August 14TH, 2026
PRESS STATEMENT
WE WANT PROGRESS WE CAN FEEL: SIERRA LEONEANS DEMAND RESULTS ON ELECTRICITY, FOOD, DRUGS, JOBS AND EDUCATION
Sierra Leoneans have heard the government’s bold claims: electricity access has doubled, food production and self-sufficiency are rising, rice prices are falling, port activity and revenues are growing, and the fight against drugs is intensifying. SLAM-GLOBAL welcomes every achievement that is genuine, independently verifiable, and improving people’s lives. But statistics alone are not development.
The real question is simple: Can ordinary Sierra Leoneans feel the progress? Can a family switch on reliable electricity? Can a market woman afford rice? Can a farmer earn a decent living? Can a graduate find meaningful work? Can parents feel that their children are safer from Kush, cocaine, and other drugs?
This is The People’s Test: government measures activities and statistics; citizens measure outcomes. Access is not reliability. Production is not affordability. Port traffic is not prosperity. Education is not success without learning and opportunity. Anti-drug announcements are not victory if narcotics continue reaching our communities.
SLAM-GLOBAL therefore calls for a transparent National Performance Dashboard that allows citizens to compare official claims with independently verifiable outcomes. We will acknowledge progress where the evidence supports it-but we will also ask the question every honest Sierra Leonean has the right to ask:
-What has this progress actually changed in my life??
Because governments are often judged by what they announce. The people judge them by what they deliver.
Sierra Leone’s development narrative today is dominated by Chief Minister Dr. David Moinina Sengeh speaking in grand terms. But citizens ask: Are our lives really better?
” Electricity – Access vs. Reality: The government boasts that electricity access doubled (18% ? 36%) through thermal, hydro and solar projects.
Independent data confirm access ~35.5% in 2023. But how reliable is that power? In Freetown homes and hospitals still suffer daily blackouts; industrial users rely on costly generators. Afrobarometer (2025/26) finds only ~30% of citizens approve government electricity efforts, while 66% disapprove (with many
-shocked? by outages). People’s Test: We demand actual hours of electricity per day, frequency of outages, cost of power, and a plan for universal reliable power by 2027. [People say: -We need consistent lights, not just new lines.?]
” Food & Agriculture – Production vs. Hunger: Dr. Sengeh announced 50-70% food self-sufficiency under -Feed Salone? and cited a 30% drop in local onion prices, more rice grown, less imported rice, and even vegetable oil being exported. FAO reports confirm record cereal output (2024 production ~1.6 million tonnes, 16% above 5-year average). But FAO also notes about 1.2 million people (14%) were still acutely food-insecure in the 2025 lean season. In other words, higher harvests have not ended hunger. Rice and other staples remain expensive for ordinary families. People’s Test: We ask for data on food affordability and nutrition: How many can afford three meals daily? What are retail prices vs. incomes? How much rice is still imported and at what cost? If farmers produce more, are their incomes rising? [The market woman in Bo still struggles: increased supply is welcome, but if she can’t buy bread from it, what’s the point?]
” Ports & Trade – Traffic vs. Costs: In June 2025 at Freetown’s Water Quay, Sengeh claimed container traffic rose 158% (2023?2024) and exports by 37%. He reported SLPHA/NCP paid US$11m in fees to government over two years, increased demurrage allowances (3?7 days) and 60% berth occupancy. Traders note more activity, but we need real measures: clearance times, demurrage fees paid by importers, customs revenue collection vs. leaked revenue. We also asked if the promised -Single Window? customs system (law in Finance Act 2026) was activated on schedule. People’s Test: Show us how port reforms cut costs for businesses. Publish average dwell time per container, percentage of containers scanned for contraband, years of demurrage at port auctions, and how much of the US$11m is new revenue vs. old arrears. [The clothes importer in Tokeh needs his goods in days, not weeks – is clearance faster?]
