An independent public survey on the living conditions of Sierra Leoneans and the performance of government was released on Tuesday in Freetown. Carried out by Afrobarometer in mid last year, the perception survey shows fundamental problems with the country’s public service delivery even if it shows that the majority of Sierra Leoneans are optimistic about the way the country is headed.
Looking like a reality check for the Government the majority of about 1,200 respondents said that the condition of the country’s economy was very bad or they were indifferent. However over 40 percent of the respondents, who age between 18 and 78 years, said their living conditions were very good when compared to 2011.
About 70% of respondents said they had experienced shortages of cash income, food and medicine while over one-third said they had experienced shortages in water and cooking fuel.
Almost half the respondents complained about the service delivery in the area of education. They complained about the absence of teachers, lack of textbooks, poor school facilities and overcrowded classrooms.
The government was also rated badly in the narrowing of the income gaps which the respondents said was very bad.
Health care got the thumbs down with around two-thirds complaining over the lack of medicine in hospitals, long waiting time for a doctor among others. However the government was rated very high – over 70 percent – in the fight against HIV, road maintenance and construction and the provision of electricity.
Deputy Minister of Information Theo Nicol said the survey was fair. He said the public appreciated government’s performance hence re-elected the president last year.
He blamed the poorly rated education service delivery on the issue of ghost teachers assuring that government was tackling it.
Monica Timbo, the Programme Manager of Campaign for Good Governance, a partner organization said the perception survey underwent some of the most stringent compliances and reflected the views of the people sampled.
Kathy Addy who is Afrobarometer’s outreach coordinator for English-speaking West Africa said it was the first time the survey was being carried out in Sierra Leone. She said it meant there was freedom of expression in the country for people to give their views freely without fear of reprisals.
Mahmoud Idris of the INTASCAP, the lead research agency, said the benchmarks set out by Afrobarometer were the most stringent he had taken part in or read about. He said the survey was a true reflection of the views of the people sampled.
Afrobarometer is a public opinion survey project that measures opinions of African citizens on a wide range of issues including democracy, governance, experienced poverty, assessment of government and institutions. It started in 12 countries in 1999 and is held every third year in an increasing number of countries. This is the fifth round of survey carried out in 35 countries.
