As Sierra Leone celebrates its 62nd Independence Anniversary on 27th April 2023, the country also braces up for a crucial general election on 24th June 2023, just 2 months after the celebratory mood as the Country clocks 62

President Julius Maada Bio is contesting for 2nd term in office.  His performance score-card in his first 5 year term in office is a mixed bag of successes and challenges, depending on which side of the pendulum is being analyzed.

When he first came to power on April 4, 2018, his government re-calibrated the economy on a tripod of mass mobilization of domestic revenue, rapid recovery of stolen cash and assets and diversification away from monolithic economy of primary exports, onto value – added, semi-processed agricultural exports, with improved gate-way for tourism growth, the country’s prime delight and topographical beauty.

This tripod strategy by the Bio- led government, initially, yielded relatively positive results, but suddenly nose-dived,due to external challenges. There was economic growth of about 3 percent, visible in semi-processed agricultural industries, like juice, ginger and cocoa, with supports from the World Bank, European Union, Africa Development Bank and other development partners. There was also diversification of the economy mainly in the mining and agric sectors with value addition strategies to boost export earnings.

Proceeds from this tripod strategy were channeled into education, the flagship and corner stone policy of President Bio’s first term in office.  Other development sectors like health and infrastructure, also received allocations from the tripod strategy policy, particularly maternal and child health care, feeder roads and bridges across the country.

On the other side of the pendulum, there were relative setbacks and challenges. Natural externalities, like COVID-19 and the on-going Russian/Ukraine War, unfortunately slowed down economic growth, due to global disruption of supply chains in all economic activities.  World economies contracted. It cascaded onto African economies, including Sierra Leone. The US economy, the largest in the world, slipped into recession by 0.9% in Q2, 2022.  Other economies in Europe, Asia and Africa, also wobbled in contraction, resulting in sharp spikes in prices of goods, services and other essential utilities. This ugly side of the pendulum disrupted economic growth, spiked up the Leone exchange rates to the USD and affect, negatively, small, medium and even large scale businesses.  Developing countries in Africa are worst-hit, including Sierra Leone.

During her recent visit to Sierra Leone on 6 March, 2023, the International Finance Corporation IFC Director for Central Africa and West Africa, Dahlia Khalifa, confirmed to this medium that the negative effects of the global supply chain disruption were visible on the Sierra Leone economy.  “As Sierra Leone grapples with global challenges as a result of global food and fuel prices, the IFC will create opportunities for the people, through private sector growth”, Khalifa told Vice President JuldehJalloh in Freetown, citing Agri-Business, Energy and Mining, as top of her priority list.

 At 62, the country has excelled in sports, particularly football.  After 25 years, since the country participated in an international football tournament, Sierra Leone performed well in the just concluded Confederation of African Football (CAF) in Cameroon, held on January 9 to February 6, 2022. There was wild jubilation, as the country sprang surprises in the tournament.

At 62, the country now boasts of a new international airport since independence. On 3 March, 2023, President Bio officially opened a new ultra-modern airport terminal at Lungi, with a 90,000 passengers per month capacity, 5 times the current capacity size of the old Lungi Airport, built by the British colonial Masters, 45 years ago!

As the country goes to the polls on 24 June, 2023, the political atmosphere has heightened.  The main opposition party, the All Peoples’ Congress (APC), has Dr. Samura Kamara and Chernor Bah as its Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates, the same pair in the last 2018 elections.

Sierra Leoneans are politically active and are visibly ready to exercise their franchise on who will lead them in the next 5 years, 2023 to 2028.

There was wide-spread violent riot in Freetown and some provincial towns on August 10, 2022, that led to mass deaths of civilians and security operatives.  Angry youth took to the streets, protesting about ‘’economic hardship”, rapid price increases and depreciation of the Leone.  The government reacted that it was politically motivated and incited.

At 62, on both sides of the pendulum, the country, though tiny in size and population, is on the right trajectory of economic growth. The forthcoming elections on 24 June, 2023, will be exciting but challenging. There is mass political awareness particularly among the youth, who constitute over 60 percent of the voting population. President Bio has done relatively well, in view of the enormous challenges, domestic and external. But, like in the just concluded elections in Nigeria, outcomes of elections are slippery and rather unpredictable. He is, however, visibly likely to scale through a second term, as the leading APC party is fragmented, with marginaligation of the Temnes and Limbas in the hierachy structure of the party.