How failed Strategy and Policies affect Agenda for Change in Sierra Leone

I decided to write on the above subject after getting requests to write on APC 3 years celebrations, projects that are going on, add feather to Anti Corruption Commissioner approach on asset declaration and because of the recognition of my effort in contributing to development in Sierra Leone. One of my articles was selected to compete for the Lorenzo Natali Prize of European Commission Journalism prize and the winners will be announced on the 6^th of December 2010. (Photo: President Ernest Bai Koroma)

My/Our President of the Republic of Sierra Leone is trying to clean up corruption and bring Sierra Leone to its previous position as the Athens of Africa. Sierra Leoneans can now enjoy electricity, free medical care and promise of better infrastructures. However, the fight against corruption cannot be won with sacred cows, making speeches, fear to reshuffle ministers, rotation of civil servants, poor internal controls, hire civil servants that are not contributing to modernisation plan of Sierra Leone.

Among the issues that President Ernest Koroma and his team need to treat seriously are:

• NASSIT– NASSIT needs to carry out wise investment and the present officials should be cautioned that the money they are spending should not be used to achieve political gains but to bring developments and pay benefits to civil servants when they retire. Failure to carry out positive investment like the NASSIT ferry, will lead to chaos. President Ernest Koroma should ensure that NASSIT review their mortgage plan and should be making investment through a third party like National Development Bank. The selected third party financial institutions should have the integrity to check collateral security and make loans to Small and Medium Enterprises in Sierra Leone.
• 50 Years Committee- I read about the committee calling for suggestions. At the moment this committee should concentrate on media groups, develop documentaries showing Sierra Leone roadmap and the activities that will be available to attract tourist to visit Sierra Leone. Jimmy Bangura is the man for such activities and his skills should be used in such arrangements.
• Military Rice Scandal- It is good to hear that President Koroma wants to boost the morale of soldiers but I think the rice issue is a scam and should be cancelled. Sylvanus Koroma (What a Man) the younger brother to President Koroma is my personal friend and I am happy for his achievements. A better way of increasing army officers’ morale is to increase their salary that will cover the cost of a bag of rice. Not every soldier will consume a bag of rice or have need for a bag of rice on a monthly basis but with money he/she can purchase feeding. Meanwhile, the rice issue is causing problems and certain people are using their affiliation to intimidate procurement officials behind scenes.
• Open Government Initiatives and Attitudinal Behavioural Change – The two offices mentioned are running out of ideas as they should help President Ernest Koroma implement his Agenda for Change by giving information to the public, ensuring that Corporate Social Responsibility is not just spoken or written but properly implemented. It is a shame that the Open Government Initiative failed to organise Transparency and Accountability workshop in Sierra Leone but instead they have to spend thousands of dollars to organise meeting in USA. What was the achievement of that meeting? That money should have been invested in media campaigns and sensitizations in Sierra Leone.
• Anti Corruption Commission- Bravo! To Joseph Kamara Esq. in trying to get ministers and government officials to declare their assets. Every minister, civil servants or consultants seconded in government projects for a period more than 6 months should declare their assets after serving for 3 months. All declarations should be audited to assess discrepancies in the assets. Any assets acquired illegally should be converted into state property. I will recommend disposal of illegal property in order to prevent future government from transferring illegal property back to its owner. Asset Declaration should be reviewed periodically or when a minister, member of the civil service is removed or resigned from office. Therefore, the ministers that had declared their assets for over a year now, removed or resigned should have their declaration reviewed.

Assets should be considered acquired illegally if that minister, civil servant or consultant is unable to justify acquisition of assets from a legal source or refuse to provide or provided wrong information. Anti Corruption Commission should also introduce “life style test” wherein government officials can be questioned if they are suspected that their life style is above their income.

• Auditors General Department- Auditors General report should be used as a source of the areas that need follow up by Anti Corruption Commission. The last Audit report identified Ministries Departments and Agencies that abused, misused and embezzle government funds. Anti Corruption should develop a recovery plan to recover funds from Permanent Secretaries, Financial Secretary, Directors, and Ministers that led to a Qualified Audit Report. In UK and other develop states over payment, underpayment, abuse of government funds are recovered not write-off.
• Free Health Care- The free health care is a good idea but we will be make conclusion if it was successful after an audit is performed to identify the actual benefits, waste and the cost. I was told citizens from Guinea were using the facilities; drugs were stolen in Lorries which shows that no proper controls were taking into consideration before the programme was launched. However, only few people were charged without charging officials that were responsible for stores management, distribution and security.

Net result from the assessment given to me and which I will start to analyse by looking at each area of the Agenda of Change; Will  show that President Ernest Koroma is losing the fight against corruption and modernisation of Sierra Leone. On the other hand he is making welcome news although he needs answers by getting policies that will be accepted, cost effective and timely to challenge the status quo, at the direction of the day to day operations in Sierra Leone.

Our President promised in 2007 that he will run Sierra Leone as a business. In that case citizens should be regarded as customers, and consulted when developing strategies and policies. In the past, policy advisers and analyst copy and paste Policy papers from other Commonwealth countries which in no way will serve as solutions to problems in Sierra Leone. A strategy from a business point should be used to gain competitive advantage in order to achieve objectives; in political areas a strategy should be used to provide welfare facilities in an economic, efficient and effective manner in order to achieve objectives.

The time is running late for President Koroma to achieve what he promised. He can achieve it if he takes radical steps to reshuffle, rotate and decentralize his team by getting good members with integrity. Old brains, principal accountants, permanent secretaries and other operational staffs should be rotated, or removed.

By Dylan Sogie-Thomas CFE, CertIA, CertIFR, PG Dip, ACCA Finalist

The author Dylan Sogie-Thomas is a student in Masters in Corporate Governance/Graduate ICSA at the London South Bank University United Kingdom. His research is titled An Overview of Corporate Governance, Accountability and Performance Management in Sierra Leone. sogiethomas@yahoo.com

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