Welcome to our first issue for 2019. Last year Sierra Leone’s attention was focused largely on the March 2018 elections. These represent the fifth straight general elections since return to multiparty elections in 1996, the third since the 2002 conclusion of the country’s civil war, and the first since 2002 to be conducted without the supervision of a United Nations (UN) mission approved by the UN Security Council. These elections were also notable in that they marked the transfer of governance from the APC to the SLPP.

That they were largely hiccup free speaks volumes about our country’s commitment to peace and democracy. It further consolidates Sierra Leone’s reputation for political stability. This is good news for existing and prospective investors.

The SLPP promised a new direction. The right direction will be one that takes the private sector and harnesses its skill, capacities, knowledge and judgment in partnership. In this issue of Insight, we look at the very different achievements of two of its major players – Ing. Trudy Morgan – Africa’s first female Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers, and the Kabaka’s ambitious vision for the music industry. An analysis of our tax systems and processes argues that streamlining these will benefit both businesses and public sector revenue generation. Our low ranking on the e-commerce index should convince the government to introduce an enabling environment which will allow us to maximise the full potential of the internet. Francis Stevens George argues the case for identifying and incubating tech-savvy SMEs, and Juanah Bellay shares a strategy for the agriculture sector based on experience and research.