Home Initiative makes a difference in Sierra Leone

Anthony Kamara, Jnr.

Operating exclusively as a registered non-profit organization in the United States, Home Initiative was founded by Sierra Leoneans in an effort to support the delivery of basic and decent health care through the provision of resources to promote good health and education to a nation whose health facilities are under resourced, very limited and often non-existent.

As citizens and friends of Sierra Leone gathered in Washington DC during the official launching of the organization, attendees were delighted to know that in addition to the many items that have been donated to Connaught and PCMH – Cottage hospitals, the organization also provides scholarships to students at the tertiary level. This was also an opportunity to show case their accomplishments as they make a difference in the lives of people who are most in need.

One of the aims of Home initiative is to develop and preserve the human resources that presently exist in the healthcare sector. As the cost of private care is beyond the reach of many people, forcing them to resort to alternative and potentially dangerous and untested traditional medicines, Home Initiative seeks to raise funds to refurbish hospitals and provide drugs and supplies to meet the needs of the population especially to three government hospitals.

Benefiting from this humanitarian gesture are Connaught Hospital, Princess Christian Maternity Hospital (PCMH), and the Dr. Ola During Children’s Hospital. The organization also hopes to coordinate and support volunteer opportunities of qualified health care professionals from abroad that will help to improve child and maternal health and provide hospital supplies including linens among many other items.

In the education sector, Home Initiative will continue to provide merit-based scholarships for students at the tertiary education level. With Sierra Leone’s educational standards continuing to fall with limited infrastructure and overcrowding of schools and lack of basic materials to offer a conducive atmosphere for students and teachers, Home Initiative calls on all people of good will to donate generously and support the organization’s efforts in making a difference.

Committed to helping their brothers and sisters by using their expertise, leadership skills, financial resources and contacts, the members of the board include Gloria Betts –president, Umaru Kebbay - vice president and Elizabeth Toure - vice president. Ibrahim Koroma is treasurer, Kara Speights Dunston is secretary general and Deanie George - Campaign Manager. Monica West, Dr. Hazel Bowen-Wright and Jennifer Sawyer are also board members. Gemina Archer-Davies of The African Development Bank in Tunisia is an executive board member.

Hon. Alpha Kanu attends Congressional Black Caucus Dinner

Anthony Abdul Karim Kamara, Jnr.

Hon. Alhaji Alpha Kanu, Sierra Leone’s Minister of Political Affairs and Mineral Resources who is en route to Freetown via London, UK never disappoints when it comes to projecting his country’s image. His eloquence and passion to project Sierra Leone’s image was in display at a dinner held on Saturday, September 26, at the Renaissance Hotel in Washington, DC in honour of the Congressional Black Caucus. In attendance also was President Barack Obama and wife, Michelle Obama.

The well attended dinner which was the culmination of the four day Annual Legislative Conference, brings together African-American members of the United States House of Representatives and Senate, business and industry leaders and a host of other personalities.

Seen as a networking event, it is the aim of the conference to bring together diverse groups of individuals and organizations with the hope that common issues are not only discussed but a way forward is sought that will bring tangible solutions.

Highlighting President Koroma’s agenda for change and the progress the country has seen in two years since the APC came to power, Minister Kanu reminded his audience about Sierra Leone’s history from the 15th century to the present. Of particular importance to him was to inform all potential investors that” The government of Sierra Leone is determined to continue to create an investor-friendly environment so that you can use Sierra Leone as the alternative investment destination.”

As Sierra Leone prepares to celebrate her 50th anniversary as an independent nation, Minister Koroma noted to all in attendance that the celebration will not be complete without our brothers and sisters who have traced their roots to Sierra Leone. As we celebrate our golden jubilee, we hope to bring in ”our kindred folk from the Diaspora, in the Americas and the West Indies and who would have positively participated in the investment for development programme of President Ernest Bai Koroma’s ‘Agenda for Change’,” he said.

Informing all that Sierra Leone is just seven hours across the Atlantic; Minister Koroma invited all to meet in Freetown, the Province of Freedom, later this year. Sierra Leone is a country “that was yours, that can be yours and that must be yours once again” he stressed.

Below is the speech delivered by the Honourable Minister:

SPEECH DELIVERED AT THE GALA DINNER OF THE CONGRESSIONAL BLACK CAUCAUS AT THE RENAISSANCE HOTEL IN WASHINGTON on Saturday, 26th September, 2009
By Hon. Alhaji Alpha KANU, Minister of Political Affairs and Minister of Mineral Resources
of the Republic of Sierra Leone

Mr., Chairman, distinguished guests, Ladies and Gentlemen
All Protocols having been observed,
Let me thank the organisers of this event and especially the California Caucus Chapter that have made it possible for me to attend and to be given the honour of addressing this August gathering.
Mr. Ken Johnson, I thank you and all of the members of your delegation.


Mr. Chairman, please permit me to tell you and everyone else here a short but interesting story of our country, Sierra Leone.

Sierra Leone is a relatively small country in West Africa. It is bordered by the Republic of Guinea in the north, by Liberia in the southeast, and by the Atlantic Ocean in the southwest. It is on the 13th parallel north of the Equator, has an area of 71,740 km (27,699 sq miles) and a population of 5 million by the 2004 national census.

In the 15th century, this area of West Africa attracted European Merchant ships looking for a passage to India. Its strategic location with one of the best natural harbours in the world and abundant supply of fresh water quickly turned it into a convenient watering hole. Indeed the first of such port calls was led by the Portuguese explorer, Pedro da Cintra who gave the country the name Sierra Leone, meaning the “Lion Mountain”.

