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Audit Service Sierra Leone (ASSL) has uncovered irregularities in the disbursement of NLe 275,000 allocated to support 200 youth beneficiaries under the Freetown City Council’s SME scheme between 2021 and August 2023, raising serious concerns about transparency, accountability, and the integrity of public spending.
The Youth Start-up fund is aimed at providing financial support and training to help young entrepreneurs launch or expand businesses.
The auditors, from the Audit Service Sierra Leone found that none of the disbursements followed due process.
The funds, NLe 1,000 per youth in 2021, and NLe 1,500 per youth in 2022 and 2023, were distributed without any formal application, business plan, proposal, or documented criteria, as alleged. Additionally, the audit revealed that there was no evidence of vetting, contact verification, or justification for the selection of recipients.
In a revealing interview, the head of the youth sector admitted that no structured criteria were used. Beneficiaries were reportedly selected based on internal youth structures and recommendations from local councillors, bypassing any merit-based or needs-based evaluation.
The audit team attempted to verify the legitimacy of the recipients by randomly sampling names and contact numbers from the provided list. Shockingly, 95% of the contact numbers were found to be non-functional or nonexistent, casting doubt on whether the funds reached genuine beneficiaries at all.
Furthermore, these findings suggest a systemic failure in grant oversight, with public funds potentially misdirected or misused under the guise of youth empowerment.
The absence of documentation, accountability mechanisms, and verifiable contact information points to a breakdown in governance and raises concerns about possible collusion or political patronage.
The audit calls for urgent reforms in grant administration, including the establishment of transparent selection criteria, proper documentation, and independent monitoring mechanisms. Without these safeguards, the promise of youth economic empowerment risks becoming a hollow slogan, funded by taxpayers, but devoid of impact.
