By: Saidu Jalloh
In the 2024 financial year budget discussion, the Minister of Sports, Augusta James Teima has at the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development Conference Room, George Street, Freetown last week revealed that Sport for development and peace is their core aim this fiscal year.
The Deputy Minister of Finance II, Mr. Bockarie Albert Kalokoh chaired the Programme and welcomed members of the ministry, CSO and the Media. Mr Kalokoh expressed delight and in being part of such discussion and wished all MDAs would concentrate on how to generate revenue than to ask for more revenue.
The Minister of Sports, Augusta James Teima used the opportunity to introduce the staffs of the ministry and also explained the vision, mission and mandate of the ministry. In introducing the vision, she said that the vision of the ministry is to have a perfect working machinery for the promotion and development of sports by providing leadership with character, care and commitment to organize, coordinate and collaborate with relevant stakeholders and donor partners to equip all sporting disciplines and support professionals; with resources that will enhance National wide participation in national and international competitions and above all to create an innovative and inclusive nation through sports.
She also said that the mission of the ministry is to give directives to the National Sports Authority (NSA), supervise and monitor the implementation of the project and programmes of all sporting activities and association throughout the country, engage in sports as a means of economic growth, by connecting Sierra Leone to the rest of the world through participation and support to effective media engagement thereby promoting social responsibility, ensure the quality of life, of all Sierra Leoneans relating to the sports is improved by building the capacity if youths, schools/ colleges, empowering women and the physically challenged to engage in sports.
She also added that the mandate is to design and develop appropriate policies and programmes that will ensure and promote sports throughout the country and to provide long lasting options intended to address the emerging needs of athletes in a sustainable manner.
Mrs. Augusta James Teima also gave an update on Budget FY 2022 on the activities the ministry undertook in 2022 and the total amount of money those activities cost. She said the budget from 2022 was 5,774,100 and the actual budget disbursed was 3,537,313 and the variance was 2,236,787. She also gave the budget summary of FY 2022 financial; she said the proposed budget was Nle. 5.6 million, while the approved budget was Nle. 3.64 million, and the actual amount disbursed was Nle. 1.3 million.
She furthered that the ministry had delivered on some of their activities in 2022, in areas such as: development/ review/ harmonies sports policies, regulations of the NSA Acts 2017, creation of sports directorate in the ministry, rehabilitation and construction of sports infrastructure across the country, strengthening institutional capacity for staff and sports official for effective management of sports activities across the country, recruitment and deployment of sports officer in the 22 local council, privatization of the national stadium and its ancillary facilities.
Minister James Teima affirmed that they have achieved as a ministry to resume the Sierra Leone Premier League in Collaboration with NACOVERC and other relevant stakeholders, $ 40m grant provided but the Chinese Government for the rehabilitation and renovation of the National Stadium, very recently Sierra Leone won (4) Gold medals two (2) Silvers at para – Athletic games in Tunisia, for over 20 years the national team Leone Stars qualified for the 2021 AFCON competition in Cameroon.
She continued that they have had challenges in the Fiscal Year of 2022 to execute some of their activities in which she said were, budget approved was lower than budget submitted, only 40% of the budget was approved, there were challenges to implement activities that were initially planned, late disbursement of funds, inadequate technical staffs, for example no sports officers and director, insufficient vehicles and motor cycles for efficient implementation of ministry activities, insufficient and inadequate working tools ( computers, photocopiers, printers)
She climaxed the presentation by saying Ministry of Sports is not a direct revenue generation Ministry but however, it will work in the following ways to make sure that some revenue are generated in FY 2024: work directly with its implementing Agency, the NSA to see how best revenue can be generated, since the NSA is responsible for the Government Sport facilities, example the National Stadium, the Bo City Stadium, also work in partnership with World Sport Bodies and organizations to support for sports development and promotion in the country as a member state of that world body, example The World Sports Alliance ( WSA).