When an English captain named Sir John Hawkins called into port in 1585, he took away the first human cargo of 500 slaves whom he had perceived to be physical stronger than the Native Americans first caught for labor.

However, it was to Sierra Leone that freed slaves were returned from England after the Lord Chief Justice Mansfield made his declaration that any slave setting foot in England was free, in 1792. Thanks to the efforts of the Honourable William Wilberforce and Sir Granville Sharpe, the leaders of the Abolitionist movement in England.

Thus this was how slavery started and ended in Sierra Leone. In 2011, it will be 50 years since independence from Britain in 1961. This will be a time when we hope to celebrate that golden jubilee by bringing in our kindred folk from the Diaspora, in the Americas and the West Indies and who would have positively participated in the investment for development programme of President Ernest Bai Koroma’s ‘Agenda for Change’. The count down starts now.

Sierra Leone has great business opportunities. Having emerged from a decade long civil war in 2002, the country continues to make steady progress in democratic good governance, respect for the rule of law, political tolerance and economic development.

President Ernest Koroma placed energy and agriculture at the top of his list of priorities when he assumed office on 17th September, 2007. In just two years, energy supply has increased from a mere 7MW countrywide to 70MW of which 50MW is green energy provided by the newly completed Bumbunna hydroelectric dam. This dam had been abandoned by the previous government after 35 yrs in construction. It took the political will and commitment of President Koroma to complete and commission it in exactly 2 yrs to the day after assuming the reins of power.

Agricultural output has increased after the recent world food crisis jolted President Koroma’s Government to the stark reality of the susceptibility of our fragile economies to external shocks. He increased expenditure in agriculture and declared an agricultural emergency for food self sufficiency.

1. Sierra Leone has four main sectors for development and economic growth that provide attractive opportunities for Foreign Direct Investment. These are:

i. Agriculture – Sierra Leone is blessed with abundant rain fall and excellent climatic conditions suitable for the growth of various cash crops such as Cocoa, Coffee and rice, to name a few. Value added agro-based industries hold a tremendous promise for the foreign investor wanting to explore this untapped potential. The country imports 200,000mt of rice annually to complement the 300,00mt produced for local consumption. The ecologies for rice cultivation are similar to those in Vietnam, Thailand and India with vast acreages of arable land. Rice production for food self sufficiency will find a ready local market for the commodity. Indeed, this is possible in an area originally known as the rice coast where men and women were forcibly transported from to cultivate the rice fields in the Carolinas, whose legacy survives today in the famous Uncle Ben’s rice.


ii. Fisheries - Sierra Leone has 485km of coastline rich in marine life with an assortment of fish, lobsters and shrimps providing a vast scope for fishing and related industries. There is great industrial potential in the sector with a need for well-organized deep-sea fishing. A well-organized fishing fleet will provide a high rate of Return on Investment. The potential yield of the fisheries resources is estimated at over
iii. 200,000 metric tonnes annually against a current production of only 70,000 metric tones, most of it by poachers. Indeed we are now grateful to the US Government of President Barak Obama, which is now helping to police our coastline under the AFRICOM protocol. Recently, 3 unlicensed Korean vessels were arrested off shore and heavily fined through this joint operation, sending a signal that it is no longer business as usual off the coast of Sierra Leone.

iv. Tourism - Sierra Leone boasts miles and miles of unspoilt beaches along its Atlantic coast, and holds the promise of becoming a center for tourism in West Africa. Investment opportunities exist in the construction of hotels, restaurants, beach resorts along the coast and other related tourist attractions. Sierra Leone also has several small islands with unique eco-systems which when developed can become an eco- tourism paradise. These include Bunce Island with which many here are familiar. It was the staging post, complete with fortress, for slave ships leaving West Africa for the Americas that predates Goree Island in Senegal and Elmina Castle in Ghana by almost a century.

v. Mining – As a professional Mining Engineer and businessman, I used to wonder when my colleagues describe Sierra Leone as a geological scandal. Now, as Minister responsible for the Minerals sector, I can confirm the veracity of that accolade. The story in the sub-region is that the Angel God gave the basket of worldly treasures to distribute tripped and dropped the basket in the small geographic space now called Sierra Leone. We can boast of every known mineral on earth and very recently, just a month ago, a US company called Anadarko announced that they have struck oil off shore Sierra Leone. Let me say that Sierra Leone is endowed with many natural resources. The most abundant include: diamonds, iron ore, bauxite, rutile, gold, platinum and now Col-Tan. In fact new proven discoveries of iron ore by African Minerals in the central mountain ranges exceed 5billion tonnes and are projected to reach 10billion by the end of 2010, making Sierra Leone the repository of the largest iron ore deposit, yet discovered, on the face of the planet. Our policy objective for mining development is to encourage the exploration for minerals, encourage both foreign and local investment in mine development, and ensure security of tenure for those who participate in the sector

vi. The government would like to encourage local secondary processing of its minerals such as the establishment of diamond cutting and polishing factories, iron ore smelters and alumina refineries so that Sierra Leone can improve on revenue generation and Sierra Leoneans can learn useful lifelong skills.

2. In conclusion, Mrr., Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen, Sierra Leone is open for business with many reforms already undertaken to make setting up a business and obtaining the necessary licenses to operate easier than ever before. The country ranks 6th in West Africa and top in the Mano River Union, ahead of Liberia and Cote d’Ivoire for ease of doing business, according to the International Finance Corporation, IFC. The government of Sierra Leone is determined to continue to create an investor-friendly environment so that you can use Sierra Leone as the alternative investment destination.

