Salone-Marah honoured again in London

Kaifala Marah (in photo), Adviser on Public Expenditure Management in the Commonwealth Secretariat, has again been honoured by his fellow Sierra Leoneans in London.

At a well organised and jam-packed surprise reception hosted at East London, Marah was presented with bouquet of flowers as a way of congratulating him after being awarded a Doctorate Degree at the University of Hull, United Kingdom.

Chairman of the occasion Dr. MY Bangura said, Marah (now Dr. Kaifala Marah) has played a significant role in projecting the image of Sierra Leone in the eyes of the international community as well as made meaningful contributions to the lives of Sierra Leoneans both at home and abroad.

He described Marah as a role model who has gone through the thick and thin of life to attain such an enviable position within the Commonwealth.

Dr. Bangura paid special tribute to Marah’s wife Josephine Marah, for standing always by the side of her husband during those difficult and trying times, adding: “This is where we go along with the proverb that behind every successful man is a woman.

Sierra Leone High Commission Information Attaché Sorie Sudan Sesay, who spoke on behalf of his London Mission, thanked the organisers of the programme for acknowledging the work of a Sierra Leonean whom he said, is making a mark not only for himself but the country as a whole.

“The rebuilding image of Sierra Leone should not only be left in the hands of President Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma, but also the collective hands of every Sierra Leonean,” he said.

Sudan described Marah as an inspiration to every Sierra Leonean and an exemplary figure worth emulating.

Former Sierra Leone Football Association (SLFA) Financial Secretary, Abdul Tejan Sesay, a Masters student in Corporate Governance at the South Bank University, South East London, said, he had known Kaifala for quite a while now.

He said Marah has always been a man associated with progress and therefore not surprised that people are gathered here to give him what he described as “a surprise national honour”.

In his response, Dr Marah thanked the organisers for hosting a surprise reception in his honour, and apologised to all those he did not inform of his recent graduation.  The teary Marah said:  “Forgive me for not letting most of you learn of my graduation as I do not believe in trumpeting my achievements. Tonight, I feel communal love underscored by no less a day than Valentine’s Day… what more would a man ask of his compatriots if he is honoured on a day singled out for the expression of love, what more would I ask from all of you, except that from the bottom of my heart, to thank you all in particular, my spouse, Josephine with whose support did I manage to sail through this programme of study”.

Marah went on to say that he had set his mind to studying for a PhD as an example to his clansmen that from humble beginnings anyone can achieve anything, become anything with a mindset. But he warned that education alone is not enough, and what is mostly required is the will-power to employ knowledge to the advantage of one’s society.

Without this, education becomes as useless a tool to society if not dangerous than illiteracy. Dr Marah informed all that his thesis was titled: Moving Towards Transparency and Participation in the Budgetary Process, the case of Sierra Leone. 

Alpha Bangura who spoke on behalf of the organisers said, Marah deserves more than the honour he is being accorded considering the tremendous role he has been performing as a Sierra Leonean, globally.

“We have to be proud to have people like Dr. Marah in our midst,” Alpha said while describing the Commonwealth Adviser as a down-to-earth man.

Similar comments were expressed by other speakers.

Kaifala Marah has decorated the image of Sierra Leone in high esteem around the world through his efforts in assisting Commonwealth developing countries to strengthen their public finance structures under the Commonwealth Fund for Technical Cooperation.

Before his current employment, the Sierra Leonean-born was Budget Analyst at the State Senate of New York and a Graduate Fellow at the Centre for International Development, State University of New York at Albany.

Back home, he has single-handedly undertaken several developmental programmes as a way of complementing government’s efforts towards rebuilding the country. 

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