By Mabinty M. Kamara
Sierra Leone’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Professor David Francis has told newsmen that they were instituting a shift in foreign policy in order to adjust to the existing situation in the global community caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The shift according to the minister is from Economic diplomacy which is mostly trade- and investment driven, to development diplomacy which he referred to as national interest driven for the development and growth of a country.
The minister made this statement when addressing editors and senior journalists in Freetown at the Ministry’s conference room on Tuesday 8th June 2021 to engage them on the role of the ministry and the new policy shift.
Prof. Francis said that the current trend in the world has made it difficult for countries on whom Sierra Leone has over the years relied on for aid such as Germany to withdraw their support to Sierra Leone while countries like the United Kingdom has drastically reduced their foreign aid and development assistance by 80%.
“Every country goes through a particular challenge. Today, Sierra Leone goes through a particular challenge. We came at a time of a global landscape that is unprecedented by virtue of the COVID-19 pandemic. Today we are talking about change in the international political environment. We are talking about a covid-19 economic depression that has impacted all countries across the globe, “he said.
He added: “The UK has drastically reduced its foreign aid and development assistance by 80% from 0.7 to 0.5% making them save 4 billion pounds per annum for internal use that is what COVID had done. Our development partners are now looking inwards. Germany on its part has even taken Sierra Leone outside of its development cooperation assistance list without consultation. But also the drastic cut by development corporations are also going to affect UN agencies and these agencies are at the fore front of rolling out the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) so it is not just the bilateral impact on countries but also the multilateral impact.”
He added that Sierra Leone is an aid-dependent country, with agriculture and mining sectors not booming and said it was time for the country to think smart, and strategize towards development diplomacy to raise the country into a middle-income country.
This he said they intend to achieve through presenting Sierra Leone at strategic engagements as an investment destination, by convincing potential investors to see the need for investment into the country, noting that no country has developed by charity.
“As a small country, with all these challenges that I have highlighted, we have to be smart, we have to be strategic in thinking. So this is what has brought the shift in policy and the international relations of Sierra Leone from the narrow focus on economic diplomacy to development diplomacy.” he said.
Professor Francis cited section 10(a) of the 1991 constitution of Sierra Leone which highlighted one of the foreign policy objective of the country to the promotion and protection of national interest. He said development diplomacy is therefore a national interest.
To achieve this, he said six fundamental principles will have to be followed; to present Sierra Leone as an investment destination, for trade and credible investment, in-country beneficiation and value addition, where investment benefits the people directly, fundamental freedom of the people, which entails the provision of basic services to the people, taking development in this own hand; that is taking control of their development destinations without much of foreign interference, partnership, and in the national interest.
The Minister therefore called on the media to support the government in achieving this goal by branding the country in a positive light that could attract investment.
He also made mention of the pending Anti-Corruption Commission’s (ACC) investigations into allegations of corruption in the ministry’s missions in China, New York, and Kenya for which he said the ministry will give its full support to the ACC to carry out its investigation and that the persons of interest according to the Civil Service Code have been recalled to aid the investigation process.
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