STATEMENT BY THE HONOURABLE VICE PRESIDENT, MR. SOLOMON E. BEREWA AT THE PRESS CONFERENCE WITH THE PRESIDENT OF THE WORLD BANK, PAUL D. WOLFOWITZ AT STATE HOUSE ON FRIDAY 21ST, JULY 2006
MR. President,
Now that you have come to the end of your visit it is time for you to share with the general public your impressions of our collaboration and how you see our task ahead.
Before you proceed, permit me to make a few remarks. Let me start by stressing the primacy of governance issues for our government. I am sure you are aware of the challenges we faced after the conflict. I will not recount them. My hope is that what you have seen, illustrate more eloquently what we have achieved.
Now we want to focus on the future. We want to concentrate on what we can do together to improve the lives of Sierra Leoneans. But first I wish to reconfirm some key principles and priorities for the government.
Governance
We firmly believe and continue to reinforce the principle of participation of the people in major decision-making - such as in matters relating to the budget, human rights, and the guarantee of the freedom of individuals under the law.
We have set in motion the necessary processes to ensure that the rule of law prevails in our society, through reforms to the judiciary and the security sector. Free and fair elections within the framework enshrined in our constitution, are indispensable for sustaining our democracy. We have already conducted one in 2002, and will do so in accordance with the provisions of our constitution next year. In this context we have set up an independent and completely autonomous Electoral Commission with support from external donors and in collaboration with civil society.
Corruption
We will be relentless in our pursuit of the goals we have set in the area of corruption and accountability. The onslaught we have launched against corruption is in recognition of its potential to undermine whatever gains we make in the social, political and economic spheres. Indeed the Improved Governance and Accountability Pact we have now adopted reiterates our resolve and outlines some of the steps we continue to take in this regard in collaboration with your Bank and our other development partners.
Financial Management and Accountability
That we have been able to maintain stability in our macro economy so far is a tribute to the controls we have instituted for financial management and accountability. We are proud that in spite of the challenges we have, the bank’s rating of our performance is above the average for Africa. We intend to sustain this at all costs. In this context we hope that your contribution to budget support can be augmented to enable us plan and implement our programmes better and in a timely manner.
Decentralization
Convinced of its potential for assuring inclusion, improving accountability, and grass root participation, we are pursuing the implementation of our policy on decentralization aggressively and relentless.
The way forward
Mr. President, studies commissioned by your institution suggest that Sierra Leone is now at that crucial point where most post-conflict countries revert to instability. For us the reasons are evident. We are determined to continue marching forward in our development. But we are aware we can only do so if we are able to meet the expectations of a population that is waiting to enjoy the dividends of peace after the trauma of the conflict. We must provide them with jobs and livelihoods, and hopes for a future for their children.
This is how we wish to avoid further instability. For this we need to enable the private sector to expand rapidly and competitively. As we open up our economy to foreign direct investment we need to have in place appropriate regulatory mechanisms to protect the public, the environment and our heritage.
Above all we need to provide the necessary auxiliary services in the form of transportation facilities - roads, airports, and bridges; telecommunication facilities including easy access to the internet in rural areas; and energy and water supply. This is where we look too you for taking on the leadership among the international community in support of our efforts. You have the experience, the resources, and we are confident that your visit will now enable you to design a strategy for us to move this agenda forward.
Finally Mr. President and distinguished visitors, a word on capacity. One of the effects of the war is that we have lost some of our skilled workers to neighboring countries, teachers, doctors, mechanics, managers etc. Our civil service suffers from low salaries and insufficient training. We need bold measures to deal with this. We have formulated a strategy for reforming the public service but require support for its full implementation. We hope you can continue your support and in addition advocate among other partners for support in this area.
Distinguished visitors, I cannot end without expressing how pleased we are with the successes made by the various projects supported by the bank including the DDR, the ongoing Decentralization programme, the budget support programme, and finally NaCSA, which has been quite successful in rebuilding rural infrastructure. We hope with your support they can expand to urban areas which are now experiencing serious social and infrastructure problems.
We look forward to continuing our engagement and partnership with you, and hope that the IGAP will help to reinforce our collaboration together.
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