AYV News, September, 12, 2024
Sierra Leone’s Minister of Information and Civic Education, Chernor A. Bah, paid a courtesy visit to Sierra Leone’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom and Great Britain, H.E. Dr. Morie Komba Manyeh and the staff of the Mission.
In welcoming the minister, the Head of Chancery, Mr. Witson Yankuba, highlighted the mission’s assigned role in representing Sierra Leone while strengthening its cultural, historic, and economic ties with the nations under its diplomatic purview. He commended the relentless efforts of the London mission, citing preparations for CHOGM 2024 and ongoing engagements between visiting executives from Sierra Leone’s General Legal Council and key legal institutions in the U.K. “Under all circumstances the Mission works hard to fulfil its given mandate,” Mr. Yankuba noted.
High Commissioner Dr. Morie Manyeh expressed his gratitude to Minister Chernor Bah for visiting the mission and congratulated him on his recent achievement as a Desmond Tutu Fellow. He praised President Julius Maada Bio for appointing smart and dynamic young ministers who are working diligently to reshape the national narrative for the better, noting that these efforts bode well for the country’s development. The High Commissioner also highlighted some of the constraints facing the mission.
In his remarks, Minister Bah thanked High Commissioner Manyeh and the SLHC staff for their warm reception. He described the High Commissioner as one of the shiny lights in the nation’s intellectual circles as well as in the realm of public service.
The minister then went on to outline his ministry’s effort in the quest to make information more accessible to the general public, ensuring that it is communicated regularly and in languages that people do not struggle to understand.
On the country’s traditional reliance on English as a medium to reach out to the ordinary people, the Minister opined that “There is no reason why politicians should campaign in one language, only to switch to a less accessible one when in power. Effective communication requires talking to the people in a language they can understand,” the minister emphasised.
Minister Bah also underscored the challenges posed by fake news, particularly its spread from the Diaspora. He stressed the importance of countering misinformation with the provision of factual reports on positive developments.
“Everything, from security to national economic development, hinges on how news is managed or mismanaged. Information is the foundation of everything, including ensuring success in agricultural output,” he remarked.
As an example, Minister Bah cited Sierra Leone’s growing egg production, noting that locally produced eggs go unsold because consumers prefer cheaper imported versions. This, he said, is partly due to a lack of awareness about the benefits of buying local products. “People are not adequately informed that locally produced eggs are healthier than their imported counterparts,” the minister explained.
Minister Bah further lamented the influence of fake news, stating that creators of misinformation often succeed in manufacturing alternate realities that mislead many news consumers with the potential to cause chaos and deaths. He called for constant public engagements to counter negative propaganda with facts. He expressed satisfaction that Sierra Leoneans are beginning to see through the cloud of mischievous misinformation.
“People are no longer heeding calls to shut down the country or allow themselves to be cowered into staying at home when they should be going out to earn their living,” he added. Minister Bah emphasised the need for more robust diaspora engagements, suggesting periodic town hall meetings and appropriate community visitations.
The minister touched on other key issues, including the upcoming national census and the constitutional review process, parts of which will require a national referendum, he added. To ease concerns about potential tensions surrounding the constitutional review that may be caused by deliberate fabrications, Minister Bah underlined the requirement for promptly detecting and diffusing malevolent misinformation infiltrating public discourse.
In an implied reference to his peaceful handover of power (when he could have chosen to do the opposite) and (in more recent times) the unfettering of Free Speech and the elimination of the Death Penalty, the minister praised President Bio for his unfailing demonstration of brave leadership in confronting difficult issues. Mr. Bah also pointed at the introduction of the “safe motherhood,” scheme which seeks to ensure that women are not criminalized or forced into unsafe abortions, due to fear, stigma or legal hurdles, a significant cause of maternal deaths in Sierra Leone.
While acknowledging the general financial constraints, largely due to external factors, Mr. Bah also lauded the government’s stringent economic efforts, pointing to the significant reduction in inflation and stabilization of the national currency.
The minister concluded by affirming that while the country’s mineral sector will continue to be managed by private entities, those resources themselves will be state-owned. He ended by urging all Sierra Leoneans, including those in the diaspora, to work harder to realise President Bio’s vision for the country’s progress.