By Alpha Amadu Jalloh
The year 2025 will be remembered in Sierra Leone not for what was promised but for what was exposed. It was a year when governance stripped itself naked before the people. A year when slogans collapsed under the weight of reality. A year when institutions meant to protect the people instead revealed how deeply broken they have become. From State House to the streets of Freetown, from foreign missions to village clinics, from classrooms to police stations, the same pattern repeated itself again and again. Noise without substance. Power without responsibility. Authority without accountability.
Throughout 2025, I wrote consistently about one central truth. Sierra Leone is not poor by accident. It is made poor by design, by neglect, by bad leadership, and by a political culture that rewards loyalty over competence and silence over honesty. Every sector of governance demonstrated this reality in painful clarity.
The presidency itself set the tone. Leadership in 2025 was defined more by travel than presence, more by international photo opportunities than domestic problem solving. While disasters unfolded at home, while buildings collapsed, while hospitals failed, while young people drowned in hopelessness and drugs, the head of state appeared disconnected from the urgency of national grief. Empathy became performative rather than real. Mourning was selective. Responsibility was deflected. The presidency felt distant at a time when the nation needed closeness.
Parliament did not redeem itself. Instead of acting as the conscience of the nation, it often behaved like an extension of the executive. Oversight was weak. Debate was shallow. National interest was sacrificed on the altar of party survival. Laws were passed without meaningful consultation, while urgent reforms were delayed indefinitely. The people watched as their representatives defended indefensible decisions and remained silent on issues that touched daily suffering.
The civil service, once the backbone of the state, continued its steady decline. Ministries existed in name but not in function. Offices were filled yet productivity remained absent. Recruitment processes were compromised by tribalism, nepotism, and political patronage. Files moved slowly, not because systems were complex, but because corruption had become normalized. A culture of fear replaced professionalism. Those who spoke up were sidelined. Those who complied were promoted.
The Anti Corruption Commission, which should have been a symbol of integrity, became one of the most controversial institutions of the year. Selective justice dominated public perception. Some individuals were paraded and humiliated, while others walked freely despite glaring questions about wealth and conduct. Extravagance among public officials went unexplained. Public trust eroded further as anti corruption appeared less about justice and more about power.
The security sector raised serious alarms. The police, rather than serving as neutral protectors of law and order, were repeatedly accused of politicization. Public confidence in impartial policing dropped sharply. Citizens feared reporting crimes. Opposition voices felt targeted. The memory of past authoritarian eras resurfaced in public discourse, reminding Sierra Leoneans that democracy is fragile when security institutions lose neutrality.
Foreign affairs in 2025 exposed another layer of failure. Sierra Leone’s diplomatic missions abroad became symbols of embarrassment rather than pride. Appointments were based on loyalty instead of competence. Some diplomats lacked basic understanding of diplomacy, protocol, or national interest. Missions consumed millions from the Consolidated Fund while offering little protection or support to Sierra Leoneans in distress overseas. The diaspora, despite its financial contribution to the economy, remained politically marginalized and emotionally abandoned.
International relations also revealed contradictions. While agreements were signed and handshakes exchanged, Sierra Leone found itself undermined on the global stage. Travel bans, diplomatic snubs, and policy misalignments exposed weak strategic thinking. Foreign partners preached reform while practicing selective morality. Institutions like the IMF, World Bank, EU, AU, and UN spoke the language of development but failed to show empathy toward the daily struggles of ordinary Sierra Leoneans.
The economy told its own brutal story. Inflation crushed households. The Leone continued to weaken. Prices of basic goods rose relentlessly. Salaries remained stagnant. Electricity remained unreliable. Water access remained inconsistent. Small businesses suffocated under taxes and poor infrastructure. Youth unemployment reached desperate levels, fueling crime, migration, and substance abuse. The Kush crisis became one of the most tragic symbols of a generation abandoned by the state.
Education suffered deeply. Teachers were underpaid and demoralized. Schools lacked resources. Graduates left institutions without skills, hope, or employment prospects. Universities produced certificates rather than solutions. A nation with one of the youngest populations in the world continued to waste its greatest asset.
Healthcare exposed the moral failure of governance most clearly. Hospitals lacked equipment. Patients paid for services meant to be free. Emergency responses were slow and chaotic. Lives were lost not because conditions were untreatable, but because systems were broken. The poor died quietly. The rich sought treatment abroad. Inequality became lethal.
The housing and urban planning crisis reached dangerous levels. Old buildings stood uninspected. Landlords ignored safety. Authorities failed to enforce standards. When tragedy struck, investigations faded quickly. No systemic reform followed. Lessons were never learned.
Yet despite all this, 2025 was not a year without lessons or hope. It was a year of awakening. Sierra Leoneans spoke more openly. Young people questioned authority. The diaspora demanded inclusion. Writers, activists, and ordinary citizens refused silence. The national conversation shifted, even if power resisted listening.
As we approach 2026, the question is no longer what went wrong. That has been documented extensively. The question is what we are willing to change together.
First, leadership must be redefined. Governance must return to service, not spectacle. Leaders must be present, accountable, and emotionally connected to the people. Empathy is not weakness. It is the foundation of legitimacy.
Second, institutions must be rebuilt, not politicized. The civil service must be professionalized. Recruitment must be merit based. Oversight bodies must be independent. Anti corruption must be fair, transparent, and consistent.
Third, the security sector must be depoliticized immediately. Public trust can only return when citizens feel protected rather than intimidated.
Fourth, the diaspora must be fully integrated into national life. Voting rights, policy input, and representation are not favors. They are rights.
Fifth, youth must become the center of national planning. Jobs, skills training, mental health support, and entrepreneurship must replace empty slogans.
Finally, the people themselves must remain engaged. Silence has cost Sierra Leone too much. Citizenship must become active, informed, and fearless.
2025 exposed our wounds. 2026 must be the year we choose healing through honesty, responsibility, and collective action. Sierra Leone does not lack ideas, resources, or people. What it has lacked is courage at the top and unity at the base. That can change, if we decide that the future matters more than power.
