By Alhaji Haruna Sani
2023 Presidential candidate and leader of the main opposition All People’s Congress(APC) party, Dr. Samura M.W Kamara has yesterday, June 29, officially unveiled the ‘One Nation’ manifesto aimed at fostering national unity, addressing economic deficiencies, and promoting sustainable development across the country.
While officially launching the party’s 2023 manifesto at the Lagoonda Resort, Kamara’s ten-point plan outlines his vision for a prosperous Sierra Leone founded upon empathic and service-oriented governance, technical competence, and the utilization of data, technology, and innovation.
Samura said his party’s number one priority is to build ‘One Nation’- rebuilding national unity and cohesion.
He said his party shall take immediate steps to restore national cohesion, peace, and unity in Sierra Leone. “We shall foster the equitable distribution of opportunities and undertake constitutional and institutional changes to entrench decentralization and local governance, and ensure fair, transparent and protected access to resources”.
Second priority on the manifesto is to address economic deficiencies and the cost-of-living crisis at the structural level.
“We shall restore macroeconomic stability and work towards transforming Sierra Leone from consumption to a competitive production economy. This will include prioritizing private sector development, particularly indigenous businesses and in rural communities, leveraging the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement (AfCFTA), as well as other trade blocs and agreements; and harnessing the potentials of digital transformation,” he said.
The third point in the manifesto is to intensify efforts in job creation and the establishment of pathways for every adult, especially the youth and women, to earn a living wage.
Kamara said through sustainable cross sectorial interventions, his government shall collaborate with local and international partners to create jobs while simultaneously reforming and capacitating the civil and public service to prioritize efficient and effective delivery of services.
Number four on the manifesto is to accelerate investments in our people, with a specific focus on the capabilities of children, women, and youth.
He promised that his government enhances efficient and equitable social spending, elevating the quality of life and explicitly caring for the most vulnerable segments of the population, including women, youth and People with Disabilities PWDs.
The remaining five points included the acceleration of investments in physical and digital infrastructure development, deepen and strengthen decentralization and rural development, enhance democratic good governance and the rule law, protect our environment, and respond to climate change, strengthen economic diplomacy and foster partnerships with the Diaspora for national development.
Prior to the launch of the manifesto, host of the party’s key stakeholders delivered statement. According to Dr. Abdulai O. Conteh “Under Dr Samura Kamara, I believe the problem of acute unemployment will be addressed because it was better when he was part of the team under EBK”.
Dr. Joseph Sam Sesay, deputy Veterans Leader and Former Minister of Agriculture under the APC said Sierra Leoneans never knew about tribes or region. “The 2023 election is not about the APC; it is about redeeming Sierra Leone”.
Mariama Lowe, Leader, and National Women’s Congress “The horrors of the life in the last five years in Sierra have been unbearable. Our women have suffered economic hardship, intimidation, rape with impunity. We need one nation where women will be protected and respected.”
