By Hassan Osman Kargbo
It’s not a secret that President Dr Julius Maada Bio has secured Eight Hundred Million United States Dollars (USD$800M) pledges from international development partners and financial institutions at the High-level Sierra Leone Investment Roundtable on Renewable Energy and Food Security organised by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) Fund for International Development in partnership with Sierra Leone’s Presidential Initiative on Climate Change, Renewable Energy and Food Security in Vienna.
Also, the Millennium Challenge Coordinating (MCC) Board approved the sum of Four Hundred and Eighty Million United States Dollars ($480M) for Sierra Leone Energy Compact which is great news to the country and its kudos to president Bio and the government of Sierra Leone for achieving a great milestone of such magnitude.
But, the question that people are asking is that could all these huge amount of money that the president had already secured be reflective on the lives of the people considering the trending economic hardship and other abnormalities in the country?
As Sierra Leone prepares to celebrate another big achievement from the MCC, a bleak reality looms large over the festivities. Inflation has spread its wings across every sector of the economy, causing immense distress to the citizens. The question on everyone’s mind is – could it be essential to celebrate those million Dollar pledges from the international world, when things aren’t reflective on the ground? Is there to celebrate when the basic survival of our people is in peril? Sierra Leone is country with 8.606 million (2022) but and with all these amounts financial support from the international development partners, things could have been better for the common man though it is not a secret that the people are still dwelling in the same sufferings in the country.
The impact of inflation is felt throughout the country, from the busy streets of Freetown to the quiet villages of the east, north, and south. The cost of living has surged, and the daily struggle to make ends meet has become a never-ending battle.
Celebrating MCC and other huge amount from development donors seems like a cruel joke in the face of abject adversity. As citizens struggle to cope with the economic crisis, they remain hopeful of having better living conditions but every now and then it’s the same story.
Sierra Leone stands at a crossroads, where the ideals of freedom and prosperity must align with the practical difficulties faced by its people.
Can a nation truly be free when its citizens are shackled by the chains of economic hardship? It is time for the nation to take a hard look at its economic policies and prioritize the well-being of its citizens.
Why should we celebrate the MCC and other pledges when it is extremely difficult for most Sierra Leoneans to afford a square meal a day. And the rising price of fuel keeps competing on a daily basis.
The MCC grant came at a time when a lot of Sierra Leoneans are unemployed and are starving. And also under the terrible watch of the president, things had been going down the drain. And many say the president has failed to create jobs, consolidate a peaceful state, cohesive, and productive nation couple with the hardship.
In all of these, the SLPP government needs to hold the MCC and other grant with utmost seriousness so that the ordinary man could benefit from it. Let it don’t be business as usual in the country so that people will realize the impact of the MCC in the country.