Mr., Chairman, distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, all this is happening in a country less than 7hrs flight across the Atlantic. A country that was yours, that can be yours and that must be yours once again. Please take up the challenge and let us all meet this year, in the Province of Freedom, Freetown.

I thank you
.

FROM BAD TO WRETCHED: THE AGONY OF THE SIERRA LEONE TEACHER

Edward Tedson Sesay - London, United Kingdom.

The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.
William Arthur Ward

September historically is the month that the school year starts for millions of children in many parts of the world, and October 5th according to UNESCO is World Teachers Day “which represents a significant token of awareness, understanding and appreciation of the vital contribution that teachers make to education and national development.” The aim of celebrating this day is to mobilise support for teachers and to ensure that the needs of future generations will continue to be met.

I am baffled however by the fact that in my native Sierra Leone, despite the undeniable fact that teachers remain at the foundation of every nation’s progress, our great teachers remain wretched, hungry and unsung heroes. It appears they are sentenced for life to conditions of physical and social wretchedness. Life does not hold many happy days for them. If one may ask, why do they forever have to ponder over where their next meal will come from, a matter that is of the least worry for teachers in many other parts of the world even within Africa ? Why do our teachers have to worry about leaking roofs and leaking pockets all their lives?

We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude and attention. Teaching is the profession that creates all other professions: lawyers, medical doctors, engineers, accountants, architects, the police and the military to name a few. There is hardly any profession more noble than that of the man entrusted with the awesome responsibility of shaping and instructing the mind of the rising generation. It is common to hear people say, “we cannot sufficiently thank or pay a teacher” and I believe it is because of what could be seen as the incalculable value of the contribution a teacher makes to our lives. With great sacrifice, they make winners out of ordinary people. If you have never thought of the great sacrifice teachers make, consider this by an anonymous writer, “a good teacher is like a candle that burns itself to light the way of others.”

It is not too late to recognise the value of teachers in Sierra Leone. Everyone: children, parents and our leaders should say thank you to our remarkable teachers as a new school year rolls in. Our appreciation should however not end there. Teachers are human beings. They have flesh and blood and thus need a better standard of living to improve their conditions, raise their self-esteem and sustain their enthusiasm for the job.

Police and military officers and other civil servants are provided with government accommodation, and many others enjoy healthy rent subsidies. Food subsidies are also provided for the police and military in the form of bags of rice. Except if things changed a few days ago in the country’s police and military forces, it used to be, “the higher the rank, the more bags of rice you received at the end of the month.” Some senior officers could end up with five or six bags of rice a month. The police and military also had canteens where they bought many household items at a much reduced cost and most times at hire purchase. These are just some of the visible benefits. The invisible ones abound. While I am not advocating that these benefits are discontinued for those who now enjoy them, it is my wish to say that, it is only but fair that other key professionals in the state such as teachers are considered for these benefits. While a chosen few professions are “blest” with what is commonly referred to as “sweets of office”, teachers are “cursed” with what I will call the “acids of office”. It is as if their tongues are designed to taste only vinegar and not sugar and honey.

Without doubt, better pay, subsidised housing and other benefits, in short a better standard of living for our teachers will entail high costs. If however our policy makers fail to raise the standard of living of teachers because of the financial implications, the quality of teaching will only take a further nose dive, but our leaders will agree with the saying, “a good teacher is costly, but a bad teacher costs more.”

UNFORTUNATE OUTCOMES

Low wages and the lack of opportunities lead to a number of unfortunate outcomes for our teachers. Many landlords hardly rent their properties to teachers for obvious reasons. The doors to membership of certain High Society clubs are closed to teachers due to their incapacity to pay subscriptions or match the lifestyles of those who belong to such clubs. Some of our women say it’s bad luck if a teacher makes love advances towards them. Teachers have to establish contacts with second hand clothes and shoe retailers in order to avoid facing the killing prices of brand new items.

The story is different in many other parts of the world even in the little West African country of The Gambia where teachers do not have to perform magic to live in a two bedroom reasonably furnished flat. Many well organised teachers in The Gambia have reasonably good bank accounts and a good number possess private cars and travel abroad on holidays. Good food, clothing, tap water, electricity and easy means of travelling to and from work are not yet in the list of the worries of the teacher in The Gambia. No wonder that Gambians who come to the West for Studies or conferences rush to return home immediately they finish the business they have come for. How do they manage to achieve this in The Gambia? Do we need to send our leaders there to learn some lessons in Governance?

GREENER PASTURES AND WHERE THE LIGHTS ARE BRIGHTER

Given the humiliating situation of the Sierra Leone teacher, the exodus of a highly intelligent and experienced crop of teachers becomes inevitable as they seek careers abroad that will secure for them a better quality of life. Golden opportunities that other lands offer by way of remuneration and comfort are too attractive to ignore for people living in poverty no matter their love for the job and their country. Teaching for the love of it is admirable and desirable, but better conditions of service can serve as a vehicle for achieving high professional standards and high quality education. On this issue of the African Brain Drain, Nelson Mandela is reported as having commented recently that, “we continue to lose the best because the lights in the developed world shine brighter.” How true!
I visited The Gambia ( a developing country ) in June this year and you will be shocked that even years after the end of our civil war, I still met with dozens of Sierra Leonean teachers working there. It would be unfair to accuse them of being unpatriotic for obvious reasons

VICIOUS CYCLE OF CORRUPTION

Aristotle wrote, “The mother of revolution and crime is poverty,” and on the same issue of poverty, Benjamin Franklin wrote, “Poverty often deprives a man of all spirit and virtue: it is hard for an empty bag to stand upright.” Having reached the end of his tether, the Sierra Leone teacher who cannot leave the shores of the country has been forced to embrace a petty type of corruption. While the top government executive can carry passengers in his government vehicle for a fee or send his office messenger to work on his private farm or business, the teacher has virtually nothing to convert to his personal use.

