In a recent exclusive interview with AYV Media Empire, the United States Ambassador to Sierra Leone, Bryan David Hunt broken silence on the $500 Million Millennium Challenge Corporation Grant Sierra Leone has been looking forward to after the country secured a satisfactory score on the recent Scorecard result.
Reacting to Sierra Leone’s anticipation for the grant, the Ambassador clarified that the score card is only a first step to being eligible for the grant, noting that it is the time the board would consider whether Sierra leone can continue it eligibility for the compact before they can decide on moving forward with it.
Inaddition, he emphasized that the Scorecard is only the first step but certainly not the end of the journey.
“When we look at whether or not a country should receive an MCC compact, we look not only at the Scorecard result, which tells us only that you are doing better than half of the other developing countries in the world, we also look at the broader trajectory of the country’s economic, social and democratic development.” He infomed.
He went on to state that Sierra Leone’s 2023 multi-tier elections raised some serious questions both nationally and internationally about the path of the country’s democracy, adding that the agreement for national unity has moved the country to a certain amount back towards the way it need to be in terms of democratic development.
He therefore stated that they can only be able to make an assessment on Sierra Leone’s continuity with the compact, when they see that the agreement is being implemented, the community begins it work and some of the other provisions implemented that will see Sierra Leone continue along that democratic trajectory.