This archive report was first published on 31 July 2019.
On April 4, 2019, Sierra Leone's President Julius Maada Bio marked his first year in office with a visit to an orphanage in Freetown, promising the children a brighter future. The President had campaigned on a platform of uprooting corruption and improving governance, which he believed had denied millions of Sierra Leoneans prosperity under his predecessor's decade in power.
However, critics say the President's administration has failed to address the country's economic woes, including a skyrocketing cost of living and a collapsing local currency, the Leone. The Leone was trading at 9,250 to the dollar on Wednesday, down from 8.405 units in August last year, and has lost 8.2 per cent of its value this year alone.
President Bio has implemented several policies aimed at improving governance, including the introduction of the Free Quality Education, which has benefitted 1.5 million children, and service delivery in health and social protection in a bid to reduce poverty. The Anti-Corruption Commission has also reported an unprecedented increase in prosecution of public officials and recovery of ill-gotten wealth, with the amount recovered at the end of December standing at Le 12 billion (nearly $1.5 million).
However, the President's critics, including the opposition, say his administration has failed to address the country's economic woes and has instead used Executive orders to bypass due process and the legislature. The Campaign for Good Governance (CGG) has warned that Executive orders do not build consensus and are open to abuse.
