<strong>Economic Hardship Bites Sierra Leoneans Deep!!!</strong>

We in this medium, PUBLIC REVIEW are very concerned about the economic hardship in Sierra Leone. Seriously, economic hardship is biting Sierra Leoneans deep!! In an alleyway off in the streets of Freetown especially in the central part, many beggars and traders are studiously hammering away at the chain of abject poverty. Public Review visited various communities/ youth locations to seek devised opinions on the economic situation of the country. Indeed, there is a profound feeling and smell of public dissatisfaction and suffering hanging like a dark cloud over the lives and destiny of Sierra Leoneans which need to be addressed NOW. Based on the various opinions gathered, the masses are suffering to the core. When you see some of them, suffering and abject poverty is vividly written on their faces and even a blind man can read the poverty lines on their faces. Sitting and standing without hope and financial support, Matia Komba, a 32-year-old driver and former teacher says things are hard and economic hardship bites deep to the morrow. He said: “Really, we have all these minerals, but things are still hard. However, honestly, the government is trying on the side of education, but there are still problems on the table: no jobs for the youth, the fuel price is vastly increasing every day, economic hardship bites deeper…the president need to do more.”

Moreover, unemployment rate is astronomically high and it has brought a sharp thorn in the flesh of the fledging economy. Moving things from the frying pan into the fire, the price of fuel constantly skyrocketing every moment and hour. Put simple, the price of petroleum products has witnessed a steady rise in recent times with ripple effects on public transportation and the cost of local products, the price of rice, the staple food, has also progressively hiked. This is coupled with an unprecedented rise in the prices of building materials, with a direct impact on housing. According to Hassan Koroma, a civil right activist said: “looking at the 17 SDS goals, goal 1 focuses on no poverty. In line with that, each and every government has a key responsibility to vastly reduce economic hardship for the people. As civil rights activist, I should be honest here that economic hardship is rapidly growing…”

As hardship continues to linger on many families, it has shattered the dreams of many Sierra Leoneans. At the outskirt of Freetown, Moyeaba, we at Public Review saw the ordeal of a 12 year old boy, AbassTuray. These days, through no fault of his, AbassTuray no longer goes to school simply because of the economic hardship in the country. He is among the 20 workers, including women and children that continuously sweat it out every day at the quarry. Abass’s life, his frail and fragile frame exemplifies a significant form of child labor that children in Sierra Leone suffer every moment/ hour. In deep tears, Abass manages to mutter: “My parents really want to send me to school, but poverty has put the bonkers on it. It sometimes pains me when I see my mates clad in uniform, holding their bags with their lunch packs every day to go school. Our house is just a few meters from this quarry. To make ends meet, I wake up from bed at around 5:30 a.m every day. Without even washing my face let alone ask for breakfast ….I will then take my tools bag, carry it on my head and then walk to the quarry…I am the breadwinner for my family.” He aims to become a journalist. He admires UmaruFofonah. On the side of the ruling party, the government is fighting very hard to see global hardship does not swallow/ consume Sierra Leoneans. According to Councilor Mohamed Conteh at ward 109 told Expo Times that: “The economy hardship in Sierra Leone is a global thing. The Russian war and COVID 19 issues have put a thorn to the economic growth in Sierra Leone. Notwithstanding, to a greater extent, the government is trying to improve the lives of people. On the side of media freedom, education and gender equality have been the good strides for the New Direction government…”

Moreover, Fatmata Sesay, a 26 year trader also explains her frustration on the economic hardship. For her, the traders don’t have good places to do their businesses and sometimes they are blame for the increment of prices of goods and services. She said: “No conducive places for us to do our businesses. The government is levying too many taxes on businesses. So we too have to increase the prices of our goods to cover our expenses and try to realize some profits. The government of Sierra Leone has not done much in addressing economic hardship in the country…”

For the poor, having a meal is arduous nowadays. Even those who are working on minimum wages could hardly afford one nutritious meal a day let alone two for a small/ large family. Above all these, the downtrodden and the poorest, mostly unemployed in Sierra Leone today are the worst hit.

Based on the Budget speech read by the Minister of Finance, Shaku Ahmed Fantamadi Bangura, it seems that the government is a bit concern about the economic hardship in Sierra Leone.

He said:

Mr. Speaker, Honorable Members, the multiple and repeated shocks
and associated disruptions in supply chains, rise in the global prices of food and
fuel and sharp depreciation in the currencies of low-income countries including
Sierra Leone have translated into a cost of living crises. In addition, rising debt
levels and related debt service payments have squeezed the fiscal space of many
developing countries, thereby limiting their capacity to provide basic services to
their populations. The situation is worsened by the emergence of geo-economic
and political fragmentation and the resurgence of protectionist policies including
export bans on essential commodities including rice.In the circumstances, it is imperative for countries to implement measures
to mitigate the impact of the multiple crises on their people. In Sierra Leone,
despite the limited fiscal space amid competing priorities, Government is
implementing the following interventions to cushion the impact of the crises on
the people.Mr. Speaker, Honorable Members, following the establishment of the
MUNAFA Fund (a revolving micro credit scheme) and the provision of resources
for on-lending to MSMEs, I am pleased to report that the Fund has reached
10,889 beneficiaries, 72 percent, of which, are women. Government remains
committed to providing additional resources to expand the programme and
reinforce its role in employment, wealth creation and poverty alleviation.