” Drugs – Seizures vs. Transparency: Sengeh recently said from his office overlooking Freetown Harbour: -We sit here, we track [containers]… we track how many containers come with drugs and we intercept?. In effect, he argues Sierra Leone is as vigilant as any Western country. But tracking container arrivals is not equal to interdicting drugs. If only -a handful? of containers with contraband were found among 135,000 annual imports, what of the rest? Modern customs use X-ray scanners, sniffer dogs and intelligence, not just eyeballs. Alarmingly, on May 1, 2026 Spanish police seized 30.2 tonnes of cocaine from the dry-bulk vessel Arconian – a world-record haul. The ship had left Freetown on April 22. A Global Initiative analysis finds -cocaine was most likely loaded onto the Arconian in Sierra Leone?. Sierra Leone officials claim it left Freetown clean, but have shown no evidence.
Meanwhile, Jos -Bolle Jos? Leijdekkers, a Dutch cocaine kingpin (7 tons conviction, 24-year sentence), reportedly resided freely in Sierra Leone and even attended Mass near President Bio. In January 2025 government said it is investigating but no results have been made public. And in January 2025 a Sierra Leonean embassy vehicle was arrested in Guinea with suitcases of cocaine; the driver was jailed in Guinea, but Sierra Leone’s inquiry results were unclear. People’s Test: If our government truly tracks drug flows, then release the data: How many kilograms of cocaine were seized each year? How many containers searched? How many people arrested, prosecuted and convicted at every level? What happened to Leijdekkers and to the embassy car suspects? Were any high-level figures implicated? If not, prove it with evidence. (As the Information Minister emphasized, the EU has not branded Sierra Leone a -narco-state?- it was social media spam. But citizens ask if our record really merits global praise or concern).
” Education – Classrooms vs. Literacy: Government says 1,500 classrooms built for 1.5 million pupils, free textbooks provided, and teacher pay up 70%. Enrollment is up (especially girls), and new universities opened. But school enrollment is not the same as learning. We need to see if children can read, write, and solve problems. People’s Test: Commission an independent learning assessment. Publish pass rates, literacy rates and grade completion figures. If 56.8% of our population is poor (UNDP LMPI) and youth unemployment estimated by some sources near 60%, can education alone fix that? Ensure vocational training and job linkages for graduates. A university graduate from Kenema still looks for job in Freetown; where are the promised tech and industrial jobs?
” Jobs & Poverty: Citizens know that sunny statistics mean little if they can’t feed or educate their children. Official data suggest poverty remains extremely high (UNDP finds over half of households in multidimensional poverty). SLAM-GLOBAL urges the government to publish employment and poverty indicators annually. Specific KPIs: youth unemployment rate, new business startups, wages vs. inflation, microloan distribution, Gini coefficient, and poverty headcount (using e.g. WB’s $3/day metric). People’s Test: -Are our children’s faces not worth ending poverty for?
The People’s Scorecard: Publish the Results
SLAM-GLOBAL calls on the Bio administration to establish a public, independently verifiable National Performance Dashboard so Sierra Leoneans can judge progress for themselves. It should report, at regular intervals, the reliability and affordability of electricity; food prices, nutrition and household food security; port clearance times, container screening and demurrage costs; drug seizures, major investigations, prosecutions, convictions, assets forfeited and rehabilitation outcomes; literacy, numeracy and school completion; jobs created, youth employment and poverty; and public procurement, audits and corruption enforcement.
The dashboard should be independently scrutinized by institutions such as Statistics Sierra Leone and the Audit Service Sierra Leone, with the underlying data made publicly accessible. No government should mark its own examination and simply announce that it has passed. Publish the numbers, publish the methodology, publish the outcomes-and let the people see whether progress is reaching their homes, markets, schools, businesses and communities.
Demands and Next Steps
SLAM-GLOBAL urges the Bio administration to meet these demands:
” Public Data Release: Immediately publish updated figures for all above indicators, with disaggregated data by region. Release detailed ministry reports (e.g. Ministry of Energy’s generation & blackout data; Ministry of Agriculture’s crop vs. import stats; NRA’s daily customs volumes).
” Independent Audit: Commission an international audit of port revenues (the $11m SLPHA/NCP concession fees claim), diesel & subsidy spending, and Feed Salone purchases. Transparently reconcile budgets vs. outcomes.
” Parliamentary Inquiry: Launch a joint committee to investigate major drug trafficking cases. Hold hearings on the Arconian (April 2026) and embassy cocaine (Jan 2025) incidents, summoning Anti-Corruption, police/TOCU, and SLPHA officials. Demand progress on the extradition request for Jos Leijdekkers.
