The ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) is investigating corruption during the All People’s Congress (APC) government from 2007 to 2018. However, the APC is questioning the constitutional legality of the process. This has perpetuated political antagonisms, contravening collaborative reconciliation and confidence-building processes.
The economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have been devastating. The decrease in world commodity prices negatively impacted domestic macroeconomic development due to Sierra Leone’s dependency on the export of minerals. As a result, unemployment, poverty and food insecurity are steadily rising, and disaffection among youth is growing.
The SLPP government started implementing reforms as described in the national development agenda 2019-2023, focusing on building human capital. However, as in the past, ambitious development agendas are hindered by fiscal limitations, corruption, and systemic dysfunctionality.