Faced with the tragic state of despair and desperation in the nation, as a result of corruption, nepotism and mismanagement of our human and material resources, the All People’s Congress is committed to reverse this trend and move the country forward to its rightful position in the community of nations.
In this regard the APC establishes the following core principles as its guidelines in this noble endeavour.
Democracy and good governance; freedom, human rights and human dignity; justice, quality and the rule of law; integrity, transparency and accountability in the conduct of public affairs. Long term sustainable development; through dependable and affordable regular power supply, sound education, basic health-care, abundant food production, appropriate housing, increased youth employment, improved infrastructure, efficient transport and basic services.
Sierra Leone is endowed with rich human and diverse natural resources, yet its economic and social infrastructure are poorly developed.
The economy under the present government is bankrupt and propped up by the grace of institutional donor funds which are grossly misused.
Furthermore our economy is characterized by many factors including endemic institutional corruption, alarmingly chronic youth employment, unbearable cost of living and a lack of political resolve to check and curb corruption.
The state of the economy can be summarized by the following key factors: Large scale unemployment; high inflation and low wages; a weak private sector; an ineffective public sector; weak basic industry; inadequate energy and power supply; difficult climate for doing business; corruption; inadequate and decaying infrastructure; weak institutional capabilities.
As a government we are committed to: reviving the economy and improving the standard of living of every Sierra Leonean in line with an APC agenda of change and the Millennium Development goals.
Creating a conducive atmosphere for doing business and embarking on policies that will enable the resumption of growth in the trading, manufacturing, mining, marine and agricultural sectors.
Pursuing policies that will promote private sector development and encouraging direct foreign investment; initiating policies that will help boost our export capacity in order to reduce; our balance of payments deficit, maintain a strong currency, reduce inflation and achieve economic growth.
Our strategies for pursuing these objectives shall include: financial sector reforms with emphasis on favourable terms for access to capital for Small and Medium scale Enterprises (SMEs) and push microfinance.
Fiscal discipline and financial prudence to achieve low inflation, low interest rates, resulting into long term economic stability.
Expanding and strengthening intra African trade in accordance with the principles and policies under the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD).
Actively encourage civil society, non-governmental and charitable organisations that have expertise and experience in training that can support and finance self employment schemes.