PETTY TRADERS IN TEACHERS’CLOTHING

I visited Sierra Leone in December 2008 and what I saw as a common practice was that many teachers carried two bags to school. For the male teachers, one of the bags contained the teaching materials and the other contained packets of cigarettes which are for sale to teacher colleagues. Periodically, teaching is interrupted by colleagues who come to the classroom of the teacher-trader to buy a stick or two of cigarettes. Imagine five or six colleagues coming to buy cigarettes during a single lesson. The second bag of the female teachers contained various food stuffs for sale to the students and though they do not have to pronounce consequences for those who do not buy their food, the students know they have to buy from their teachers. Meanwhile, the actual food sellers outside have to wait until the teachers’ food is all bought before they sell their food to the children whose choice becomes limited for fear that their teachers will deduct marks or become punitive. No matter how petty this may seem, this is corruption. However, it must be noted that normally, corruption emerges from a mindset based on greed, but while the poor, such as teachers could also be corrupt, their corruption is born out of the need to survive. Survival Corruption you might call it.

THE DEATH OF CREATIVITY AND CRAFTMANSHIP IN OUR SCHOOLS

Years ago, as a primary school pupil, we enjoyed a subject called Art and Crafts. At the end of the school term or year, for our assessment, we were required to bring to school, items we had crafted though sometimes with some help from our elders. We brought along many items made out of local materials such as sticks, wood, clay “raffia” and we felt proud that we had a chance to show that we could be creative especially when we had very good items displayed in our classrooms. Today a child will be doomed to bring to class any item that does not have good money value to the teacher. It is common then to see children take to school items such as soap, vaseline, chains, cups of rice, perfumes etc. The more expensive the item, the higher the mark awarded. What a way of stifling talent ! In an era when the significance of middle level manpower is becoming more and more apparent, the foundation for that is being killed by the teachers’ needs. Again you can call it survival corruption, but you can’t deny that corruption of any type does not support positive human development outcomes.

NEGATIVE ROLE MODELLING

Teachers are entrusted with the all important role of shaping the minds of the growing up generation that will in time be steering the Wheel of State. On a daily basis, our children witness the ills that their role models carry out in the name of survival. Their teachers travel to neighbouring Guinea and Gambia during term time to buy business goods and miss one or two weeks of teaching with impunity simply because the head teacher or principal receives a valuable gift from his/her teacher each time that teacher returns from the business trip. Dishonesty breeds dishonesty. If a child grows up in a culture of dishonest adults, he should be expected to practise and conform to the only norms he knows-those of dishonesty and we perpetuate that well known vicious cycle of corruption or dishonesty. When will Sierra Leoneans talk of any virtuous cycle ?

CONCLUSION

The role of the teacher in shaping the minds of our future nation builders is immense. To watch them rot in misery that leads them to the road of corruption is criminal because at the end of the day, the impact of any misdemeanours they commit comes to all of us as a nation. To our leaders and policy makers, I wish to acknowledge that the task of reversing the trend for our teachers is monumental, but not impossible. Our teachers need higher wages that can match the high speed of inflation. They do not ask for luxurious lifestyles but only a chance to be able to meet life’s basic needs: decent housing, food, clothing, access to health care for them and their families. Meet these needs in order to make good and dedicated teachers. Good and dedicated teachers open windows and doors of opportunities for our children. Ignore the plight of our teachers and make room for the creation of hungry, disgruntled, uncommitted and bad teachers. Bad teachers can only open prison doors for our children. Remember the saying of Bob Talbert, “A good teacher is costly, but a bad teacher costs more.”

"We are an open government" - Hon. Alpha Kanu

Who is Alhaji Alpha Kanu, the minister of Presidential Affairs, popularly known as "Alpha Kahn"?

He is a mining engineer by profession, graduating with a Master of Philosophy (M.Phil) in geophysics from the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom. Upon his return home after post-graduate studies, he worked at the National Diamond Mining Company (NDMC) for a short while before proceeding to lecture at the Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone, for about seven years prior to his appointment as head of department of commercial enterprises where he spent another four years. Thereafter, he joined the private sector becoming an entrepreneur with the launch of his own mining and geological consultancy. In 1991, he entered the airline business establishing Afrik Airlinks, a regional air transportation that caters to Africa.

Until 2002, when he became a Member of Parliament (MP) representing Port Loko District he has not always been a member of the APC. When he was denied the party symbol for the 2007 elections, he joined president Koroma (then opposition leader) as the opposition party spokes person; a job he handled excellently and is widely believed to be responsible for the confidence that president Koroma enjoyed and the positive message communicated to the electorate that led to his victory in 2007. His persuasive skills were at play during the launching of the APC manifesto on July 11, 2007.

Today, he serves as presidential spokesperson and minister of presidential affairs. The soft spoken gentleman, who in some quarters is labelled a “smooth talker”, is widely admired for his eloquence, one of the many skills needed to function effectively as the face of the presidency. With an ebullient character, he is easy to talk to and invites all to ask him any question about the present administration which he prides in being “an open government” and was elected to serve the people.

