Information Ministry clarifies
By Alfred Koroma
Air Sierra Leone will operate the regional route with an AOC from the UK and Nigeria, the Ministry of Information and Civic Education has said in a post on social media.
Both routes are not affected by the EU ban, the Ministry says, clarifyingAir Sierra Leone has not got an AOC from SLCAA.
The Ministry also says Sierra Leone has remained on the EU’s Aviation Black List since 2008.
The country was placed on the blacklist in 2008 for issuing Air Operator Certificates to Airlines without meeting international safety and oversight requirements.
The clarification comes following the release of the updated EU Air Safety list in which Sierra Leone remains among 129 airlines banned from operating in the European Union (EU) airspace.
Air Sierra Leone is not directly named in the list, but the EU says the ban is for all air carriers certified and regulated by the country.
Local news media outlets had reported Air Sierra Leone launched in October last year as the country’s national carrier would be affected by the ban.
The Airline is planning to begin operating flights from Freetown International Airport to destinations including London, Lagos, Accra, Liberia, and Abidjan, using three aircrafts.
But serious safety concerns have been raised about one of the planes which was involved in an accident at Nigeria’s Murtala Mohammed Airport, but authorities insisted it was safe to begin flying.
There was a schedule for the airline to begin accepting bookings on October 18, 2024, but that was delayed due to technical issues.
That Sierra Leone is still in the EU Air Safety List despite constructing a new airport with international standards suggests there are still issues with the safety of the country’s aviation.
In April 2024, the head of the Civil Aviation Authority led discussions with the European Commission for Safety in Brussels, to secure Sierra Leone’s exit from the EU’s black list.
Audit exposes financial mismanagement at Ministry of Foreign Affairs
By Alhaji Haruna Sani
The 2023 Auditor General’s Report has uncovered significant lapses in financial management within Sierra Leone’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, revealing unretired imprests, overpayments, and payments made without contracts.
Those findings raise concerns over accountability and adherence to public financial regulations.
The report highlights that despite repeated recommendations, the Ministry failed to retire special imprests amounting to NLe939,148.30, in violation of Regulation 124(1&6) of the Public Financial Management Regulations, 2018.
Only NLe170,863.20 (18% of the queried amount) has been accounted for, leaving a staggering balance of NLe768,285.10 unverified. The auditors noted that there was no evidence of the remaining funds being reimbursed into the Consolidated Fund, as required by law.
Auditors also identified a duplication in payment, resulting in an overpayment of NLe50,000 to a boat service provider for trips to Lungi. This breach of Regulation 277(1) deprived the government of critical resources. Despite claims by the Ministry that a reversal request was made to the Bank of Sierra Leone, no evidence of that request or reversal was provided during the audit, leaving the issue unresolved.
The report further revealed that the Ministry made a part-payment of NLe287,161.88 from accrued debts of NLe555,750 for boat hiring services without a signed contract.
The payments were made directly to staff, raising doubts about the basis for these transactions. Although the Ministry claimed that the service provider, Sea Bird, offered preferential treatment for diplomats and dignitaries, auditors found no evidence of approval for those payments, nor a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) or contract to justify the accrued debt.
The Ministry’s responses included commitments to improve financial practices and incorporate boat hiring into its annual procurement plan. However, auditors maintained that the Ministry failed to provide sufficient documentation to resolve the outstanding issues, leaving questions of financial impropriety unanswered.
Those unresolved financial discrepancies reflect systemic weaknesses in financial oversight at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Observers argue that such lapses undermine public trust and deprive the government of much-needed resources.
The audit report calls for urgent measures to recover unaccounted funds, enforce compliance with financial regulations, and ensure transparency in the Ministry’s operations. Without accountability, critics warn, Sierra Leone risks continued misuse of public funds.
