His Excellency President Brig. (Rtd) Dr. Julius Maada Bio yesterday Tuesday 24th May, 2023 formally launched the governing Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) People’s Manifesto 2023 at the Eastern Technical University Hall in Kenema City titled: “The New Direction: Consolidating the Gains and Accelerating Transformation.”

According to President Dr. Julius Maada Bio, the SLPP People’s Manifesto 2023 is anchored on five key initiatives for building an inclusive and prosperous Sierra Leone and for faster and lasting transformation

The President articulated the SLPP’s big five game changers as follows:

1. Feed Salone: An initiative to boost agricultural productivity to ensure food security and inclusive economic growth. President Bio’s top priority in his second term is for Sierra Leone to be food self-sufficient. The next SLPP Government will boost agricultural productivity by increasing investment which will fuel inclusive economic growth, boost food production, reduce hunger and poverty, create jobs, boost export earnings and build our resilience in the face of climate change.

2. Human Capital Development: Nurturing skills for 21st Century Industry. Inclusive economic growth relies on skilled and educated human capital. In the next five years, the SLPP Government will invest in developing the technical and vocational skills required to grow the economy focusing particularly on creating equal opportunity for women. We will invest in health systems to develop a healthy and capable workforce for a 21st century economy.

3. Youth Empowerment Scheme (YES): A Presidential Initiative to create 500,000 jobs for the youth in five years. YES is a Presidential Initiative to harness the energy of Sierra Leone’s youth by creating 500,000 jobs in the next five years. These lobs will include skills and unskilled, long-term and seasonal jobs across all sectors. This will be done by providing incentives to the private sector to hire, train and upskill especially young women and girls.

4. Revamping the Public Service Architecture: Delivery, Efficiency and Professionalism.
In the next five years, the SLPP Government will continue its mission to fostering a professional and meritocratic public service that is fit for purpose and delivers on its mandate. Our goal is to attract support and retain the best and the brightest to serve the people of Sierra Leone.

5. Tech and Infrastructure: Pathways for Sustained Economic Growth (TIPEG).

The SLPP Government will accelerate its inclusive growth agenda by investing in infrastructure, technology and digitisation. This will be done by investing in energy generation and transmission, the construction of roads and bridges, expanding energy access across the country, and making it easier to link production centres and markets. We aim to digitise our financial sector to expand financial inclusion as a way to increase economic participation.

In his keynote address, President Bio stated that the “New Direction agenda we embarked on five years ago has launched a remarkable journey of lasting transformation in every aspect of life in Sierra Leone. We have touched the lives of millions of citizens, from the young and old, Muslims and Christians, and males and females living in the South, East, North and Western Areas.”

He furthered that “Our development efforts are tangible, and our results are laudable even to our most stern critics.”

President Bio therefore believes that making progress in the five key initiatives in the SLPP People’s Manifesto 2023 will set Sierra Leone on a sustainable path of transformational change, poverty reduction and resilience in the face of external shocks.

“I humbly request your support and trust as we continue this journey together,” the President requested from the mammoth crowd amidst applauses, adding, “Let us unite as one nation, bound by a shared vision of a prosperous, inclusive, and vibrant Sierra Leone.”