Ladies and gentlemen, here is Hon. Alhaji Alpha Kanu in an exclusive interview with USA Bureau Chief, Anthony Abdul Karim Kamara, Jnr held at the Willard Intercontinental hotel in Washington DC.

PV: Honourable Kanu, thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to sit down for this interview.

Kanu: You are very welcome. It is always a pleasure for me to talk to people like you who want to know about our government and the country as a whole. We are an open government and we are accountable to our people.

PV: You are the face of the presidency in that you are the presidential spokesperson as well as the minister of presidential affairs. Why don’t you tell us about the roles you play in president’s Koroma’s administration?

Kanu: As the minister of presidential affairs, my role is really to coordinate between the president and the rest of the cabinet; ministries, commissions that are directly under the president and would normally have to interact with him. As the spokesperson for the office of the president, the fact is I only come in when I am needed i.e. speaking for and on behalf the president Otherwise, the office is staffed with competent people who I think are doing a very fine job conveying the president’s day-to-day activities articulately.

PV: What changes do you hope to bring to your office?

Kanu: My office? I don’t have an office. My office is the president’s office. This means I can hardly bring changes to his office. Instead, the changes that he has brought to the office or would like to see done are those that I am going to work on. Of course, as you would expect, there is always room to offer suggestions and the president is someone who listens attentively. We are an open government. The Open Government Initiative is one of the changes that has been instituted whereby the government goes out and speak to the people about the country according them the opportunity to ask questions directly. Another one is stimulating the private sector such that we can have the input, financial resources to bring Sierra Leone out of her current economic underdevelopment. This we have done by prioritizing the urgent needs of the country beginning with energy, agriculture and water supply, infrastructure and transportation among others.

PV: President Koroma has expressed over and again that he wants to run the country like a business concern. Coincidentally, both of you seem to have had business experience before joining politics. What is this all about?

Kanu: For us, our government is indeed like a business. People have to be accountable and they should have timelines to produce positive results. This is why all ministers have signed a contract; a time based contract in which they are reviewed every year. The truth is they have all been doing very well and we are seeing dividends. However, we want to see positive changes all the time; and this is what we are going to do together to bring our country to the next level. This was why president Koroma was elected and he has plans to change Sierra Leone; that is why he continues to call on all to join in the process of developing our homeland. The challenges are many but we have the resolve needed to achieve what we want for this country.

PV: What can you tell us about your secondary school days?

Kanu: Well, let’s see. I attended Collegiate School which was well known for Latin instruction before leaving for St. Francis Secondary School in Makeni. Actually, your dad taught me at St. Francis. I was a keen student of languages and loved French, Latin and English but by the time I entered St. Francis, Latin was no longer offered as part of the curriculum. So, I had to contend with French. I was a science student but I had immense love for reading. I read widely and in the process picked up a lot of knowledge.

I was very lucky to have a very good uncle, Dr. Sheka Kanu who loved education and encouraged us a lot. He was always very strict with us but the truth is he played a major role in my education. He was indeed a role model. May his soul rest in peace.

PV: I asked this question because I overheard a group of young men arguing over what high school you attended. At least, they all agreed that you did a very good job in introducing the presidential delegation; one of the duties we have seen you perform almost on a daily basis here in the US during the various town hall meetings. One of them said “like him or not, the guy is eloquent.” I am sure he was expressing one of the many gifts or skills that people admire you for? What do you have to tell young people who listen to you?

Kanu: The young people? I don’t know except to say that they should be very hardworking in school and try to the very best they could possibly become. They should seek that which they like and have a passion for. They should remain focus and should have an inquisitive mind.

PV: I know you are on your way to the airport this evening. Thank you for your time, sir.

Kanu: Thank you too for your time and keep up the good work.

Photo: Alpha Kanu (right) and PV USA Bureau Chief Anthony Kamara.

This interview was first published on October 14, 2008 on The Patriotic Vanguard's website.

President Koroma endorses APC Party Secretariat’s decision, Osman Conteh concedes defeat!

Anthony Abdul Karim Kamara, Jnr.

In what was considered by many observers and supporters of the APC as a strongly worded message, Ernest Bai Koroma, president of Sierra Leone and leader of the governing All People's Congress (APC), yesterday approved the dissolution of the North America executive and in no uncertain terms, reaffirmed the decision of the party’s national secretariat in Freetown lead by Secretary General, Victor Bockarie Foh.

Delivering his remarks at the Intercontinental Hotel in New York where he is currently a guest as he attends the 64th Plenary Session of the United Nations General Assembly, his second meeting since he took over the reigns of government in Sierra Leone, President Koroma called for the conduct of new, free and fair elections to be held as soon as possible.
Calling on the interim executive led by Leslie Allen, his blunt message was that measures be put in place to bring a speedy conclusion to the matter. Admonishing all to put the party’s interest first, president Koroma urged the interim leadership to present a representative executive that is truly reflective of the APC North America and one that will work hard to embody the ideals of the party.

On the need for a united APC, H.E. Koroma appealed to all to put away their personal agenda and instead work to see the party succeed. "If your goal is to see the party flourish and you have no hidden agenda, then you must work for unity in the party,” said he. In an effort to bring issues to rest, the president reiterated his call informed for elections to be held as soon as possible and pledged to ask the national secretariat to closely monitor events at the North American branch.

Cognizant of year 2012, Koroma cautioned members of the North American APC to elect an executive that will work in tandem with the aims and objectives of the party and the development agenda that he has set out to accomplish for the people of Sierra Leone. “Failure is not and will not be an option for my party and government,” he underscored. Counting on the support of all party members, friends and supporters to embark on a change of attitudes and being responsible of the manner in which the image of the party is portrayed, he challenged all to “ensure that we do the things that will make us an electable government in 2012.”

