the 1970s, compounded by
the destruction of its infrastructure by the war.
Today, the health service is struggling to cope with
rising expectations, the lack of modern equipment,
poor management systems and structures, limited
number of qualified nurses and doctors, poor
salaries and the demoralisation of staff.
Will President Koroma’s Health Strategy (2010 – 2015)
make a difference with the help of British
investment, in transforming Sierra Leone’s health
service to what it once was, in the late 1960’s and
early 1970’s?
With British government’s promise to provide much
needed drugs and medical equipment and help in
building the human resource capacity of the health
service, much will be expected from President
Koroma’s government in tackling massive corruption
in this sector; and provide strong direction and
leadership.
However, It is most striking that since the last
cabinet ministerial reshuffle which saw the minister
of health moved to social welfare, the sector
continues to be leaderless. This cannot be good for
the effective delivery of the government’s 2010 –
2015 Health Strategy.
But the British government will no doubt be taking
much delight in recent achievements in improving
maternal mortality rate from 1,300 for every 100,000
live births in 2005 to 857 in 2008; under-fives
mortality rate reduced from 267 per 1,000 live
births in 2005 to 140 in 2008; and infant mortality
rate reduced from 158 per 1,000 live births in 2005
to 89 in 2008 (Sierra Leone Demographic and Health
Survey – 2008).
One of the barriers to increased national workforce
productivity and economic growth is the low level of
literacy. With barely 30% of the adult population
capable of reading and writing, the British
government is spending 9% of is annual aid to Sierra
Leone on improving the country’s education sector.
Although much has been achieved in increasing the
number of girls enrolling and completing their
secondary education, a lot more needs to be done, in
order to increase the overall percentage of children
in education beyond the current 46%.
The period 2001 - 2005, saw a sharp rise in the number of
newly built schools in towns and villages across the
country, funded by the international community. But
this effort was not matched by similar investment in
the training and recruitment of qualified teachers.
Hence, in many respects it appeared that money was
poorly utilised, with some evidence of widespread
corruption in the education sector. A Commission of
Enquiry set up by President Koroma and led by the
Attorney General and Minister of Justice, has been
investigating these allegations, but so far there
are no spectacular findings reported.
President Koroma has signed a memorandum of
understanding with key international aid donors,
including the British government, in support of his
new eight-year Education Plan.
With £32 Million funding, matched by the World Bank’s
contribution of £5 Million, the British government
is investing in developing the capacity of Sierra
Leone’s water supply infrastructures. It is expected
that this investment will increase the number of
people able to access clean, safe, drinking water
from 40% of households to 60%, over the next five
years.
So, a lot of British pounds are being invested in
accelerating the pace of Sierra Leone’s economic
development, improving its social infra-structures
and governance systems. But is this going to be
enough in helping the country achieve some of its
key millennium development goals by 2015?
Sceptics may argue that while this annual British
funding of £47 Million is quite significant, much
depends now on Sierra Leone’s government show of
strong leadership, vision and direction, coupled
with a greater commitment to bite the political
bullet needed to consistently and persistently fight
corruption in high places, and reduce the size of
the public sector.
But supporters of President Koroma would no doubt say
that the President and his government are doing just
enough to get the country through to achieving some
of those key millennium development goals. Only the
voters will tell who is right or wrong, come 2012.
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