This article is a journalistic assessment grounded exclusively in officially published audit reports, ministerial performance records, and internationally recognised governance indicators. It does not pronounce criminal guilt, civil liability, or personal culpability against any institution, office holder, or public official. Audit findings referenced herein identify administrative weaknesses, control failures, and institutional underperformance. Any conclusions drawn are institutional in nature and presented solely in the public interest.
Primary source document:
Audit Service Sierra Leone Annual Audit Report 2024
*WHY THE WORST AWARDS REMAIN NECESSARY*
Some have asked why the Worst of Sierra Leone Awards persist. Why focus on institutional failure rather than celebrate achievement alone. The answer remains unchanged. Societies advance not merely by praise but by honest self examination. To acknowledge success without confronting failure is to normalise stagnation.
In functioning democracies, the justice system, parliamentary oversight, and internal accountability mechanisms identify, correct, and sanction failure. Where these systems operate unevenly or produce limited corrective outcomes, informed public scrutiny becomes indispensable. Failure to identify persistent institutional weakness risks elevating poor performance into precedent with damaging consequences for national development.
Sierra Leone remains richly endowed with natural resources and human potential. Yet by 2025, the cumulative effects of weak institutions, inconsistent service delivery, and recurring audit failures continue to weigh heavily on economic growth, social cohesion, and public trust. This reality provides the context for the Worst of Sierra Leone Awards.
*THE WORST SIERRA LEONEAN INSTITUTIONAL PERFORMANCE*
Sierra Leone is constitutionally a republic with decentralised governance aspirations. In practice, however, it remains a highly centralised state where the central government exercises dominant authority over revenue, mineral resources, public finance, infrastructure, and national security. Institutional performance at the centre of government directly shapes the lived experience of citizens.
Where institutions function predictably, governance becomes resilient. Where failure recurs without effective correction, inefficiency, instability, and public frustration follow. The 2025 assessment therefore examines institutional outcomes rather than personalities drawing on audit evidence, performance benchmarks, and service delivery realities.
*1 WORST CENTRAL GOVERNANCE INSTITUTION*
*MINISTRY OF FINANCE*
*Audit Citations:*
• “Payments were made without adequate supporting documentation contrary to the Financial Management Regulations.” Audit Report 2024 Page 67
• Listed in Table 2 Summary of Domestic Financial Irregularities by Ministries Departments and Agencies Audit Report 2024 Page 71
*Assessment:*
No institution bears greater responsibility for the functioning of the state than the Ministry of Finance. It oversees budget execution, expenditure control, public debt management, and the enforcement of financial discipline across government.
By 2025, successive audit reports continue to document recurring weaknesses within the ministry including unsupported payments, payroll inconsistencies, and failures in statutory remittances. While these findings do not allege criminal conduct, they demonstrate persistent control deficiencies at the apex of fiscal governance.
The consequences are systemic. Weak financial oversight constrains funding for health, education, agriculture, and infrastructure. It disrupts service delivery, undermines donor confidence, and weakens the state’s capacity to meet its social contract obligations.
On the basis of scale, recurrence, and national impact, the Ministry of Finance emerges as the weakest performing central governance institution for 2025.
*2 WORST CONSTITUTIONAL OVERSIGHT*
*PARLIAMENT OF SIERRA LEONE*
*Audit Citations:*
• “Allowances and operational funds disbursed to parliamentary committees were not consistently accounted for and supporting documentation was incomplete.” Audit Report 2024 Page 77
• Listed in Table 2 Summary of Domestic Financial Irregularities Audit Report 2024 Page 71
*Assessment:*
Parliament serves as the constitutional overseer of government spending and institutional performance. Persistent lapses in financial documentation and committee reporting undermine transparency and reduce accountability. Audit evidence indicates procedural and control weaknesses that weaken parliamentary oversight.
Consequences include delayed correction of executive underperformance and limited enforcement of fiscal discipline which in turn diminishes the state’s ability to maintain public trust. Parliament therefore ranks among the weakest performing constitutional oversight institutions for 2025.
*3 WORST EXTERNAL REPRESENTATION AND DIPLOMATIC ADMINISTRATION*
*DIPLOMATIC MISSIONS AND THE MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION*
*Audit Citations:*
• “Unsupported expenditures were noted in several overseas missions including payments made without adequate documentation and failure to retire imprests in accordance with regulations.” Audit Report 2024 Page 78
• Diplomatic missions listed under Table 3 Summary of Foreign Missions with Financial Irregularities Audit Report 2024 Page 80
• “Weak controls over foreign currency transactions and mission level expenditures persist across audit cycles.” Audit Report 2024 Page 65
*Assessment:*
Diplomatic missions constitute the sovereign face of the state abroad. They advance national interests, protect citizens overseas, promote trade and investment, and manage bilateral and multilateral relationships. They also manage public funds disbursed in foreign currency with limited real time oversight.
