World Report

Sierra Leone
21 JULY 2007

Piecing together a brighter future

THIS SUPPLEMENT WAS PRODUCED BY WORLD REPORT INTERNATIONAL LTD, WHO ARE SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CONTENT

M INS au ID E Pa ri ge ti us 7

INTRODUCTION CONTENTS
03 04 05 06 07
PORTS COMMERCE INFRASTRUCTURE CONSTRUCTION TOURISM MAURITIUS

SIERRA LEONE PROJECT TEAM: Project Director: Claudia Llinas Editorial Director: Julien Drolon Project Assistant: Muriel Touati MAURITIUS PROJECT TEAM: Project Director: Erika Garcia Mignaton Editorial Director: David Assad COVER ILLUSTRATION: Carmelo Aunion This supplement was produced for The Independent by World Report International Ltd, who are solely responsible for the content. World Report International Ltd is not connected or associated with any company registered in the United Kingdom bearing the same or similar name. FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: World Report International Ltd, 2 Old Brompton Road, South Kensington, London SW7 3DQ Tel: +44 20 76296213

Sierra Leone was left in ruins by a decade of civil war. As it holds its first elections since the UN peacekeepers left, the small West African state is in far better shape than when President Kabbah was re-elected five years ago, but his successor will still face major challenges

Moving towards a brighter future
“We have come a long way. We also recognise that we have a long way to go.” Outgoing President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah’s reflection on Sierra Leone’s progress in the five years since the end of its brutal civil conflict would be hard to better as the country prepares for next week’s election. Voters can look back on a period in which considerable headway has been made towards consolidating peace, improving security and achieving macroeconomic stability – no small achievements considering the devastation in which the country was left by a decade of war. While it remains low in the United Nations Human Development Index, Salone, as it is known, has become one of the fastest