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The Donor Driven Disease

Author: Madieu Jalloh - SEM

Quoting him in his words “In the midst of plenty, only the fool is thirsty’,” said the great reggae legend, Bob Nesto Marley.

Considering the enormous amount of mineral resources endowed in Sierra Leone and its infinitesimal human population, a thinking person might be tempted to question in his mind whether Sierra Leone is a cursed Nation? The unnecessary bragging and shouting over the spread of precious minerals all around the country does not make sense to many Sierra Leoneans. In as much as they are there, has one questioned in his or her rightful mind how much have these minerals benefited the people on whose land they are found? Since the discovery of diamonds and other precious minerals in the 1930’s, Sierra Leoneans are still grappling to put both human and physical infrastructures in place.

People who live in places like USA and UK put on diamond rings and gold which are not found on their land. The irony here is that Sierra Leone with all its wealth is still a donor-driven nation that is highly dependent on foreign aid from philanthropic organizations and governments. There are times, when one ponders over this abysmal situation; you are left with no other answer but to ask yourself if Sierra Leone and its people are cursed. One could hardly fathom what is wrong with us. Amidst this worrying some have resolved it is because of bad leadership that we are behind in terms of development. Have we not changed different governments all in the name of change and unfulfilled dreams?

Had I known always come last. Sierra Leoneans are yet to learn from their past awful lessons. Because even in a school situation and after series of academic exercises, one is expected to sit to an exam and pass. This implies that you have become educated and you will be subsequently promoted to another level. On the contrary, Sierra Leoneans are yet to learn, probably this is why we have not gown from where we started. If we start to asses now, many would come to vision and question if Sierra Leone is not a curse nation.

Had it not been a curse, Sierra Leone would not have been the first country in Sub-Saharan Africa to have gained a University status when now eighty-five percent of its population is illiterate. Ironically, Sierra Leone being a citadel of learning affiliated with Durham University in England, it is yet to put its developmental priorities right. Fourah Bay College which was established by the Christian Missionary Society (CMS) in 1875 was once referred to as the Athens of West Africa where people from all over Africa come to acquire standard education.

Had it not been an inherent curse, governments past and present would not have been carrying a begging bowl to ask for donor assistance. Today we are in London to entice investors to come to Sierra Leone to do investment .In 2005; Glen Eagles was there to raise an $800 million deal which evaporated into the already contaminated atmosphere of Sierra Leone. This time round, Sierra Leoneans are wearisome that history does not repeat itself under the auspices of President Ernest Bai Koroma. Going to London is not the issue, but to put the essence of going there into reality is what many Sierra Leoneans are yearning to benefit from.

Imagine small Sierra Leone with a population of 5 million people could not feed its people. No better housing system, no jobs let alone talk about a well paid one. The human resource is under developed with low income earning skills. An enlightened human resource would go a long way in enhancing a stabilized development for a developing country like Sierra Leone. Interestingly, even the meager human resource the country managed to produce cannot afford to stay in order to help the status of the country.

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The Donor Driven Disease

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