” International Cooperation: Strengthen partnership with EU, UNODC, and West African police to trace drug money and logistics. If government claims to -track? every shipment, it should publish memoranda of understanding, intel cooperation logs, and case files on transnational crime.
” Invest in Rehabilitation: Allocate budget for drug rehab and youth counseling nationwide. Citizens’ concerns about safe streets must be matched by community programs to break the cycle of addiction and crime.
” Education Learning Assessment: Enlist UNESCO/AFRICA Education Watch to perform standardized tests in primary and secondary schools to verify actual learning gains from the -free education? program.
” Energy Reliability Plan: By Q4 2026 publish a plan to achieve 24/7 electricity nationwide by 2028, including substations, maintenance schedules, tariff reforms, and generation diversification. Accompany it with monthly outage reporting.
” Jobs and SME Support: Detail how the $400m Youth Jobs push (cited by State House) is being spent. Report on new industries (fishery, mining, manufacturing) opened, with private-sector job counts.
Each of these should carry timelines and public progress updates, and SLAM-GLOBAL will hold officials to account if deadlines slip.
Voices of Sierra Leone
This is not mere policy jargon. We speak for the market woman at Kingtom whistling to attract customers – her refrigerator should not lose power just when fresh fish arrives. We speak for the Freetown fisherman who had fish to sell but his freezer died again. We speak for the farmer in Kambia who grew this year’s best rice ever, yet still worries if his fields can feed his family through the next lean season. We speak for the unemployed graduate in Kabala who sits on his porch after 4 pm – because there is no electricity, no job, and no hope in town. We speak for the mother of a 15-year-old girl in Port Loko who fell into Kush and has no place to turn. Every claim of -progress? must answer to them. They see darkness, hunger, and fear – not 150% increases or press photo-ops.
SLAM-GLOBAL demands: If it was done, show it. If not yet done, admit and accelerate.
-We welcome every real improvement – more villages electrified, more rice harvested, more youth trained – but we insist these be measured by outcomes in people’s lives. Government counts meters of road and classrooms built. We count our children’s success. Make electricity stay on, food stay in pots, ships empty of cocaine and schools full of learning. Only then will Sierra Leone truly be moving forward.?
P.S. We invite you to explore our recently published analysis in a book, “Building a Nation: Good Governance and Democratic Principles in Sierra Leone.” As we unite for change in 2026, this resource provides valuable insights for activists, policymakers, and concerned citizens committed to Sierra Leone’s transformation. Find it here: link.
Signed,
Dr. Alfred A. Veenod Fullah
DIRECTOR-GENERAL
CC: Office of the President of Sierra Leone
” Office of the Vice President of Sierra Leone
” Speaker of the Sierra Leone House of Parliament
” Office of the Chief Minister of the Government of Sierra Leone
” Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone (ECSL)
” Inspector General of Sierra Leone Police
” Chief of Defence Staff, Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF)
” Office of National Security, Sierra Leone
” Independent Commission for Peace and National Cohesion
” Leonardo Santos Simao, Representative of the Secretary-General & Head of UN Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS)
” African Union (AU)
” Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)
” Amnesty International
” Marco Rubio, United States Secretary of State
” Vice President, Congressional and Public Affairs
” The Commonwealth Secretary-General
” Karim Ahmad Khan, Chief Prosecutor, International Criminal Court (ICC)
” Richard YOUNG, Chief de Division, Afrique de l’Ouest
” Ms. Ursula Von Der Lyen, European Commissioner
” The United Nations Representative in Sierra Leone
” H. E. Oumar Touray, President of ECOWAS Commission
” Madam Fatoumata Jallow-Tambajang, former VP of The Gambia
” H.E John Dramani Mahama, President of Ghana
” H. E. Bassiru Faye, President of Senegal
