Mahmud Tim Kargbo: Sierra Leone Telegraph: 01 May 2025:
Sierra Leone’s 64th Independence Anniversary celebrations were punctuated by President Julius Maada Bio’s address, a speech brimming with optimism about national resilience, economic recovery, and social progress. However, a meticulous examination of his claims against constitutional mandates, manifesto pledges, and international development indicators reveals significant contradictions between rhetoric and reality.
When President Bio took office in 2018, his “New Direction” manifesto promised a people-centred governance model focused on poverty reduction and national prosperity. The Constitution of Sierra Leone (1991), under Section 7(1), similarly binds any administration to promote unity, eliminate discrimination, and enhance the welfare of all citizens. In his 2025 speech (page 3, paragraph 6), the President declared that Sierra Leone is “recovering strongly,” and later (page 4, paragraph 11) claimed that “our resilience is paying off” through initiatives such as Feed Salone.
Yet independent evidence tells a more troubling story. According to the latest United Nations Human Development Report (2024), Sierra Leone ranks 182nd out of 191 countries, with an HDI score of 0.477, slightly below the 0.481 recorded in 2017. Life expectancy has declined marginally from 54.3 years to 53.9 years.
Meanwhile, mean years of schooling have edged up only slightly from 3.5 to 3.8 years, and Gross National Income per capita has dropped from US$1,600 to US$1,490. Contrary to the President’s assertion that “citizens are beginning to feel the benefits” (page 5, paragraph 15), the majority of indicators show stagnation or regression.
On the matter of food security, the President praised the Feed Salone programme, claiming it was already having an impact (page 4, paragraph 11). However, the Global Hunger Index 2024 positions Sierra Leone’s hunger situation as “serious,” with a worsened score of 30.8 compared to 29.0 in 2017.
Child stunting rates have stubbornly remained at 30 percent, and nearly a quarter of the population remains undernourished. These facts sharply contradict the triumphant tone of the President’s speech.
Economic hardship is most starkly felt in the everyday lives of citizens.
In 2018, a 50kg bag of rice cost approximately Le 230,000. Today, depending on the district, that same bag costs between SLL 830 and SLL 870. In Western Urban and Rural areas, the price sits at SLL 830; in Bo, Tonkolili, and Kenema, around SLL 848 to SLL 849; in Falaba, it rises to SLL 870.
Such figures represent an approximate 260–270 percent increase in the staple food price. Fuel prices have similarly soared, with a litre of petrol now retailing at NLE 27.30, a dramatic rise from Le 6,000 in 2018.
While the President hailed progress in energy provision, citing initiatives like the Nant Energy Project and RESPITE (page 5, paragraph 23), investigative reporting from Africa Confidential (Vol. 66, No. 3, 2025) exposes significant problems. Project costs are inflated by as much as 45 per cent above regional standards, and contractual terms heavily favour foreign private interests.
Since 2024, average household electricity tariffs have increased by 23 per cent, adding financial strain to families already struggling to meet basic needs.
These developments raise serious questions about compliance with constitutional and party obligations. Section 9(2) of the 1991 Constitution demands that Sierra Leone’s material resources be harnessed for the benefit of all citizens. The SLPP Party Constitution (2017 Revision) pledges to “safeguard and promote indigenous ownership and control over key sectors of the economy” (Article 6(b)). Current practices betray both these commitments.
Furthermore, President Bio’s manifesto pledge to make “essential commodities affordable for all” (New Direction Manifesto, page 12) has not been fulfilled. The cost of living crisis disproportionately affects the poorest citizens, widening inequality and undermining social cohesion.
Had the government remained truly faithful to the founding aspirations of independence, it would today be investing in home-grown agricultural cooperatives, renegotiating lopsided foreign contracts, bolstering local industries, and reinforcing anti-corruption mechanisms as outlined under Section 119 of the Constitution. It would also be aligning public investment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals — particularly Goals 1, 2, and 4, which aim to end poverty, eradicate hunger, and provide quality education.
Instead, the realities of daily life for many Sierra Leoneans expose a widening gulf between political pronouncements and lived experiences. The hardship is not a figment of pessimism but a verifiable outcome, documented by neutral sources including the United Nations, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and Africa Confidential.
President Bio’s speech was rich in patriotic imagery and optimistic projections, yet devoid of the brutal honesty the moment demands. Independence without economic liberation and social justice is no independence at all. True resilience lies not merely in enduring hardship but in overcoming it through leadership that puts the people first, not foreign investors or political elites.
For Sierra Leone to fulfil the unfinished promise of its independence, it must reclaim its destiny from economic dependency and political complacency — and rekindle the spirit of justice, equality, and national pride that animated its founding fathers.
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