In an apparent swipe to all party members who have disrespected the office of Sierra Leone’s ambassador to the United States, especially with the many accusations and innuendos that have been circulated all over the Diaspora and the various local and international media houses about the current ambassador, Bockarie Kortu Stevens, the president was unequivocal: "Ambassadors are my representatives. Any disrespect for them is disrespect for me, too. They are fully mandated to represent me and our country abroad. That is why they have all the honour and privileges bestowed on me. If we are interested in being members of the party, we must respect that.” With a deep sense of disapproval, president Koroma warned all to desist immediately from any acts of insubordination that have no room in a party where he is the leader.

That a ruling has been reached in almost a week since his arrival in New York with a strong condemnation for the conduct of some in the party, behaviour which threatens to bring disrepute to the office of Sierra Leone’s Embassy (if it has not already done so), is not a surprise.

Perhaps, the surprise, if any, as confirmed reports indicate is that Camp Osman Conteh had submitted a formal letter of complaint to the president after Sunday’s town hall meeting in New York detailing Ambassador Stevens’ alleged practices within the APC-NA. This is in addition (as confirmed by Osman Conteh) to a meeting both camps held in New York again on Wednesday with Minister IB Kargbo which included members of Camp Stevens (Ambassador Stevens & Nanette Thomas) where subtle signals were perceived by team Osman Conteh (Osman and Mohamed S. Fornah) that victory in this tumultuous issue was within their reach. President Koroma could not attend because he was busy preparing his UN address which he delivered on Thursday, September 24.

Responding to questions I posed to him via telephone after all indications pointed to a losing battle on his side, deposed Osman Conteh, who was in high spirits humbly acknowledged having lost the battle to Ambassador Stevens. Even as he conceded defeat, he is of the strong belief that his defeat had to do with politics and has been left with no recourse to turn to except to accept President Koroma’s directives. Asked whether he continues to believe in President Koroma as a leader of the APC, his answer was a resounding yes but alluded to quotations attributed to economist, John Kenneth Galbraith that “There are times in politics when you must be on the right side and lose.” He continues to ponder his next options.

As he proceeded to his hotel driving through the streets of New York to retire to bed after a long day of activities with his boss around midnight, I caught up with Ambassador Stevens. Calm, humble but confident, Stevens informed me that he had no comments concerning the APC saga because the leader of his party, President Koroma had drawn the curtain on the issue. Asked about all those articles on various news outlets, his belief was that the writers of those articles did so to influence his boss who as he puts it “understand it and has come out very strongly and is in support of the decisions taken by the secretariat and has reaffirmed his confidence in the decision that I conveyed and he fully supports it and nothing will change. Elections will be held in ninety days and whoever wants to contest, can do so,” he noted.

The new executive that has been mandated to carry out the affairs of the party on an interim basis until elections are held in three months are: Leslie Allen who was vice chairman and now occupies the position of Chairman, Abdul Bero Kamara who retains his position as secretary general, Banister Koroma appointed to the position of Organizing Secretary, Mohamed Koya Bangura appointed as Financial Secretary and Abu B. Bangura, as Treasurer. Foday Mansaray, Dr. Bankole Gibson and Sidique Kamara to the positions of Public Relations officer, Communications Director and Compliance Officer respectively.

*Editor’s Note: Anthony Kamara, Jnr. is PV’s USA Bureau Chief and Acting Deputy Editor. For comments, he can be reached via email at usapvchief@yahoo.com.

President Koroma at the 64th UN General Assembly

President Ernest Koroma’s speech at the UN

Statement by His Excellecy Dr. Ernest Koroma,

President of the Reupblic of Sierra Leone,

At the 64th session of the United Nations General Assembly, New York,

24 September 2009

Mr. President,

Your Majesties, Excellencies,

Distinguished Delegates,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I feel highly honoured to address this distinguished Assembly once again. I would like to start by congratulating you, Mr. President, on your assumption of the Presidency of the Sixty-Fourth Session of the United Nations General Assembly and, to assure you of my delegation’s support and cooperation as you perform the demanding task of presiding over our deliberations this session.

Through you Mr. President, I would also like to convey my sincere gratitude to His Excellency, Monsignor Miguel d’Escoto Brockmann for the efficient and effective manner in which he conducted the previous session. My appreciation also goes to the Secretary-General for his comprehensive account of the work of the organization and his analysis of the challenges facing the global community.

Mr. President,

The theme for this year’s session is apt and timely. It is only through dialogue amongst the different civilizations of the world represented in this deliberative body and the strengthening of the institutions and architecture responsible for promoting this dialogue that we could effectively meet the challenges posed by the current global crises. Dialogue promotes understanding; understanding enhances cooperation; cooperation gives vitality and legitimacy to the institutions and mechanisms that have been structured for meeting our common challenges and goals.

Civilizations began as magnificent blueprints for meeting challenges that were specific to particular regions of the world; but advances in technology and communications have made many problems no longer specific to particular regions. Climate change, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and the swine flu pandemics, the food and fuel crises, including the present global economic meltdown, terrorism, nuclear proliferation, and drug trafficking are all beyond the reach of any of the world’s civilizations to tackle without international cooperation. Whilst the major causes of these challenges may arise from particular regions, their impacts are global and affect the lives and fortunes of peoples of all civilizations. Dialogue amongst civilizations would create the synergies required to tackle the causes and impacts of the global crises.

