Sierra Leone’s President Koroma Kicks Ass, Takes Names

When Ernest Bai Koroma ran for president in 2007 on an anti-corruption platform, Sierra Leoneans had good reason to be skeptical. Koroma was the All People’s Congress (APC) candidate, the party that had been in power when the Revolutionary United Front began Sierra Leone’s civil war. The APC’s corruption, poor governance, and repression of opposition was in part responsible for the onset of the war. And of course, in too many elections in developing countries, candidates promise to fight corruption, then get into office and promptly begin treating the treasury like their personal bank account.

Koroma was not particularly well-known in Sierra Leone before working his way up through the ranks of the APC. An insurance broker from Makeni, he promised to run the state "like a business concern." Whether because they believed him or simply because they liked him more than the rather uninspiring Solomon Berewa, his main opponent in the race, Sierra Leoneans voted him into office in an election that was largely free, fair, and orderly — no small feat for a country in which every resident has recent, painful memories of violence and anarchy.

Two and a half years on, President Koroma has kept his end of the bargain. Under his leadership, the country's Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) was given real power to investigate and prosecute corrupt officials. Koroma declared his own assets to the ACC shortly after taking office, setting an example for other government officials.

Koroma's efforts to combat corruption have gained pace recently. Koroma made headlines this year in January when he summoned top law enforcement officials to give them a verbal lashing for reports of corruption in their units. Since November 2009, he has dismissed three ministers for alleged involvement in corrupt activities.

Sierra Leone is one of the poorest and least developed countries in the world. Its economy relies primarily on mineral resources, especially diamonds, and large-scale importing of many basic staples — just the kind of transactions in which corruption flourishes. Combating corrupt practices will require much more than the sacking of a few ministers. However, in doing so, Koroma sends a strong message to everyone in and doing business with Sierra Leone: Clean up your act; we're cleaning up ours. African leaders, I hope you’re taking notes.

Photo credit: UN Photo/Ryan Brown