Concord Times (Freetown)
Olusegun Ogundeji
27 May 2008
opinion
Freetown — Sierra Leone is OK now. A newly-elected government is in power and day-to-day activities of the administration are ongoing. The All Peoples Congress (APC) came in with new agenda and accompanying policies that would help guarantee their achievement hence the Agenda for Change replaces Vision 2025.
But such a proxy is typical in African setting whenever there is a change of power especially from another party. It has been a clear demonstration of how continuity has never been the watchword of many governments in the continent even though huge resources are eventually recorded as expenditure for the actualization of such plans. The new dispensation needs to prove itself as an exception in that regards.
Since the Agenda for Change is assumingly geared towards the development of the country, just as President Koroma said in the UK that one of the people's mandate for his government is "to ensure that Sierra Leone becomes attractive and competitive to the international business sector," it would be pertinent for the government to make a critical observation of what is happening in that sector - for the country's growth.
A thorough survey will reveal that more houses are being built in different parts of the country more than the needed businesses that would generate income for both the government and the unemployed people in the country.
Unless the issue has been addressed, it is a widely known fact that to acquire a piece of land in Sierra Leone has never been an easy task. But it does not augur well for a growing nation, to realize that lands that were secured are used more to erect buildings for residential purposes.
Provision of accommodation is key in any nation, but if the observation President Koroma made that "More than 60% of the people (in Sierra Leone) live below the poverty line. We are in a country in which 60% of the youths are unemployed and the youth unemployment is on the increase on a daily basis" are to be addressed, then business development must take preeminence than accommodation.
Despite the number of newly-constructed houses in Freetown metropolis for instance, house rents have not been affected positively. House owners still charge their usual rate in dollars which shows a no-sign of drop in price. The high rate of accommodation has not been addressed so why not expend the available resources on a more useful sector of the economy?
This is the simple fact that differentiates Sierra Leone and neighbouring Liberia. As a war-torn nation on the verge of reconstruction too, independent observation noted that more businesses are being built in the Johnson-Sirleaf-led country than what is obtainable in Sierra Leone.
Though the large presence of expatriates in Liberia has been highlighted as one of the major contributors to the country's economy, Liberians are wasting no time to invest in their economy.
While in the UK, President Koroma touted Sierra Leone as "a country with abundance in terms of mineral resources, we can boast of having very good diamonds and also at a substantial quantity We can boast of having huge deposits of iron ore waiting to be exploited We can boast of having gold deposits...We have huge deposits of oxide. Our agricultural potential is great Our tourism potential is one of the best in the West Coast if not the world We have beaches that you cannot compare anywhere in the world When you come to Sierra Leone, you will discover paradise on earth " but all these are as good on paper if they cannot be seen materialize in the lives of ordinary Sierra Leoneans.
It is true that Sierra Leone has some of the best beaches in the west coast, better than what we have in Liberia and much-thwarted The Gambia. But something is precluding the system from attracting the necessary attention for national development in the tourism sector. These countries, and many other countries, attract more tourists than Sierra Leone.
Immediately the electricity problem was partially resolved, many business-minded people were spurred into engaging in one business or the other. But the environment seems not too conducive for business yet.
Sierra Leone should have a very clear edge over the likes of Liberia where electricity is still a luxury to afford.
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