Mr. President,

My government fully subscribes to and supports the promotion of dialogue as well as the facilitation of the relevant mechanisms that helps to ameliorate the impact of the global crisis. Amongst some population groups, the impact of the crisis may be on the size of their bonuses; on others it may be on whether they acquire a second car or not. But for the vast number of people, particularly in Africa, the impact of the crisis creates life-threatening situations. Years of conflict had increased the number of poor and vulnerable people in my country. However, stable economic growth, remittances, and international financial and security support were increasing prospects for ameliorating the situation; but the present global financial crisis has suddenly decreased those prospects, pushing greater numbers of our people to extreme forms of poverty.

We in Sierra Leone are saddled with the effects of trade imbalances in international commerce. Our economy continues to be vigorously challenged by the falling prices of our exports in the international market. This includes diamonds and cash crops. The effect of this intractable problem is that we are not able to garner enough foreign exchange to import the basic commodities we need for sustenance. We are on the threshold of the tenth year of the implementation of the Millennium Declaration, and yet the prospects for achieving the Millennium Development Goals by 2015 remain dismal for Africa.

Mr. President,

Many countries in Africa, including mine, have in the last few years registered important improvements in the essential areas of governance, economic and social indicators. My country, Sierra Leone is putting in place mechanisms to ensure stable democratic regimes. In Sierra Leone, worldwide indicators show that we have made the fastest progress in political stability.

Our economic growth remains strong at 6 to 9%. My government has firmed up the aspirations of our people in an Agenda for Change that sets out four clear priorities: agriculture, energy, infrastructure, and reforms to improve health and education service delivery. We are already delivering results on our priorities. Key roads are under construction, we have completed the hydro-electric project which is supplying clean affordable power to Freetown for the first time, and our reforms have ensured that we are the best performer among neighboring countries according to the Doing Business Index.

Mr. President,

My government will not sustain these results without multi-lateral support. On November 18 and 19 this year, we will be organizing a Consultative Group Meeting on Sierra Leone in London to dialogue with investors, donors and other partners, and mobilize support for our efforts in tackling the many challenges facing our country. We see the Sierra Leone Conference as a problem-solving dialogue; we aspire to a conference that will build an action-oriented multi-lateral framework for meeting the challenges we face. My country believes in multi-lateralism; we believe in dialogue amongst nations as the most effective means for tackling the challenges that we face. We call upon all countries to ensure that the current financial crisis does not prevent the many African nations only recently removed from violent conflict to be denied the security and prospects for prosperity that we have all worked so hard to achieve.

Mr. President,

I would like to address another issue my delegation takes very seriously, one that is interwoven with the financial crisis, poverty and development - the serious threat Climate Change poses to human development and to African nations. Despite scientific consensus that the Earth is warming at an alarming rate, progress in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and limiting global warming to below 2°C per year has proven elusive. Today, the poorest nations, who contribute the least to the phenomenon, are the most vulnerable. The recent torrential rainfall in Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone, left scores of people dead, homeless and seriously injured. Drought, hurricanes, floods, the changing patterns of rainfall, rising sea levels and low crop-yields rank high among the key challenges facing the world’s poor. Unfortunately, those nations with the least resources are the most unprepared for such challenges.

Excellencies and distinguished delegates, it is our obligation to reverse the alarming rate of environmental destruction and depletion of our natural resources. It is in this regard that I wish to reiterate the African common position on climate change, which among other things urges the developed countries to cut down on greenhouse gas emissions by 40%. This is certainly not an ambitious goal. It is the least that we, the most vulnerable, deserve.

We believe that in addition to the necessity of investing in clean development mechanisms, the world’s developed countries must take a leadership role by providing adequate and predictable financial and technical support to less developed countries to foster effective adaptation as well as mitigation measures. We share the Secretary-General’s vision that the Climate Change Summit in Copenhagen “represents a unique and powerful opportunity at a critical moment in human history to steer humankind towards a safer, more stable, and more sustainable future.”

Mr. President,

A final threat critical to future stability of nations around the world is the increasing proliferation of small arms and light weapons which, as former Secretary General Kofi Annan recently emphasized, are tantamount to weapons of mass destruction in slow motion, possessing the capability of destabilizing countries and entire regions. Given that many African countries routinely face political instability and violent threats, the need for strengthening national, regional and sub-regional conflict-resolution mechanisms throughout Africa is imperative to address a variety of issues including small arms. Peace and development can be achieved in Africa, in part, by exploration of the evolving peace and security architecture within the African Union, ECOWAS, SADC and the Peace Building Commission.

Mr. President,

Against this background, I wish to reiterate that collaborative efforts among members of the international community are crucial for addressing our global problems and that international support remains critical for the consolidation of hard-won gains by nations emerging from war. It is our hope that the United Nations and our development partners will continue to be our steadfast allies in our ongoing struggle for economic progress and development. In this regard, I urge that we continue to forge enhanced cooperation between the United Nations and the African Union as well as the sub-regional organizations, beyond rhetoric and in concrete ways, in pursuit of these efforts.

Mr. President,

As I intimated this assembly last session, we have come a long way and thanks to multi-lateral and bi-lateral efforts for our survival as a nation. The on-going peacebuilding efforts spearheaded by the UN Peacebuilding Commission continue to strengthen the peace consolidation process in the country. As a payback and in the spirit of reciprocity, I am pleased to announce that Sierra Leone has fully joined the rank of troop contributing countries in UN peacekeeping operations.

