By Sorie Ibrahim Fofanah
The Executive Director of the Institute for Governance Reform (IGR), Andrew Lavalie says seventy-nine percent of President Julius Maada Bio’s promises in his first term as a President were ‘partially fulfilled,’ according to a study conducted in Afrobarometer before the June 24 general election.
Lavalie who made this statement to the media at the Government’s weekly press briefing in Freetown on January 16, 2024, attributed his assertion to an Afrobarometer conducted before the June 2023 General Elections.
‘’Last year before the elections, we at the IGR actually published all of the promises that President Bio made during the 2018 elections, and we found out that 79% of those promises were partially fulfilled or were all fulfilled,’’ he said. He emphasized that Bio did most of the things that he promised.
If 79% of promises were fulfilled, what then were the changes, he asked, noting that the implementation of a plan does not ‘’necessarily translate into change.’’
Responding to a question about how the 79% resonated with the lives of the citizens, he said that if Bio even got 100% would not essentially mean Sierra Leone would have changed.
‘’The consultants that we hired for the barometer went to the different ministries to ask about their activities done based on the evidence’’, Lavalie said.
Speaking about medium and long-term development goals, the Executive Director said the government needs to focus on the tangibles if they are to implement another plan, saying it is not just about the many laws that are made in Parliament but those laws being made to translate into results.
He said all the development plans should be channeled to the Five Big Game Changers.
Talking about medium and long-term development initiatives, the Minister of Planning and Economic Development, Kenyeh Barlay said their plans are in line with the Sustainability Development Goals (SDGs), noting that the SDGs will end in 2030.
She said her ministry would not leave any institution or individual behind, saying the focus of their plan is on the Five Big Game Changers and their enablers such as diversifying the economy, proper governance, climate resilience, gender mainstreaming, and resource financing.
Copyright © 2024 Politico (18/01/24)
