Africa-Press – Sierra-Leone. The Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) North America Public Relations Officer, Patrick Maada Koroma, has said that Sierra Leoneans suffered under the previous government because of the way the All People’s Congress (APC) handled the country’s natural resources, especially in the mining sector.
Speaking during a recent online TV interview, Koroma explained that the APC government brought in what he described as emergency mining companies during their time in office. He said these companies operated in a way that gave the country almost nothing in return. He made reference to mining operations such as London Mining and African Minerals, noting that even though these companies were involved in large-scale extraction, Sierra Leoneans did not see any real improvement in their living conditions or economy as a result.
Koroma said these deals were made without putting the interest of the people first. He specifically mentioned a mining agreement that was set up for 99 years, which he described as unbelievable. According to him, this type of deal did not favour the country and only added to the hardship people were already facing. He said the people of Sierra Leone were left with little to no gain while their resources were being taken away.
He said when President Julius Maada Bio came into office, he found these agreements to be unfair and decided to act. Koroma said the president took a stand and fought against these mining deals, which had allowed companies to operate freely without giving back to the country. He said the APC, in response, went as far as taking legal action against the government of Sierra Leone in England, challenging the steps being taken to review or cancel those agreements.
Despite the legal pressure, Koroma said President Bio stood firm and did not back down. He said the Bio administration was able to suppress those mining operations that were not benefiting the country and took actions that were in line with protecting the people’s interests. According to him, as a result of these efforts, Sierra Leone is now beginning to see some benefit from the same resources that had previously brought nothing under the APC leadership.
Koroma believes that because of the way the APC managed the country’s mining sector and the negative impact it had on ordinary citizens, the party should apologise to the people of Sierra Leone. He said the hardship caused by those decisions was something the country is still recovering from.
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