By the Presidential Spokesman, Office of the President
Sierra Leone at a Turning Point
Sierra Leone stands today at a historic crossroads.
In the 2025 Global Peace Index, our nation ranks 57th—one of the most peaceful nations in Africa. Compare that with Liberia (70th), Guinea (122nd), and Nigeria (147th). Our streets are calmer, our highways safer, and the threat of violent demonstrations has eased.
At the same time, the economy is stabilizing. Inflation has dropped from a crippling 54% in December 2024 to just 7.6% today. With more rice, cassava, and onions grown locally, food prices have fallen by nearly 30%. For the market woman, the farmer, and the family struggling to provide three meals a day, these numbers mean survival.
But a critical question remains:
How do we ensure these gains last? How do we prevent a slide back into crisis?
The Answer: Power Sharing Through Inclusive Governance
Our current First-Past-the-Post (FPTP) system gives dominance to big parties while leaving many communities ignored. That breeds bitterness, mistrust, and sometimes violence.
Proportional Representation (PR) changes this. It ensures that every vote counts and every community has a voice. Combined with structured power sharing (consociationalism), PR guarantees cooperation between groups so that no Sierra Leonean feels excluded from national decisions.
Lessons From the World
This is not an experiment. Power sharing has worked for nations once divided by war:
Northern Ireland’s Good Friday Agreement ended decades of bombs and bullets.
Belgium and Switzerland thrive because all groups share in power.
South Africa escaped apartheid through inclusive governance.
Bosnia-Herzegovina and Lebanon used power sharing to heal divisions.
If it worked for them, it can work for us.
Why It Matters for Ordinary People
Let us be honest: in times of war, elite politicians can run. They have passports, bank accounts, and connections to flee abroad.
But the ordinary Sierra Leonean cannot run. It is the farmer in Kono, the trader in Bo, the student in Makeni, and the nurse in Kenema who suffer the bullets, the burned markets, and the destroyed homes.
That is why power sharing matters.
It is not about politicians sitting comfortably in parliament—it is about protecting ordinary citizens who pay the highest price when politics fails.
A Call to Unity
Sierra Leone is rising. Peace is within our grasp. Prosperity is possible. But only if we design a political system that includes everyone—not just a few.
This is bigger than Party A or Party B.
This is about Sierra Leone’s survival, our children’s future, and the generations yet unborn.
The Bottom Line
Peace is priceless. Prosperity is possible. Power sharing protects us all.
Hon. Dr. Alpha Kanu
Presidential Spokesman
Office of the President
State House, Freetown.
