By: Mohamed Jalloh
(Commentary)
Even when Dr Memunatu pratt, the current minister of Tourism and Cultural Affairs is breaking barriers and going beyond expectations to revamp the Tourism sector in Sierra Leone, there are no shortages of political minded pen pushers whose ultimate objective is to make her look bad in the eyes of the public. Contrary to some misleading reports in a local tabloid incriminating Dr Memunatu Pratt, the Minister of Tourism and Cultural affairs for failing to account for over a Le 1BN funds meant to furnish the cultural village at a Mabala six mile; it should be categorically stated that the publication is erroneous and the story was violently wrenched out of context to serve a certain political objective.
In reality, the idea of establishing a cultural village is an origination of the previous APC regime.
The previous cultural village at Aberdeen was deemed unfit for purpose and it was agreed that a new cultural village must be founded at the outskirts of Freetown to house the cultural dance troop and for other related matters.
Land was provided and the project took off in earnest nearing completion in 2017.
Events took a turn for the worst when the mudslide happened in 2017, prompting the then APC government to shelter some mudslide victims at the newly constructed cultural village at six mile.
Locally made furniture, electrical and electric appliances, solar panel and other household utensils had already been procured by the Ministry of Tourism and Cultural affairs to furnish the cultural village.
Due to lack of security as was explained to the Auditors by the permanent secretary at the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, most of the items meant to furnish the facility were pilfered supposedly by the people dwelling at the facility.
This happened in early 2018 and the whole fiasco was inherited by Dr Menunatu Pratt at the helm of the Ministry when the Bio led government took over the mantle of leadership in April 2018.
Therefore, the project had flopped even before Dr Memunatu Pratt`s assumption into office as Minister of Tourism and Cultural Affairs.
One major characteristics of modern day governance is continuity, therefore the whole negligence episode was inherited by Dr Memunatu Pratt after 2018.
In the intervening years after 2018, she has ardently tried to salvage the situation by way of ensuring that the facility does not only houses national dance troopers but will also serve as a center for innovation and skills training for tourism and other sectors.
Her permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Tourism and Culture who is the vote controller has meticulously furnished the auditors with supporting documents such as payment vouchers and procurement receipts of purchased items.
Ministers of government, in most procurement related issues does not handle finances or engage in business transactions involving their portfolios.
That falls under the purview of the administrative and technical heads of the ministry.
The role of Dr Memunatu Pratt as with other minsters of government is to provide oversight to these projects by way of ensuring that they materialize and to further implement government policy on the sector.
Being a result oriented minister, she and her team at the ministry has drafted a request for the government and development partners to revive the cultural village to serve as a skills centre and the donors have made an unwavering commitment to fund the project.
Love her or loathe her, in less than five years in office her achievements in the sector are innumerable.
Her ministry is implementing the visa on arrival for tourists around the world visiting Sierra Leone. This is an initiative that has accrued huge revenue for government.
Positioned Sierra Leone in the world tourism market as shown by her role at the Fitur festival in Madrid Spain and has succeeded in wowing over 2000 Spanish tourists to visit Sierra Leone. Hosted the Budapest-Freetown rally twice. And Organized the first ever Africaribean festival in the sub region. Constructing tourism facilities at tourism attraction sites across the country.
Her tourism diplomacy paved the way for Sierra Leone to open her first consulate in Jamaica to foster bilateral trade and tourism exchanges. No wonder she was voted as the best tourism minister in the entire West African sub-region in 2022.