On behalf of the Sierra Leone-Ireland partnership, I thank the joint committee for inviting us here. Sierra Leone is a typical sub-Saharan, west African country. It was colonised in the 18th and 19th centuries during the scramble for Africa. It gained independence in 1961 and for a number of years everything went well. However, in the late 1960s, Shaka Stevens was elected to power and began to dismantle the whole democratic system. He created a one-party system and, within years, had a dictatorship in place. He set about enriching himself and his cronies. This is typical of many African countries.
After Shaka Stevens, there was a series of coups. Each regime was worse than the one before it. All this culminated in the outbreak of civil war in 1991 which was notable for its brutality and the extensive use of child soldiers. Remarkably, this war was not fought on ethnic or religious lines. It centred around resources and their misuse and continued for ten years. Peace was declared in 2001. Elections had been held in 1998 and again in 2002, when the current Government was re-elected. A truth and reconciliation commission was established as well as an anti-corruption commission. A special court to try perpetrators of war crimes has just commenced. Some 46,000 combatants have been disarmed. A new police force has been established and a senior officer from a British police force has been seconded to run it for a number of years.
What is unique in Sierra Leone is that with the assistance of the UN and the international community, including Ireland, the country has hauled itself back from the brink. Sierra Leone could have become another Somalia, a country without a Government, but it did not. The elected Government has set about rebuilding the country and it needs our support urgently. We believe Sierra Leone should become a priority country. According to the criteria laid down by the Ireland Aid review, Sierra Leone would be a most suitable country to qualify as a programme country. The Sierra Leone-Ireland Partnership subscribes to the analysis and the aims laid out in the Ireland Aid review. One of the central beliefs in the review is the requirement for good governance. We believe that without good governance, development work is put at risk.
Sr. Hilary Lyons worked as a doctor for 40 years in Sierra Leone where she built up a marvellous hospital, training nurses and health assistants. Following the civil war the hospital is in ruins and those people are now scattered. The work done for 40 years did not go to waste - good work does not go to waste - but the hospital is gone.
Our belief is that unless Governments get involved in helping developing countries, those countries will not advance. Governments govern countries. One of the main aims of the Ireland Aid review is that Governments should get involved with these developing countries. The first of the criteria laid down by Ireland Aid is promotion of good government. Sierra Leone is a terrific example of a Government getting its act together. It needs support, not just financial but moral. It needs assistance in learning how to re-establish Government.
Ireland has huge expertise. We are the same size as Sierra Leone and have a similar population. Some 20 years ago we were one of the poorest countries in Europe, but we are now one of the richest. We must have done something right. There are a number of lessons we can teach Sierra Leone, such as in industrial development. FÁS was the main agency used to train our workforce. Sierra Leone is crying out for a similar agency. It needs to develop programmes for health, education and rural welfare. It needs assistance and moral support. Democratic Governments need to work together. Sierra Leone needs the support of Governments in western Europe, and Ireland is very well-positioned in that regard.