The Minister of Finance Jacob Jusu Saffa has in the 2021 government budget propsed a whopping 75% salary increase over the next three years for military effective April 2021, thus, demonstrating Government’s commitment to improving on the living conditions of service personnel.

Saffa said salaries for personnel of the military will be increased by 25% yearly over a three-year period effective 2021.

The Finance Minister also proposed 25% salary increase for the Police, Office of National Security (ONS), Central Intelligence and Security Unit (CISO), Correctional Center and Fire Force effective April 2021

He made this disclosure during the reading of the Financial Year 2021 Government Budget in the Well of Parliament on Friday 13 November 2020.

He said staff of tertiary education institutions will also receive the same bonanza effective April 2021, while 1,000 teachers and 1,000 health workers will be recruited in support of President Bio’s Human Capital Development (HCD) agenda.

He said provisions have also been made to recruit additional military personnel and much-needed Extension Workers in Agriculture and other Civil Servants.

With these addition, he said, the Wage Bill is projected to increase to Le3.5 trillion in 2021 from Le3.3 trillion in 2020 of which Le290 billion is allocated to Pensions and Gratuities.

Other allowances and contributions to the Social Security Fund for Government Workers will amount to Le250.8 billion.
Minister Saffa said Government has once again passed 13 indicators in the Millennium Challenge Cooperation (MCC) scorecard, up from 11- the highest number of indicators Sierra Leone has ever passed on the MCC scorecard.

The consecutive passing of the scorecard , he said, has increased the country’s chances of being considered for the MCC Compact that would make available substantial financial resources for the implementation of transformational development projects. Following the adoption of fiscal consolidation measures upon assuming office, he said, the deficit narrowed to 5.6 percent in 2018 and declined further to 3.1 percent in 2019.