KEYNOTE ADDRESS DELIVERED BY DR. KAIFALA MARAH

MANO RIVER UNION TECHNICAL AND MINISTERIAL MEETING
ON POST-EBOLA ECONOMIC RECOVERY
16 – 18 March 2015
Barmoi Hotel, Freetown, Sierra Leone
KEYNOTE ADDRESS
DELIVERED BY DR. KAIFALA MARAH, MINISTER OF FINANCE AND ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT, REPUBLIC OF SIERRA LEONE
Mr. Chairman,
Colleague Ministers from Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone,
The Secretary General and Staff of the Mano River Union
UN Resident Coordinator and Members of the UN Family,
Development Partners –EU, DfID, World Bank, AfDB,
Delegations from the Mano River Union,
Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen
Last month, at the Extraordinary Mano River Union Summit on Ebola in
Conakry, the MRU Heads of States and Governments declared their
commitment and political will to adopt common strategies to end the Ebola
epidemic, and to address post-Ebola recovery needs of the sub-region. The
Communiqué issued at the Summit reaffirmed a collective mindset to reaching
and sustaining zero Ebola infection in the sub-region by April 15 this year. And
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a framework for achieving these targets was also endorsed.
Barely two weeks ago, delegations from various Governments and
Institutions including Civil Society and the Private Sector gathered in Brussels
to discuss the road from emergency to recovery in the three Ebola-hit MRU
countries. During the Brussels Conference, the MRU Heads of States were
clear that Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone are determined to coordinate
recovery efforts in the three countries, and they called for continued regional
and international partnerships to mobilise resources for the drive to achieve
zero new infections; for early post-Ebola recovery; and for medium and longer
term development. In short, they were very clear that achieving zero is one
thing, but maintaining zero comes with sustainable investment in the systems
and institutions in the three countries.
These commitments and declarations, no doubt require our technical
teams as well as Ministers to firm-up a harmonized sub-regional strategy that
will guide the intervention of the global community. I am therefore delighted at
the opportunity accorded by this meeting to re-engage and distill our thoughts
and resolve to end the Ebola crisis and deal with its consequences in the Manu
River Union.
We gather here today knowing that the disease is in retreat, yet
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concerned that its social and economic impact has been extraordinary,
considering the loss of lives and shocks to existing fragile health systems and
economic forecasts. Our economies have suffered significant downturn owing
cuts in private sector activities, loss of revenues and jobs; and yet the virus
remains a present threat to the development aspirations in the MRU. We
gather here knowing that there has been no new infection in Liberia for a
number of days now. We commend this achievement as a significant indication
of progress towards reaching and maintaining zero infection. It shows that it is
possible to stranglehold and restrain the disease.
It is nearly a year now since the first Ebola case was diagnosed in
Guinea. And we have all learned important lessons from this fight for the
future. We are grateful for the gains we have made together. We therefore
thank our leaders - President Alpha Condé of Guinea, President Ellen JohnsonSirleaf of Liberia, and President Ernest Bai Koroma of Sierra Leone for their
collective leadership and determination to protect all of us from the scourge of
Ebola. We also thank our Development Partners for standing by us all the way.
During these three days, all of us, Ministers, Technical Experts and
Advisers drawn from the MRU will carry out the directives of our Heads of
States and Government as follows:
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(i)
Conclude a strategy on achieving and sustaining zero Ebola infections;
(ii)
Consolidate the MRU recovery programme ahead of the IMF/World
Bank Spring Meetings in Washington in April 2015. This will include all
emerging Social Protection issues; address fiscal deficits through
budget support and debt cancellation; and discuss on how to enhance
financial inclusion and private sector-led growth;
(iii) We will also revisit the Mano River Union-African Development Bank
Initiative on critical infrastructure in the sub-region including
Infrastructure, ICT, Agriculture, Energy, the Growth Triangles, and how
to Re-grow the three countries through partnerships with the Private
Sector; I am delighted that this meeting will discuss implementation of
the way we will leverage opportunities from this initiative to advance
our recovery efforts.
(iv)
We will define the Regional Trust Fund and its implementation
framework including roles and responsibilities of the MRU Secretariat,
the three countries and our Development Partners.
The draft sub-regional recovery strategy highlights the need to institute
sustainable healthcare delivery systems, to reopen educational institutions, to
revitalize the agriculture sector and address the needs of women, children,
youth, orphans, survivors and persons with disability. In the early recovery
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days, we will emphasize rebranding of the three countries from the Ebola-hit
image to encourage tourism activities, mindful of the associated benefits to the
economy of the MRU. In order to achieve and maintain zero cases, it is
important that we firm up our thoughts on infection prevention control, social
mobilization, community engagement, surveillance, cross border collaboration,
instituting robust and sustainable social protection programmes, providing
mental and psychosocial support and how to ensure effective coordination.
As we prepare our post-Ebola recovery journey, I wish to re-echo the call
from President Koroma and His two colleagues for cooperation from our
Development Partners to take stock of resources committed to the fight
against Ebola. As we commit to country-led and country-owned recovery
programmes, we believe that Mutual Accountability by all parties will enable us
to fulfil our international commitments to the Principles of the New Deal. In this
regard, I encourage the technical teams to consider and proffer viable options
for mutually accountable partnerships in managing post-Ebola recovery
resources.
Let me commend the work that has been done by our Technical Teams
in Conakry and in Brussels leading to our draft sub-regional recovery strategy. I
encourage the teams to keep their commitment to this process and work
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together to consolidate the Draft Programme and Results Framework.
Mr. Chairman, distinguished guest ladies and gentlemen, it is now my
singular honor to declare this meeting open, and I am hopeful that the
deliberations during these three days will advance our collective determination
and action to contain Ebola and lead Ebola-free lives in the Mano River Union.
I Thank You for listening
Good Morning
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