What you need to know about the SLPP 2023 Manifesto

As the country’s general election is fast approaching, the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) on Tuesday, May 23, 2023, launched its manifesto for President Julius Maada Bio’s re-election campaign 

 “The New Direction: Consolidating The Gains And Accelerating Transformation Manifesto” also known as  ‘the People’s Manifesto 2023’ says President Bio will “consolidate the progress of  the last five years, and accelerate transformation through agriculture in the next five years.”

The SLPP Manifesto has the following five key indicators:

• Feed Salone: an initiative to increase agricultural productivity to ensure food security and inclusive economic growth. According to the manifesto President Bio’s top priority is to make Sierra Leone’s food self-sufficient, by increasing investment, which will later fuel inclusive economic growth, boost food production, reduce hunger & poverty, create jobs, and boost export earnings. 

• Human Capital Development: this will focus on nurturing skills for 21st-century industry. The party has pledged that it will invest in developing the technical and vocational skills required to grow the economy focusing particularly on creating equal opportunity for women. Also, on health systems to develop a healthy and capable workforce for a 21st-century economy.

• Youth Employment Scheme: in this initiative, the party committed that a total of 500,000 jobs will be created for young people. These jobs will include skills and unskilled, long-term, and seasonal jobs across all sectors. The party says they will provide incentives to the private sector to hire, train, and upskill, especially young women and girls.

• Revamping The Public Service Architecture: This will focus on efficiency and professional service delivery. The party says it is committed to continuing its mission of fostering a professional and merito- cratic public service that is fit for purpose and delivers on its mandate. They say the main goal is to attract, support, and retain the best and brightest people to serve the nation. 

• Technology and Infrastructure: the party says this is a program that will serve as a pathway for sustained economic growth. Therefore, the SLPP has committed to accelerating the inclusive growth agenda by investing in infrastructure, technology, and digitization. “This will be done by investing in energy generation and transmission, the construction of roads and bridges, expanding energy access across the country, and making it easier to link production centres and markets.”

Since its release members of the SLPP campaign have engaged the public and media on the manifesto’s message.

Chief Minister JJ Saffa appeared on Good Morning Salone on Radio Democracy 98.1 to promote his party’s plan. While there he promised, as he did five years ago to fix the country’s economic woes.

“We can stabilize this place in just three months, immediately after the elections,” – Jacob Jusu Saffa, Chief Minister, former Minister of Finance.

https://twitter.com/vickieremoe/status/1661728141755273216?s=46&t=rqWFeGOzgBxbWmYTydB9hw 

Five years later, Sierra Leoneans are still waiting for the former Minister of Finance Mr. Saffa to make good on his pre-2018 elections promise to fix the economy.