By Fatima Kpaka
The Parliament of Sierra Leone has on Tuesday, October 15, 2024, ratified the Millennium Challenge Compact between the Republic of Sierra Leone and the United States of America and the Programme Implementation Agreement Between the Republic of Sierra Leone and the United States of America.
The two agreements, championed by the Minister of Finance, Sheku Ahmed Fantamadi Bangura, were unanimously approved by the Members of Parliament, following an emergency sitting convened by the President of Sierra Leone, Dr. Julius Maada Bio. He assured them that these agreements hold immense potential for the nation, particularly in the energy sector, sparking hopes and optimism for Sierra Leone’s future.
Hon. Ibrahim Barrie said the grant is a big boost for the energy sector. He called on the government to adhere to the recommendations in the agreement to enhance democracy, especially for elections to be free and fair in Sierra Leone. He added that the pre-conditions attached to the Compact would help create a system for credible elections that are free from manipulation. He said the sacrifice made for democracy today was paid by thousands of soldiers who lost their lives in the course of fighting for democracy. He said the 2023 elections were a reminder for future free, fair, and credible elections. He expressed thanks and appreciation to the US Government for the MCC grant.
Hon. Ibrahim Barrie alluded that the APC welcomed the MCC, and they are committed to supporting the MCC Compact.
Hon. Hindolo Ngavao said the MCC aims to reduce poverty and strengthen governance and economic freedom in Sierra Leone. He commended the people of Sierra Leone for supporting President Bio to pass the required criteria to get to the MCC threshold.
Hon. Tamba Kellie also joined the bandwagon to thank the US Government for granting Sierra Leone the MCC.
Hon. Ing. Fallah Tengbeh said it was the first time Sierra Leone had brought home such a huge amount of money through an MCC grant. He called on Members of Parliament to lavish praises on President Julius Maada Bio for his good leadership. He added that the agreement is not contentious.
Hon. Peter Yamba Koroma from Bombali said the MCC is very unprecedented for Sierra Leone, especially the 480-million-dollar energy grant. He said the support of the people in terms of promoting democratic governance helped the nation to secure the grant. He said the nation needs to celebrate the MCC with caution. He said the nation should be happy because energy is a key to transformative development for a nation.
Hon. Daniel Brima Koroma, Deputy Opposition Leader from Koinadugu District, said the fight for the award of the MCC Grant started way back. He thanked the Minister of Finance and the Government of Sierra Leone for such an opportunity for the nation. He said it is only an insane person that would kick against the MCC Grant. He also thanked the US Government for the MCC Grant. He said the government needs to convince him that respect for Human Rights and the fight against corruption were the criteria for the award of the MCC Grant.
He called on the House to support the MCC agreement, noting that the MCC agreement is not for SLPP or APC but for the people of Sierra Leone.
Hon. Saa Emerson Lamina, Deputy Leader II of Government Business, said the agreements will benefit the people of Sierra Leone. He revealed that before 2018, Sierra Leone failed the MCC, which President Bio promised and had passed the MCC. He commended the Opposition for supporting the MCC. He said the Feed Salone initiative would not be actualized if the energy supply is not actualized and intensified. He added that the MCC is in alignment with the Sierra Leone Development Plan. He called on all MPs to unanimously ratify the agreements.
The Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Hon. Ibrahim Tawa Conteh, also called on the MPs to applaud the Speaker for preventing politics in the ratification of the MCC Agreement. He said 70 of the EGTC Staff are on contract. He claimed that some of the contracted staff of EGTC are responsible for the vandalization of transformers or electricity theft when they become disgruntled. He expressed dismay that the entire agreement did not mention Bumbuna. He anticipated that the agreement would be focused on developing Bumbuna. He called on the Minister to address the concerns, including managing the huge liability of EDSA and EGTC.
Hon. Abdul Kargbo, the Opposition Leader, said the MCC is for Sierra Leone and is not tied to a specific political party. He added that the MCC also aimed at alleviating extreme poverty in the nation. The Opposition Leader noted that there are preconditions for the eligibility of the MCC, and he called on the government to uphold and take those conditions into serious consideration. He added that Sierra Leone is losing tremendously from the energy sector. He called for energy generation and the government to put forward a strategy for sustained energy generation. He said that if the government doesn’t implement the recommendations, the MCC would terminate or suspend the grant. He reiterated this by calling on the government to fully implement the MCC’s recommendations. He said despite one of the recommendations, which says that all persons arrested due to political violence should be released, he said up to now, the Government of Sierra Leone had not released any of those political prisoners. He said Resolution 4 of the Tripartite Recommendations had been delayed. The Opposition Leader called on the Speaker and the Government of Sierra Leone to work with the Opposition to meet the threshold recommendations contained in the Tripartite Report.
The Acting Leader of Government Business Hon. Bashiru Silikie, commended the role of the Opposition Party in ensuring that they worked together for the award of the MCC. He acknowledged the role of the APC Government in meeting the MCC threshold in 2014. He said that because President Julius Maada Bio had been very adamant in the fight against corruption, the highest scorecard precipitated the US480 million MCC Grant. He said the MCC is a very good agreement for the country. He said the agreement would encourage the Parliamentary Oversight Committee on energy to provide adequate oversight in the implementation of the agreement. He called on all citizens to support the implementation of the MCC Grant.