The business of governance
Interview with Ernest Bai Koroma, President of Sierra Leone
President of Sierra Leone, Ernest Bai Koroma 2008.
© Debra Percival
Ernest Bai Koroma won the 8 September 2007 presidential run-off election, defeating the opposition candidate of the Sierra Leone People’ Party (SLPP), Solomon Ekuma Berewa. No single candidate won the 55 per cent of the vote needed for a win in the first round. Koroma has set out to apply his business skills to running a government. He is a former managing director of the Reliance Insurance Trust Corporation, a fellow of the West African Insurance Institute, Associate of the UK’s Institute of Risk Management and a member of the UK’s Institute of Directors in the UK. Koroma’s All Peoples’ Congress (APC) party holds a majority of 59 seats in Parliament following the August 2007 elections. He has signed ‘contracts’ with his Ministers to ensure the delivery of results, he told us in an interview in State House, Freetown at the end of February 2008.
You were brought in as a ticket of change. What changes have you made so far?
I have put in place a mechanism that will lay the basis for a turnaround where we will see the country begin to move again and have investors come in. We have brought about a peaceful transition from the past government to this government. We have also addressed the issue that we believe should be primary in our objective, that is, providing energy for this country.
Freetown now has a certain amount of electricity. We solicited the participation of the World Bank and other donors and put into action an Independent Power Production programme (IPP) where generating power was given to the private sector with the National Power Authority (NPA) doing the sales.We inherited six megawatts of power generation and added 15 megawatts. That has given us a situation of 21–22 megawatts and we have requisitioned an independent power generator adding an extra ten megawatts.
What’s next is to find a medium-term solution which lies in the completion of Bumbuna hydroelectric station. The donor community has given us the US$45M required to finish the project this year. As for our commitment to having electricity throughout the country, we have to embark on a rural electrification programme. As we speak, the Chinese are examining our hydroelectric potential. There is a possibility of having mini hydro-projects all over if we can successfully harness the five rivers that flow across the country.
Which sectors will alleviate poverty?
For any country coming out of war you have to address the humanitarian and social stabilisation issues. You must also address issues of the amputees and the displaced. Now is the time for us to go into real economic growth and to create an impact on the economy. In addition to mining there is tourism, fisheries and agriculture.
About 60-70 per cent of our people are engaged in agriculture.We have the potential of not just feeding ourselves but also exporting our agricultural produce. It is only when we will be able to commercialise agriculture that we will be able to address poverty reduction seriously.
You have said you want to run Sierra Leone like a business?
We have to be more business-like. We have just come from a governmental retreat in Bumbuna and identified goals. We have made a promise that in the next 36 months we should start seeing a turnaround. That’s why I have initiated management contracts for ministers. They are now all talking with State House and agreeing on both their annual targets and those they should achieve over the next three years.
How can you attract overseas investors?
We are reviewing our laws, improving the independence and credibility of the judiciary and putting up a strong fight against corruption to ensure that people will be guaranteed fair play. This will bring in investors. We have about the best diamonds in the world, the largest deposits of rutile, huge deposits of iron ore, bauxite and platinum, etc. We also have huge potential in the agricultural sector. On top of this is our unique tourist potential. With the right investment Sierra Leone can easily become the best tourist destination in the world. Our flora and fauna, topography and beaches are not found anywhere else.
Sierra Leone is right at the bottom of UNDP index. How can you move up?
We have just launched the 2008-2010 strategy plan for children and others. We are reviewing our education system and are working on improving on the number of people who have access to pipe-borne water as well as improving our medical facilities. When all of that is on course, I think the focus will be for us to motivate the people in charge of these services, those who deliver; doctors, nurses and teachers.
Are you confident of repeated success in the July local elections?
I believe that we will win most of the seats in the country because in a very short period the citizens have come to realize that we are a results-oriented government. We don’t talk politics. What we say is what we do, as in the case with electricity. We will be launching our agricultural programme and want to ensure a health programme.
You don’t expect to see tangible results overnight. What you see is activity in government: an effort by us to work on the promises made to our people, and I think that people have trust in that. The only difficulty for us is that we have come in at a time when world market prices are increasing. The price of fuel is on the rise, as are the prices of rice and wheat. It is unfortunate that some of these have a direct impact on the life of the ordinary man. We cannot subsidise, as we do not have the funds. We are not an oil producing country.
Is your government ethnically biased?
This is not the case. We have people from the other regions; our ministers of Health and Marine Resources, for example. I have always insisted that it is a government of inclusion and we have people of every district represented, not only in governance but also at deputy minister level. We are appointing people to state-run companies and diplomatic missions, all of whom represent the national character.
What is your view about the focus on budget aid in your partnership with the EU?
It is important for it to continue, as our revenue base is very limited. We are asking for support to give us an opportunity to stand on our feet. When we kickstart the activities in mining, agriculture and tourism, I think we will have enough to run our budget and take care of our development endeavours. The EU is also playing a lead role in infrastructure programmes. Just like energy, an improved road network will facilitate economic activities in the country. It will create free movement of people, help the movement of agricultural commodities and enhance tourism and trade with our neighbours, Guinea and Liberia.
Website: www.statehouse.gov.sl
