Over 60% of Sierra Leoneans live in extreme poverty today. The country remains among the world’s poorest countries. Rampant corruption, tribalism, violence, income and economic inequality are the defining challenges we face today as a nation.
In the past three years, I have travelled around the country, meeting millions of Sierra Leoneans -young and old, and listening to them share their experiences on life in Sierra Leone. It became apparent to me how complex and deeply entrenched the poverty problem in Sierra Leone has become and how urgently an actual, actionable national development and poverty reduction plan is needed.
It’s not just about a lack of financial resources. But it is about not having the same opportunities as other people. It’s about feeling invisible, diminished and devalued by society. It’s about being forced to make impossible choices, like buying medicine or food. And if they have to purchase small food, who will eat first - the parent or the kids? It’s about the constant struggle that keeps people trapped, striving for a life that, too often, they can’t quite reach.
Whether it is people with disabilities, single mothers escaping violence, the chronically underemployed looking for more stability and security, or the thousands of others struggling with poverty, I've heard every day from ordinary Sierra Leoneans who have been left behind and are looking for better opportunities and better lives.
It is for this cause that I am on a mission. I'm on a political mission to do something new and bold to get Sierra Leone back on track. I’m aspiring for the presidential candidacy (Flag bearer) for the All Peoples Congress Party (APC) in Sierra Leone, and I invite you to join me.
I invite you to come, and let's make Sierra Leone a better place! Let's create a nation where every Sierra Leonean is better educated; live a healthy life in a healthy environment; prosper and have more money in their pockets; have equal opportunity to live a life of purpose and abundance; a nation where our natural resources benefit every citizen; a nation that will create sustainable jobs; a nation that will empower women and girls, youths and seniors, and invest in national unity and the private sector.
If you have any doubt, COME AND SEE!
Join me in this cause! Visit my website at www.richardkonteh.com.
Come and see what we can do together!