Prudent Finance Minister Help Steer Sierra Leone’s Economy Towards Stability

Prudent and Steadfast - Finance Minister Samura Kamara

Dr. Samura Kamara is Sierra Leone’s Finance Minister and a consummate professional who recently introduced tough measures through parliament to steer the somewhat turbulent economy of the country into a more stable financial footing. Dr Kamara has a track record of introducing policies that work and has impressed the President by securing for Sierra Leone financial assistance packages that will boost the country’s economic framework to deal with the global financial meltdown. Samura Kamara has been one of Sierra Leone’s busiest Finance Minister – shuttling from one country to another presenting his country’s case to encourage more financial opportunities and creating incentives for potential investors to look at Sierra Leone as a secure and viable partner.

A well respected economist along the corridors of the world’s financial capitals, Kamara has brought into his office a wealth of experience from serving as an Alternate Director at the IMF to serving his country as Finance Minister under three consecutive governments. He is always called upon when his country needs him and has never turned down the opportunity to serve his country irrespective of whatever administration is in power. He sees it as his responsibility to help his country no matter what government is in power. By virtue of his job he has to hop from country to country to meet with financial leaders across the world and engage them about the way forward in helping salvage what’s left of his country’s economy after the abysmal performance of previous governments that left the country’s economy in tatters. Samura Kamara shares President Koroma’s vision for an agenda for change and sometimes some in the press interprets his quiet and cool demeanour as weakness. But Kamara’s strength lies in his ability to take prudent measures to stimulate the country’s economy and drive growth.

It is unwise for any media house to allow those whose disgruntled opportunities that has been suppressed by some of Kamara’s tough financial policies, to tarnish the image of one of Sierra Leone’s finest. It seems Kamara’s only crime is to represent his country around the world to ensure the best financial packages for Sierra Leone. To imply that the Finance Minister is going around the world only to benefit from per diems, is not only disgraceful but not in the national interest. This is an attempt to discourage the important contribution that this man of the treasury is trying to bring in to help stabilize his country’s economy. Those in the civil service, especially at the ministry of Finance who are still bent on corrupt practices to embezzle government funds may have an interesting agenda with the media to portray Kamara in a dishonourable way, but Kamara’s boss the President, Ernest Bai Koroma, knows the vital contribution he is making to help reduce the country’s deficit by introducing stimulus packages to enhance growth and reducing borrowing.

Dr. Samura Kamara should be left alone to do his work as at the moment Sierra Leone is going through a defining economic moment and it needs a well focused Finance Minister to inject the necessary policies that will help bring prosperity for its people. When the media allows itself to be bribed by corrupt government officials to destroy the hard work of a particular individual it not only shows lack of sound judgement but it’s even worse when no evidence is produced that warrants the distorted picture portrayed. Sierra Leone’s media has been constantly used by corrupt government officials who in collaboration with equally corrupt Media bosses engage in volatile media campaigns to destroy the good names of innocent public servants. The international media can only look at the Sierra Leone press as an apparatus used only as a political tool for selfish gain. These practices must stop! The media in Sierra Leone needs to move on and help present Sierra Leone’s image to the world in a more dignified way in order to attract potential investors.

© 2010, Ahmed M Kamara. All rights reserved. – Reproduction of Newstime Africa content on any other news medium without the prior consent or approval of the publishers is forbidden, and in direct contravention of International copyright laws. Violators will be pursued and prosecuted.