By Hassan I. Conteh

Sometimes, one may think, it is better at all we don’t continue to have state departments that don’t bring big income to our nation, Sierra Leone.

Yet, we keep having government departments, year –in-year-out headed up by respective ministers.

These are public figures who are elected by their bosses whom we entrust with the responsibility to serve us better. We mean presidents of the republic of Sierra Leone.

They get ministers to sit in offices but these politicians have not been doing enough to work in the interests of the people.

Presidents of Sierra Leone have largely failed the people of Sierra Leone in key priorities of development. And, these heads of state, current and past, should be entirely blamed for allowing their appointees mainly (ministers) to mess up the departments they work in for which they ought to have provided the masses quality service delivery.

While, the media and CSOs continue to highlight the misdeeds or failures of respective ministries, otherwise state departments, ministers are kept in some offices by their bosses as sacred cows.

They eat fat money and dine on citizens’ taxes or the nation’s resources as they enjoy special immunities and privileges.

Ministers of most state departments have absolutely not been performing their expected duties. One will wonder why do we still have a tourism ministry and other sectors in Sierra Leone? Because, this sector(s) continues to be a moribund with practically nothing seems to be happening in the industry. Sierra Leone is not exposed outside to other citizens in other countries.

Look, for example, Ghana, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, they have long excelled in tourism and hospitality. Can we say these countries have more beautiful beaches, amazing mountains, stunning landscapes, breath-taking seashores, historical relics, and many more natural endowments?

That is a big NO. Sierra Leone does have nature-thrilling environments, rich culture, admirable lifestyle, wonderful cultural dancers, ancient colonial buildings, lion shaped peninsula mountains, a hallow-breathe out hill in Kabala (Koinadugu district ) in the north, delicious food of all varieties in the south, and many more.

But do we even have these norms and places maintained and celebrated yearly or monthly?

In other countries around the world, it is common to see outpouring number of tourists, citizens and nationals go on hiking, swimming, skate-boarding out of the very climate and nature God has blessed them with.

And those countries are making billions and billions of dollars just from their tourist attractions.

Kenya is a shining example which generates whopping sum of income from tourism and hospitality industry alone.

According to Satista. Com on Kenya’s travel and tourism research, as posted 2023, the contribution of travel and tourism to Gross Domestic Product ( GDP) in Kenya from 2019 to 2021 in billion U.S. dollars, indicates as follow : 2019 ($7.9 bn); 2020 ($4 bn) and 2021 ($5.4bn).

The researcher, Lars Kamer (Aug 1, 2022), finds out that, in 2021, travel and tourism contributed 5.4 bn U.S. dollars to Kenya’s GDP. The amount, he said, increased nearly 35 percent compared to 2020, when the tourism industry struggled with the impact of the coronavirus (covid-19) pandemic.

And “despite the recovery, the value added to the GDP remained below that registered previous to the health crisis,” Kamer stated.

Sadly, Sierra Leone is not fine in this area. Her natural environment is repeatedly neglected by governing officials and ordinary people.

The beaches and wharves are becoming narrow as dirt, building construction and sand mining activities take tall toll on these places.

Cultural festivals too are not taken very seriously by successive presidents and their ministers in Sierra Leone.

Sierra Leoneans don’t now enjoy their popular Lantern Parade festival on Independence Day, April 27. Are there even public garden parks in Sierra Leone? Who can tell me of a president in Sierra Leone who has ensured that we do have amusement parks ? How can Sierra Leoneans not stop stressing up daily? How can we get out of the boring politics of the day and seek a new life?

How will the violence and too many crimes be discouraged?

With today’s photographic world just a lush relaxation park is enough to pack up one’s stress?

The lantern event has been not happening for the past five years.

Not only the Lantern Parade has been made to fade out in the minds of poor Sierra Leoneans, but the National Dance Troupe team, which has bagged home several international laurels, has itself been made to die out literally.

Sierra Leone is now quiet as cultural festivals have not got the needed support.

Maybe, the people of Sierra Leone, now more than ever, need to call out a referendum on whether to still keep alive or out the whole tourism ministry.

The ineptitude and lack of innovation by the tourism sector is killing Sierra Leoneans’ right to enjoyment in an ideal environment.