Audit findings reveal persistent weaknesses in financial management across several missions including unsupported expenditures, unretired imprests, and inadequate documentation. Recurring issues point to systemic control deficiencies rather than isolated administrative lapses.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs bears responsibility for policy direction, oversight, and enforcement of financial regulations across missions. Poorly managed missions undermine Sierra Leone’s credibility with development partners, weaken investor confidence, and compromise consular protection for citizens abroad. In a period where economic diplomacy is critical, these weaknesses directly hamper government efforts to fulfil its social contract.
*4 WORST SERVICE DELIVERY SECTOR*
*ENERGY AND ELECTRICITY GOVERNANCE*
*Audit Citations:*
• “Revenue collected was not fully accounted for and supporting records were not consistently maintained.” Audit Report 2024 Page 69
• Energy sector entities listed in Table 2 under unsupported expenditures and weak internal controls Audit Report 2024 Page 71
*Assessment:*
Few institutional failures affect daily life as visibly as those in electricity provision. Energy institutions are entrusted with powering homes, hospitals, schools, and industry.
In 2025, electricity governance remains marked by operational inefficiencies, revenue leakages, and accountability weaknesses. The consequences are immediate and widespread. Erratic power supply disrupts healthcare delivery, undermines education, increases business costs, and suppresses productivity.
When electricity fails, the social contract fails in real time. On this basis, energy and electricity governance stands out as the weakest service delivery sector for the year.
*5 WORST DIGITAL GOVERNANCE AND PUBLIC COMMUNICATION PERFORMANCE*
*MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATION AND AGENCIES*
Key Institutions Covered: Ministry of Communication NATCA SALPOST Government ICT Units
*Audit Citations:*
• “Payments were effected without adequate supporting documentation and procurement procedures were not consistently followed.” Audit Report 2024 Page 72
• Ministry and associated entities listed in Table 2 Summary of Domestic Financial Irregularities by Ministries Departments and Agencies Audit Report 2024 Page 71
• “Weak controls were noted over ICT related expenditures and project management across MDAs.” Audit Report 2024 Page 65
*Assessment:*
Communication is a strategic enabling ministry responsible for national ICT policy, telecommunications regulation, digital platforms, and public communication. Agencies such as NATCA and SALPOST underpin digital inclusion and government citizen connectivity.
Audit findings reveal weaknesses in financial management, procurement compliance, and ICT project oversight. Consequences include delayed e government rollout, regulatory inefficiency, reduced service reliability, and reinforced digital exclusion.
As an enabling ministry, Communication does not deliver frontline welfare services. However, its performance directly affects how other ministries function, how services are accessed, and how citizens interact with the state. On the basis of recurring audit observations and cross cutting impact, Communication and its agencies rank among the weakest performing enabling ministries for 2025.
*6 WORST INFRASTRUCTURE DELIVERY*
*MINISTRY OF WORKS AND PUBLIC ASSETS*
*Audit Citations:*
• “Contract management weaknesses were noted, including delays in project execution and inadequate monitoring.” Audit Report 2024 Page 70
• Ministry listed in Table 2 Summary of Domestic Financial Irregularities Audit Report 2024 Page 71
*Assessment:*
Infrastructure underpins economic inclusion and national cohesion. Audit reports continue to flag procurement lapses, delayed execution, and poor asset management. Failures manifest in deteriorating roads, seasonal isolation, and unsafe public infrastructure.
Such deficiencies increase transport costs, limit access to essential services, and constrain economic growth. On this basis, the Ministry of Works and Public Assets ranks among the weakest performers for 2025.
*7 WORST HUMAN DEVELOPMENT SERVICE DELIVERY*
*HEALTH EDUCATION AGRICULTURE*
*Ministry of Health Audit Citation:*
• “Payroll records could not be reconciled with staff lists and supporting documentation was inadequate.” Audit Report 2024 Page 68
Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education Audit Citation:
• “Allowances were paid without proper authorisation and supporting records.” Audit Report 2024 Page 68
Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security Audit Citation:
• “Imprests were not retired in accordance with regulations and project expenditures lacked adequate documentation.” Audit Report 2024 Page 69
*Assessment:*
Health, education, and agriculture define the human development mandate of government. Audit findings reveal payroll anomalies, procurement weaknesses, and administrative lapses. These affect service delivery, food security, learning outcomes, and livelihoods. When human development institutions underperform, the social contract is most directly compromised.
*8 WORST ACCOUNTABILITY OUTCOME*
*ANTI CORRUPTION COMMISSION*
*Audit Citation:*
• “The persistence of audit issues suggests limited corrective action across MDAs.” Audit Report 2024 Page 65
*Assessment:*
The Anti Corruption Commission is central to the accountability framework. Its effectiveness should be measured by sustained behavioural change across institutions. Recurring audit findings suggest limited deterrent impact. This assessment evaluates outcomes, not intent. In 2025, accountability results remain insufficient to shift entrenched governance patterns.
The Worst Sierra Leonean Awards for 2025 are not an indictment of individuals. They are an institutional mirror reflecting how governance systems perform in practice.
Grounded in official audits and performance records, this assessment underscores a simple truth. Reform begins with recognition, and accountability begins with truth. Until institutional failure is confronted honestly and corrected decisively, the promise of governance will remain unfulfilled.
