By Dadson A. Musa
“Africa needs strong institutions, not strong men”, were the words of former president of the United States of America, Barrack Hussein Obama. Then, he had just paid his first visit to Africa and it was in the city of Accra, Ghana that he admonished Africans. Himself, a black man of Kenyan descent. Yes, in Sierra Leone our institutions are “struggling” and need the right personnel s and resources to thrive.
Our ministries, departments and agencies can be moribund sometimes and they need injection of life. This country can only grow if these institutions are up and running. I borrowed the Chief Minister’ s words” radical inclusion ” to bring special attention to the issue at hand. With all our minerals and marine resources yet we still lag behind. Institutions are the networks for the effective and efficient functioning of any government on planet earth. We as a people have failed in ensuring that our institutions run properly. Credit to the late former president, Ahmed Tejan Kabba who set up very good ones which Sierra Leoneans are benefiting from now. Sustaining them is the issue we are faced with right now.
Typical examples of institutions that are not working well and that is wasting government resources and at high cost on government are Sieratel, Sierra Leone State Lottery (Lotto), the forestry in Kenema, etc. to name but a few. These are institutions that if had been properly run had the potential to make so much money for government. In the 80s and 90s, when government was cash strapped, State Lottery (Lotto) used to step in and bail government out by paying workers salary. Mercury and other betting companies have taken over the market and are making millions and shipping the profits out. Sieratel used to be reasonable which forced the other mobile companies to reduce tariffs but that is no longer the case.
And now, Orange, Africell Qcell are now making billions and in the process ripping Sierra Leoneans. If you go to Kenema, the forestry that was once vibrant and making money for government and providing jobs is no longer in operation.
Now, the trade is in the hands of individuals and the Chinese who are getting monies that should have come to government. On the other hand, those that are functioning are faced with challenges, from not enough disbursement to late disbursement of subventions. Square pegs are still put in round holes to please party supporters and both parties (APC and SLPP) stand accused of that. So efficiency is thrown out of the window and the country is suffering. Institutions like NASSIT, NRA, local councils etc. struggling in their diverse ways and government is not paying attention enough. Benefits payment is still delaying and people are not getting their right due, there are still loopholes in tax collection system and so many people are evading taxes and local councils are under reporting revenues collected and still relying on central government heavily.
Our institutions must start doing away with mediocrity and start embracing standards and efficiency. Honest and hardworking people must be identified and rewarded no matter who they are or where they come from. The over playing of politics is killing this country. Constant refresher courses or trainings are needed for our staffs across MDAs. And the needed finance and equipment must be made available to them to carry out their respective functions. Bringing of expatriate workers and paying them high wages while our fellow Sierra Leoneans who know and do the work are paid peanuts. To achieve this radical reforms also there has to be patriotism on the part of all Sierra Leoneans. We have only one country and it is on us to develop so we should not expect foreigners to come here and build our country for us. Selflessness is another ingredient that is missing. People in this country have the tendency to grab state resources and make them their personal property. Hard work and sense of discipline are also needed to bring radical reforms to life in Sierra Leone. So, we call on our Chief Minister, David Moinina Sengeh to champion these radical reforms drive. He seems to be in a position to make sure this happens as this government has four more years to go.
Copy right –Printed in the Expo Times News on Thursday, April 18th, 2024 (ExpoTimes News – Expo Media Group (expomediasl.com)
