Barely a year and six months ago, President Dr. Julius Maada Bio took up state governance and occupied himself with the daunting task of investing in Sierra Leone’s human resources to foster sustainable national development.
President Bio as promised, has brought significant turn-around in line with the vows of the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) 2012-2018 election guide lines.
Human development, according to development experts, is the enlargement of people’s freedom, opportunities as well as the improvement of the very socio-economic wellbeing of citizens of a country.
Human development by every stretch of imagination enhances liberties of the people to constructively participate in important national issues.
Growth by this understanding entails socio-emotional, physical, language as well as the cognitive aspects of the development of people’s livelihoods, whose only threat is corruption, corrupt practices and officials.
That’s why President Bio is almost always hard on corrupt officials and their practices that have destroyed the country over the years…though recovering corruptly acquired wealth from past government officials are not achievements for anti-Bios.
The ruling party fans and supporters say their leader has come this far in impressing them in terms of service deliveries and corruption mitigation and development as a whole.
Bio’s recent cast of champs on corruption is the removal of the State Chief of Protocol, Mrs. Fatmata Edna Kargbo for unexplained wealth, following a widely shared video on the social media in which the protocol lady gave a testimony saying she was able to complete her building after ten years.
Kargbo is the State Chief of Protocol to President Bio.
She schedules appointments and arranges the President’s programmes.
Translating his proposals into life touching social actions, programmes and activities, President Bio’s government has embarked on massive recruitment of female military officers drawn from across the country into the armed forces, along with huge number of police personnel, including other entities of capacity development.
Well prepared to deliver Sierra Leoneans, Bio dashed straight into quick actions to solve problems and like a leader on a mission, he effectively unveiled the free quality education, now providing materials to thousands of primary and secondary school pupils.
The scheme also provides school feedings to pupils in lower primary schools nationwide with hopes of a positive turn-around in the lives of youngsters and the basic education in particular.
Towards his first one hundred days in office, Bio embraced economic and financial challenges he inherited probably from his friends and brothers of the last All People’s Congress (APC) administration of former President, Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma.
He has so far succeeded in transforming the economy through revenue generation and cut in public expenditures, though more is now alleged to be spending on top government sectors including the Presidency than other areas.
These are some of the major successes and gains that are being progressively recorded by the Bio Presidency.
From the front of domestic and foreign debts management and financial governance, President Bio is thriving to introducing financial prudency into the whole system by first of all terminating risk loans and reinforced tax and revenue generation.
President Bio launched the Commissions of Inquiry and has come a long way in exposing corrupt government officials of the past APC regime, recovering huge chunks of stolen moneys that have been refunded to the national consolidated fund.
His government inherited the treasury single account from the Koroma administration and it is now one of the best laws left by the past regime.
The government is seemingly working round the clock to fast track the full completion of the regional energy project; the West African Power Pool, with installations of transmission lines almost everywhere in the country.
The Ministry of Energy through the Tukish Power ship, is also supplying regular power to homes, factories, as well as public entities making businesses much easier for the people.
It is too early to be cataloguing and assessing progress and achievements being made since last April to date by President Bio and the SLPP government.
But for the purpose of monitoring and evaluation of governance systems in Sierra Leone’s democratic process, it is worthy to give accolades where it is due.
And when once somebody does a good job he/she deserves praise for such work.
So let’s praise the SLPP government of President Bio for the gainful strides being made in little less than a year and six months under his leadership.
By way of ensuring that the people benefit from the proceeds of mineral wealth from their various communities, the Bio government has strategically moved towards reviewing “bad” mining agreements that were signed by the past government.
It has also gone ahead to re-examine other outstanding investment deals in furtherance towards opening up the country for foreign trade and international businesses.
Healthcare Service delivery under the present SLPP Bio-led dispensation is up and running perfectly in top gears though there are minor challenges here and there, yet free Healthcare facilities for lactating mothers, pregnant women and under fives remained effective than ever before.
The President has also made additional expansions by opening hospitals and provision of regular ambulance services to facilitate patients’ emergency access to healthcare everywhere in the country.
Other critical issues affecting the sectors are also being addressed by the President and the line Ministry.
For water and sanitation access, President Bio through the Ministry of Water Resources has put measures in place for consistent supplies of water and sanitation facilities to homes in Freetown and all provincial communities.
In line with the trajectory the President’s administration inherited from the past government, he has unveiled and commissioned a nationwide infrastructures projects, targeting major townships, district headquarter towns and chiefdoms with massive road construction, starting with his home district of Bonthe with the Bo-Matru Road.
Charity begins at home indeed; he sanctioned the construction of a road leading to his private residence at Juba, west of Freetown, the successful completion of the controversial Shengbeh Pieh Bridge, Lumley Atlantic Bridge, 65 kilometers road constructions in Kenema and the much talked about ambitious Lungi bridge project now on bid, costing millions of Leones.
Added to these are the Gbalay and Manowa bridges, Zimi-Kenema highway, Kailahun-Pendembu road and the Koindu Market erection for a gainful revamp of cross border trade and commercial activities between neighbouring countries.
President Bio has also gone that far in succeeding to rebrand the country and raise the confidence of investors to get in and do business in the country.
This is why he addressed the London investment and donor conference early this year.
This has lifted the confidence of potential investors and tourists.
These among so many other development and successful strives are the timely accomplishments that are being undertaken by the Bio SLPP government.