Chairman of the committee, Sorsor Conteh, affirmed that there was third party interference, especially by deputy minister Ishmail Al-Sankoh Conteh on several occasions to attempt to distort their work. They had presented their report on 27 February 2017 to the president.
Responding to the accusations at his Syke Street office in Freetown, the minister described the report as a witch-hunt to tarnish his established integrity.
He further stated that the report had made mention of third party interference, strongly emanating from the ministry of sport’s micromanaging the affairs of the Sierra Leone Football Association, SLFA, vividly pointing out attempts to influence the verification process, especially in Kenema and Kono districts.
Al- Sankoh referred to the indictment as an absolute witch-hunt orchestrated against him in front of the president. He went further to say that he had been working relentlessly to promote sport in the country.
The minister stated that since he was charged with the responsibility to oversee local sport development, he had worked diligently to foster sport development in the country.
He also mentioned that his ministry provided one hundred and fifty million leones to facilitate the task of the committee, claiming that they came back to them less than three weeks after they collected the money seeking additional funds without adequately accounting for the previous funds.
According to the deputy minister, the committee sought financial assistance from SLFA and got thirty five million leones.
“The report is false, disrespectful and embarrassing, judging from the fact that it was even incomplete when presented to the president. I have no business to influence any verification process”, he said
In Lagos:
Ejura Audu
Phone: +234 803 494 6244
E-mail: eaudu@ifc.org
In Washington:
Loty Salazar
Phone: +1 202 458 2559
Email: lsalazar@worldbank.org
IFC Promotes Greater Roles for Women in Business in Sierra Leone
Freetown, Sierra Leone. March 9, 2017 – IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, is helping women in Sierra Leone take their place in senior management and boardroom positions as part of its strategy to promote gender diversity and inclusion, and strengthen the country’s economy.
IFC hosted an event on March 9, to mark International Women’s Day, in Freetown to discuss the benefits of promoting women to senior positions in businesses, and the challenges women face. Participants, including government officials, regulators, business leaders, and other experts, agreed to establish a taskforce to monitor progress, and report results annually, starting from 2018.
Chinyere Almona, Head, Africa Corporate Governance Program for Sub Sahara Africa, said, “Having more women in management and on boards brings a diversity of skills, experience, and views, contributing to smart decision making. It also helps companies increase transparency, boost investor confidence, and improve financial performance. The task team created today is an important step in helping women take their rightful place in managing businesses in Sierra Leone, where few women sit on company boards.”
IFC has nearly reached its target of nominating women 30% of the time as directors to companies it has invested in – and continues to aim for full parity in the near future.
IFC’s Corporate Governance Program, which organized the event, has been developed to improve the performance of businesses by helping them adopt good corporate governance practices and standards that are adapted to regional priorities. The program is funded by the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), Switzerland.
Corporate governance refers to the structures and processes by which companies are directed and controlled. Good corporate governance makes companies more accountable and transparent to investors, which encourages new investments, boosts economic growth, and provides employment opportunities.
About IFC
IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, is the largest global development institution focused on the private sector in emerging markets. Working with 2,000 businesses worldwide, IFC uses its six decades of experience to create opportunity where it is needed most. In financial year 2016, long-term investments in developing countries rose to nearly US$19 billion, leveraging its capital, expertise and influence to help the private sector end extreme poverty and boost shared prosperity. For more information, visit www.ifc.org
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SECO is Switzerland’s competence center for all core issues relating to economic policy. SECO’s economic development cooperation strives to achieve sustainable growth. Such growth is sustainable if it creates jobs, helps to increase productivity, to reduce poverty, inequalities and global risks. For more information, visit www.seco-cooperation.ch.
