28th October 2021, Office of former President Koroma

This year’s Brenthurst Foundation’s meeting of its Board of Directors was hosted in the historical Moroccan town of Essaouira. Apart from its admirable example of religious tolerance, being an oasis of peaceful coexistence between Muslims and Jews, this Port town essentially resonates with the Brenthurst Foundation’s thrust for good leadership, strategic policy, and the economic progress of Africa.

Essaouira is known as Morocco’s windy city. While its temperate climate and fine beaches have made it a bathing resort magnet, its excellent ocean breeze accounts for its attraction as a destination for windsurfing and kiteboarding. On the land side, miles of magnificent sand dunes stretching into the horizon are dotted beautifully with broom, and beyond are forests of Morocco’s ironwood, the argan, a species unique to the country. These breathtaking natural features accentuate Essaouira’s reputation as one of the world’s most significant sites and exciting destinations for tourists, nearly one million of whom visited before the outbreak of Covid.

But there is even more to this place touristic appeal: history, innovation, and good leadership. Ray Hartley and Greg Mills of the Brenthurst Foundation, in their Op-Ed: “POLICY AND LEADERSHIP Morocco’s Essaouira: The tolerant city where things have always been done differently” recount that:

“During the 19th century, Sultan Mohammed Ben Abdallah, Mohammed III, took the fortress city — partly built by the Portuguese 200 years before — and turned it into an early version of a Special Economic Zone. By implementing a zero percent tax — business or personal — he drew in skills and the finance to turn Essaouira (then known as Mogador) into a trade hub between Europe and Africa.”

Today, its old city (Medina), designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2001, is also famous for its numerous riads and its cocktail of music festivals; 11 annually “including ones that celebrate chamber music and opera, jazz, trance…”.

Connected by road with Safi, Marrakech, and Agadir, Essaouira is known for its artisan industries, notably inlaid cabinet work. However, among Essaouira’s foremost economic advantages are its fisheries and its unique Argan trees, which produce oil and cosmetics. Morocco produces 100,000 liters of Argan oil which translate into a whopping $2-billion annual market, strong enough to survive the economically hemorrhaging Covid-19 lockdowns.

Ray and Greg argue that, “As it struggles to find a formula to better access investment from 88% of the global economy which lies outside the sub-continent, sub-Saharan Africa might do well to look at what has been achieved in the ancient and modern versions of this Atlantic city.”

And so, the Brenthurst Foundation, along with its patron, Jonathan Oppenheimer, its Board of Directors inclusive of former heads of states, business leaders, academics, and other good governance and policy professionals, on October 19, flew into Essaouira. This is in recognition of “the revival of Essaouira and Morocco’s economic resurgences,” which they believe “are evidence of how, then as now, policy and leadership matter.”

Chaired by Olusegun Obasanjo, former President of Nigeria, the Brenthurst Board of Directors, including Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, former President of Liberia, Ernest Bai Koroma, former President of Sierra Leone, Dr. Greg Mills, its director and its founder, Jonathan Oppenheimer, among others; deliberated on “the emergence of the African continent as a future actor within the Community of Nations”. It also explored ways to support African economies which have favored “a reform strategy to consolidate and sustain their growth”

Sierra Leone’s statesman, Ernest Bai Koroma, joined his colleagues for his first Advisory Board with the Brenthurst Foundation. It follows his invitation a fortnight ago to join the economic development and good governance – centered South African based institution. The Brenthurst Foundation is considered one of the most influential institutions contributing to the socio-economic development of the African continent.

The host, Mr. André Azoulay, is an Advisor to His Majesty the King of Morocco. Azoulay was keen to make the most of the short stay for his esteemed guests by taking them on a journey to the heart and soul of one of the most culturally vibrant and spiritual destinations on the Atlantic coast. The reason for Azoulay’s enthusiasm is not far-fetched. The restoration of Essaouira did not happen by chance; it resulted from painstaking efforts and a well-thought-out plan that leveraged the Port town’s many opportunities, including its rich culture. Mr. Azoulay has been central to this incredible story. As he put it, “we are not spectators in someone else’s play. We have to change things ourselves, with leadership, but from the bottom up.

Undoubtedly, the symbolism of holding the Board Meeting in Essaouira – where Jews and Muslims cohabit in peace and harmony resonates well with President Koroma and Sierra Leone, which is world-renowned for its religious tolerance. But it also does for his outstanding leadership and policy reform credentials.

Throughout his ten-year reign (2007-2018), President Koroma was a strong supporter of religious harmony. Though a fervent Christian, he spared no effort to promote Islam at every level -from sending pilgrims to Mecca to providing financial support during the Holy month of Ramadan. He visited Islamic worship centers, assisted in Mosque building projects in many parts of the country.

During his tenure, President Obama, in his address to the African people in 2015, described Sierra Leone as “one of the countries where democracy has taken root.” The Mo Ibrahim Index once noted Sierra Leone as one of the most reformed countries in Africa. And while the World Bank and IMF in 2013 acclaimed it as one of the fastest-growing economies in Africa. The Global Peace Index repeatedly listed Sierra Leone under Ernest Bai Koroma as the most peaceful country in West Africa and the third most peaceful in Africa.

Unarguably, former President Koroma comes to the Brenthurst Board with his credentials well ahead of him. Like the Fortress of Essaouira and its remarkable peace and economic record, Koroma’s towering reputation on peacebuilding, democratic consolidation, policy reforms, and economic development, would be of immense value to the pursuit of the aspirations of Brenthurst Foundation.