There is a Clear Difference Between Serving People and Chasing a Score

The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC): Sierra Leone FY26

The MCC scorecard often presents a flattering picture that does not accurately reflect the daily hardships faced by Sierra Leoneans.

When compared to other low-income countries, the MCC FY2026 indicates that we are “doing well” in certain areas, such as corruption control and employment opportunities. Yes, when we are assessed against other fragile and struggling economies, we pass some indicators. However, when we measure ourselves against our own reality, our own laws, and our national development plans, we find that we are falling short.

Write-up by Basita Michael | @MichaelBasita

Yet the World Bank’s own 7th Economic Update paints a different picture: “bad spending” go unchecked, “insufficient auditing are glaring symptoms of an overall lack of transparency and poor executive accountability,” oversight is weak, the private sector is feeble, job creation stagnating, foreign reserves have plunged to 1.5 months of import cover by mid-2025 driven partly by heavy spending on overseas travel, embassies, and energy arrears, and poverty has deepened to 32.7 %; with 82 % of households food insecure.

So yes when we are graded against other fragile and struggling economies we can pass certain indicators. But when we are measured against our own reality, our own laws , our own national development plans, we are falling short.

People care about stable economy, steady jobs with fair pay, thriving private sector, reliable power and water, efficient public services, real accountability, good governance and a justice system that protects everyone-not a scorecard built on low benchmarks.

Transformative progress demands honest focus on these challenges.