Sierra Leone will need a staggering $19.6 billion to reach the Millenium Development Goals.
Below are just a few of the issues raised at the seminar:
Electricity
The energy situation is a priority if the Sierra Leoneon economy is too continue
to progress. A Taskforce has been put in place and the hope is that within 3 years there will be a turnaround.
Health
Healthcare is suffering because of the lack of qualified physicians. Many are trained and then leave contributing
to the "brain drain" syndrome aflicting many developing countries.
Mining
The Government have begun tackling Sierra Leone's ineffectual mining regulations in
the hope of maximising revenue potential.
Tax Collection
70% of Sierra Leonean businesses are informal activities which do not generate tax revenue. The Government
will implement schemes to formalise these businesses and the newly established SME Commission will facilitate access to microfinance
and training.
Diaspora
The Office of the Diaspora has been established to coordinate the activities of the Diaspora
with the people of Sierra Leone.
Debt Burden
While sovereign debt has not been completely extinguished, Sierra Leone has attained completion points which
have reduced the debt burden by some way.
Aid
The government is focussed on maintaining a good relationship with the World Bank and IMF, but
will seek the interest of Sierra Leonean's in all negotiations.
Youth
A Youth Commission has been established as an independent and autonomous body. Youth centres
will be set up in major towns to provide a place where the youth can seek advice around employment and education. The centres
will assist in generating the numbers of unemployed. The Goverment will provide more job opportunities that are labour intensive
such as road building and agriculture. In the long-term training centres will be set up to train youth in skilled jobs. These
schemes will of course be dependent upon the growth of the economy.
