Live Q&A: where should Sierra Leone's post-Ebola economic recovery start?
- By: Rachel Banning-Lover | The Guardian
- Jun 12, 2015
- 2 min read
How can the government create more jobs, support small business and entice big investors? Join a panel on Thursday 18 June, 1–3pm BST to discuss
While less Ebola restrictions are now in place across Sierra Leone, repairing the country’s economy remains a challenge Photograph: Michael Duff/AP
“We were just beginning to develop a good environment after the war shattered us — coming to integrate society, develop business and infrastructure — and now Ebola has taken us back again,” Samura Kamara, foreign minister of Sierra Leone, told the Financial Times in February.
Four months later, the Ebola crisis is slowly abating in Sierra Leone, but with new people still being diagnosed in recent weeks preventing an all-clear diagnosis, the country is struggling to attract businesses once keen to invest in a country rich in diamonds, minerals and fertile land. Those that invest are forced to charter cargo planes to fly in equipment in the absence of usual carriers.
Then there’s the report by Sierra Leone’s auditor general that raises concerns about corruption. It emerged that the country failed to account fully for nearly a third of the $20m (£130m) it received to fight Ebola in 2014.
The World Bank also estimates that nearly 180,000 people in Sierra Leone have lost their jobs due to the Ebola crisis. Their most recent April survey revealed women are among the hardest hit.
So, with it being forecast that the country’s tiny $4bn economy will shrink 2% this year, versus earlier forecasts of 8.9% growth before the crisis hit, what change is needed for the country to get back on its feet?
With businesses forced to close in the aftermath of the crisis, how can jobs be created and entrepreneurship encouraged? How can international NGOs work with the government to strengthen the economy and cut off illicit financial flows? And with more than $1bn earmarked for the Ebola-affected countries like Sierra Leone and neighbours Guinea and Liberia, how do we avoid recreating an aid culture that slows real growth?
Join an expert panel on Thursday 18 June, 1–3pm BST, to discuss these questions and more.
The live chat is not video or audio-enabled but will take place in the comments section (below). Get in touch via globaldevpros@theguardian.com or @GuardianGDP on Twitter to recommend someone for our expert panel. Follow the discussion using the hashtag #globaldevlive.
Source: Theguardian.com
By: Rachel Banning-Lover