” H.E. Mamadi Doumbouya, President of Guinea
” H.E. Joseph Boakai, President of Liberia
” David Lammy, Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth & Dev Affairs, UK
” Neil Alan John Coyle, MP for Bermondsey & Old Southwark, UK
” Ambassador Aly Diallo, Ambassador of the Republic of Guinea to the UK&I
” Ambassador Mohammad Maidugu, Acting High Commissioner of Nigeria in the UK&I
” Her Excellency Dr Fatou Bensouda, Head of Mission, The Gambia high Commission, UK&I
” H.E Fatimata Dia, Ambassador of Senegal to the UK&I
” H.E Gurly T. Gibson-Schwarz, Ambassador of Liberia to the UK&I
” Her Excellency Josephine Gauld, British High Commissioner to Sierra Leone
” Ambassador of the United States of America to Sierra Leone
” Head of the European Union Delegation in Sierra Leone
” General Consul of Canada in Sierra Leone
” Ambassador of China to Sierra Leone
” Ambassador of Germany to Sierra Leone
” Ambassador of Lebanon to Sierra Leone
” Ambassador of Iran to Sierra Leone
” Ambassador of Brazil to Sierra Leone
” Ambassador of Sweden to Sierra Leone
” Ambassador of Libya to Sierra Leone
” Ambassador of Egypt to Sierra Leone
” Ambassador of Cuba to Sierra Leone
” Ambassador of Guinea to Sierra Leone
” Ambassador of Liberia to Sierra Leone
” High Commissioner of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to Sierra Leone
” High Commissioner of Ghana to Sierra Leone
” High Commissioner of The Gambia to Sierra Leone
” General Consul of Italy in Sierra Leone
” Honorary Consul-General of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan in Sierra Leone
” Honorary Consul-General of Ireland in Sierra Leone
” Honorary Consul-General of Japan in Sierra Leone
” Honorary Consul-General of India to Sierra Leone
” Honorary Consul of Senegal in Sierra Leone
” Honorary Consul of Switzerland in Sierra Leone
” Honorary Consul of Syria in Sierra Leone
” Honorary Consul of Turkey in Sierra Leone
” Honorary Consul of Mali in Sierra Leone
” Honorary Consul of Ukraine in Sierra Leone
” Honorary Consul of Romania in Sierra Leone
” Honorary Consul of Norway in Sierra Leone
” Honorary Consul of Hungary in Sierra Leone
” Honorary Consul of France in Sierra Leone
” Honorary Consul of Belgium in Sierra Leone
” Honorary Consul of The Netherlands in Sierra Leone
” Honorary Consul of Spain in Sierra Leone
” Honorary Consul of Serbia in Sierra Leone
” Honorary Consul of Austria in Sierra Leone
” Honorary Consul of Denmark in Sierra Leone
” Honorary Consul of Russia in Sierra Leone
” Honorary Consul of Malaysia in Sierra Leone
” Honorary Consul of South Africa in Sierra Leone
” Civil Society Movement – Sierra Leone (CSM – SL)
” Media Reform Coordinating Group of Sierra Leone (MRCG)
” Sierra Leone Association of Non-Governmental Organizations (SLANGO)
” Civil rights Defenders – Sierra Leone
” National Elections Watch (NEW) – Sierra Leone
” Campaign for Good Governance (CGG) – Sierra Leone
” Women’s Forum – Sierra Leone
” Network Movement for Justice and Development (NMJD)
” Sierra Leone Legal Aid Board
” Faith-Based and Interfaith Organizations – (Interreligious Council of Sierra Leone)
” Council of Churches in Sierra Leone (CCSL)
” Fourah Bay College – University of Sierra Leone
” Institute of Governance Reform (IGR)
” Youth Partnership for Peace and Development (YPPD)
” Children’s Forum Network
” Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) – Sierra Leone
” Awoko Newspaper – Sierra Leone
” Liberty TV Online – Sierra Leone
” Radio Democracy 98.1 FM Station – Sierra Leone
” The New York Times
” The Washington Post
” The USA Today
” The Cable News Network (CNN)
” The MicroSoft National Broadcast Corporation (MSNBC)
” The Fox News
” The Associated Press
” Thomson Reuters
” The National Public Radio (NPR)
” The Brookings Institution
” The Heritage Foundation
” The Center For American Progress
” The National Association For The Advancement Of Colored People (NAACP)
” The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
” The MoveOn
” The Democratic National Committee
” The Republican National Committee
” The EMILY’s List
” The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
” The Sky News
” Al Jazeera
” The Independent Television (ITV)
” The Times
” The Financial Times
” The Guardian
” The Daily Telegraph