By Jenneh Braima
Minister of Finance and Economic Development has expressed worry over the economic loss Sierra Leone is currently experiencing as it grapples with Ebola.
Dr Kaifala Marah told journalists Tuesday that the impact of the outbreak on the country was huge as it “is losing money day by day”.
He said the mining, agriculture, tourism and transport sectors had made the economy thrive strongly in 2012 and 2013, which he said was in sharp contrast to what obtained now.
The minister explained that the available data from the national tourist board had stated that the arrival of tourists at the Lungi International Airport had dropped by 21% in the first seven months of 2014 with outsiders afraid of visiting.
“The outbreak of the Ebola disease and its dampening effects on economic activities are adversely affecting revenue collection”, said the minister. He stated that the domestic revenue had been projected to fall in 2014 because there had been and there still existed stillness in economic activities, a decline in the sale of certain goods, and the resultant loss of jobs and personal incomes. “On the basis of trends in revenue collection for the months of July and August, the National Revenue Authority projected that domestic revenue will drop by Le 285 billion in 2014”, Marah went on, adding that Le75 billion shortfalls was recorded in the first half of the year.
(C) Politico 18/09/14
