The Deputy Principal Financial Secretary in the Ministry of Finance, Mathew Dinge has told Stakeholders of the Elections Steering Committee comprising government, development partners, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and the security sector that government has transferred to the Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone (ECSL) Eighty-eight million, Four hundred thousand new Leones ( NLe88.4M) or Eighty-eight billion, Four hundred million old Leones (Le88.4Bn) to meet the cost of printing the voter identity cards.
“As at last Friday 24th March 2023, a cumulative total of Two hundred million new Leones ( NLe200M) or Two hundred billion old Leones (Le200Bn) has now been transferred by government into the Elections’ Basket Fund maintained at the Bank of Sierra Leone. Of this amount, we have transferred to the ECSL NLe88.4M in early March which they have utilized to meet the cost of printing the voter identity cards,” Mathew Dinge, said at the steering committee meeting held last week.
He said the money comes from the Twenty million new Leones or Twenty billion old Leones the daily revenue that has been collected and earmarked and specifically transferred to the Elections’ Basket Fund.
He said aside of the ECSL, government has also provided funding to other Elections Management Bodies (EMBs) to meet their operational cost.
Meanwhile, thousands of Sierra Leoneans have expressed serious concern about the quality of the photos.
At a news conference held by the Commission recently, the Chief Electoral Commissioner, Mohamed Konneh, said they will engage voters ID printing contractor on the issue.