By George M.O. Williams
“The first of my big five initiatives is to ‘feed salone’, this initiative entails an ambitious programme to boost our staple food production to drastically minimize our reliance on food imports, increase exports, create jobs, foster economic growth, and reduce poverty,” President Julius Maada Bio said.
He made this statement during the launch of Sierra Leone Peoples Party’s (SLPP) People’s Manifesto on Tuesday May 23, 2023, at the Eastern Technical University in Kenema.
Feed Sierra Leone is one of five key initiatives anchored for building an inclusive and prosperous Sierra Leone, and for faster and lasting transformation.
Bio also claimed that they (the Government of Sierra Leone) have improved the economy, reduced endemic corruption, improved people’s trust in Government, built and refurbished major infrastructure and significantly enhanced our human capital base.
Additionally, he highlighted that the People’s Manifesto also focuses on human capital development for nurturing skills for 21st century industry; Youth Employment Scheme (YES) that aims at creating 500,000 jobs in five years; revamping the public service through delivering efficiency, professionalism, technology and infrastructure to serve as pathways for sustained economic growth.
He mentioned that they will continue to invest more in healthcare systems as a key driver for a productive society and create equal opportunities for women across all works of life.
“In the next five years, the SLPP will continue its mission of fostering a professional and meritocratic public service that is fit for purpose and delivers on its mandate. Our goal is to attract, support and retain the best and brightest to serve the people of Sierra Leone,” President Bio said.
The National Chairman of the Sierra Leone People’s Party, Dr. Prince Alex Harding said that the People’s Manifesto is a social contract between the People of Sierra Leone and the Government.
He added that it is a serious contract and that they (SLPP) will ensure that every component of that manifesto is treated seriously in the best interest of all Sierra Leoneans.
Speaking at the ceremony, the former Chief Minister, said that the manifesto was developed based on democratic experience they had had in the past five years.
He mentioned that for the completion of that document, they received different contributions from experienced party stakeholders, adding that those contributions were later revisited and the most relevant were put together to form the manifesto.