By: Saidu Jalloh
The Sierra Leone Compact Development Unit has in press release dated 7th November, 2023 informed the Sierra Leoneans that Sierra Leone has passed its fifth consecutive Millennium Challenge Corporation [MCC] scorecard which is one of the tools MCC uses to determine eligibility for its assistance programme.
SLCDU press release stated that on the FY 2024 scorecard, in the category of ruling justly, Sierra Leone continues to pass five out of five the six indicators including political rights and civil liberties. Its consistent performance in that category reflects the Government’s deep commitment to enhancing Sierra Leone’s democratic credentials. While there was a slight decline in the percentile rank for control of corruption from 79% to 76%, this is the fifth consecutive time Sierra Leone has passed the control of corruption indicator. Also, Sierra Leone remains among the ten performers in its income category on this indicator.
The press release further states that Sierra Leone passed the new indicator on employment opportunities which were introduced in 2022. It’s increased from 44% to 87% on the FY2024 MCC scorecard, placing it among the best performers in Sub-Sahara Africa. SLCDU also added that through the enactment of the employment Act of 2023, Sierra Leone was able to significantly improve performances in the areas of employment discrimination and disability rights. The robust worker’ protection framework promulgated by these two pieces of legislation lays a solid foundation for achieving one of the Government’s big five game changer- youth employment.
‘’Progress also continues to be made in investing in people category. Sierra Leone passed the newly added General Election Expenditure indicator, a testament to the successful implementation of President Julius Maada Bio’s Human Capital Development Initiative which resulted in 22% of Sierra Leone’s budget being dedicated to education over the last five years. Sierra Leone also recorded improvements in Girls Primary School Completion Rate indicators,’’ SLCDU press release reads.
The press release also noted that receiving the MCC scorecard from the US Ambassador Bryan Hunt, President Julius Maada Bio noted his Government’s consistent progress on the MCC scorecard and reaffirmed his continued commitment to MCC process. The press lamented that President expressed appreciation for the MCC scorecard which he described as an assessment of his Government’s performance by an independent and international respected organization.
Also, the press release said that the Honorable Vice President who supervises the MCC process commended the Ministries Department and Agencies that have supported Sierra Leone’s good performances in the scorecard over the last five years. The press release ended by saying that the Honorable Vice President encouraged them to redouble their efforts to improve performances in Government’s priority areas.