Mr. President,

Multilateralism is vital for international cooperation and response to global crises. In the bid to promote effective multilateralism, my government has continued to engage the international community to effect various reform measures aimed at strengthening our intergovernmental organizations including, the Bretton Woods Institutions with a view to making them more inclusive, transparent and democratic in their decision making. An effective and legitimate United Nations cannot be obtained without a truly reformed Security Council. The on-going intergovernmental negotiations on the question of equitable representation on, and increase in the membership of the Security Council and other matters related to Council have progressed through three rounds in informal plenary of the last Session of the General Assembly. We, in Africa have consistently demanded that the historical injustice that is rooted in our under-representation and non-representation in both the non-permanent and permanent categories of the council respectively be addressed without any further delay. It is in this respect that we have continued to negotiate in good faith and mutual trust. I trust that the outcome of these negotiations will lead to a meaningful reform of this principal decision-making organ of the UN in the maintenance of international peace and security. We, in Africa stand ready, willing and prepared, as always, to resume negotiations during this session.

Mr. President,

Let us promote multilateralism and strengthen our collaborative efforts to contain the rising threats to our planet.

I thank you Mr. President.

Courtesy of The Patriotic Vanguard.

Brima M. Turay – Arizona; USA

I read Anthony Abdul Karim Kamara’s interview with Ambassador Stevens on the Patriotic Vanguard Online Newspaper and what I can see is a total disservice by Ambassador Stevens to the North America branch of the APC and to the people of Sierra Leone in particular. The least the Ambassador could have done is act with honesty to himself and to the people of Sierra Leone by telling the truth as it is supposed to be told.

Points of Contention:

The Ambassador’s Functions in the US:
He should have been honest enough to point out that an ambassadorial position is a national function and not a party assignment. He is not a registered member of the APC North America branch and therefore has no business deciding who should and should not be Chairman of the branch.

He calls the affairs of the North America branch a part-time job for him but he is not honest enough to tell the world that a part-time employee hardly enjoys all the benefits and privileges that usually come with the employment package. As a part-timer, he should know that he has a boss in the branch in the person of Chairman Osman Conteh, and therefore all branch matters must go through the legitimate head.

Venting on the Media outlets:

When the APC North America branch was campaigning actively on the electronic media against the opposition SLPP and using all tactics and messages to convince supporters to vote for the APC, the ambassador and his supporters did not call the exercise inappropriate because it benefits the APC. Now that we are trying to point out how he and his cronies are trying to destroy such hard work by our branch, he is calling it inappropriate.

I hope the ambassador understands that, as full-time voluntary employees of the APC North America branch, we reserve the right to use every medium to register our frustration over the things that he is doing wrong, especially if he refuses to listen to us and choose to act arbitrarily.

The APC party secretariat, which the Ambassador so rightly said is the direct overseer of the North America branch, should communicate all matters directly with our branch Chairman and not with the Ambassador. Does the Ambassador see the conflict of interest that we are trying to fight against? I guess not, otherwise he could have seen the un-welcomed double role that he is playing.

Victor Foh does not care about the North America branch beyond exploiting us in the name of the APC party. Otherwise, he would be communicating with us directly. Instead, he collaborates with the Ambassador to frustrate our efforts because Chairman Conteh is not dancing to his tune of demands for cash. This time, we are going to save our cash and energy for our next allegiance if the APC does not instruct Ambassador Stevens to wash his hands off our affairs but decide to keep us at bay.

The Ambassador’s Double tongue:
When asked why the branch fell back into chaos after vice President Alhaji Samuel Sumana managed to reinstate Chairman Conteh, the Ambassador states that Osman’s reinstatement was carried out by an Advisory Committee appointed by the executive of the North America branch.

I was wondering what Executive the ambassador is referring. How could there be a legitimate executive at the time if the Chairman was under suspension and seven out of twelve Chapters had ceded and sided with Chairman Conteh? The Ambassador refused to see the illegitimacy of any executive body at that time. The vice president was wise enough to see that there was no administrative structure at that moment and that was the reason why he appointed an Advisory Committee to oversee the affairs of the branch until Chairman Conteh is reinstated. The ambassador cannot even be honest enough to commend the vice President for a job well done.

If the Ambassador had too much on his plate for Sierra Leone, as he stated in the interview, he should have known that he had no business taking extra responsibilities as Chairman of an Advisory Committee of the branch. There are many competent people to act in that role.

The Ambassador also denied that he had no personal grudge for Chairman Conteh. Records will show that after the executive of the branch voted to send $10,000 to refurbish the Kissy mental home in Freetown, the ambassador took offense and scolded Osman Conteh for approving the decision without consulting him. This was the beginning of the grudge against Chairman Conteh. It is all about money and personal aggrandizements, and I hope the ambassador would be honest enough to tell the world about the source of his vendetta.

Illegitimacy of Chapters:

When asked why he dissolved the 7 Chapters, the ambassador stated that those Chapters did not meet the requirements in the bylaws. This is the kind of hypocrisy that we are trying to fight against.

When those Chapters were campaigning actively and raising money to finance the APC before and during the elections, the Ambassador and his Judases did not reject those Chapters as being illegitimate. Now, he is using unrelated clauses in the bylaws to knock them off because he knew that those Chapters support Chairman Conteh. Mr. Ambassador, be honest to yourself and to the Sierra Leonean people. We may look like a submissive bunch of supporters but we are not dumb!

Like I stated before, I want to make it categorically clear that the marriage between the APC and the North America branch is one of convenience; and until someone realizes that we deserve respect and recognition, we will continue to remain as an independent force and only throw our support behind those who rightly deserve it!