Contributed
The World Bank has appointed Sierra Leone’s dynamic and workaholic Financial Secretary, Mr. Sahr Lahai Jusu (photo), as a Borrowers’ Representative of the International Development Association (IDA) for the three years Replenishment cycle effective April 2019. Mr. Jusu is one of just over a dozen eminent senior financial officials of 77 low-income countries to be so honoured.
The appointment was announced by Dr. Henry Kerali, the World Bank Country Director for Sierra Leone, Ghana, Liberia and The Gambia during a courtesy call on His Excellency President Julius Maada Bio at State House in Freetown on Thursday, 28 February.
The appointment means that Mr. Jusu, an experienced macroeconomic policy analyst, will work with 14 other eminent Economists to negotiate and advocate on behalf of 77 countries to mobilize and allocate resources among these countries. The Harvard-trained Mr. Jusu will maintain his current job as Financial Secretary, one of President Bio’s most effective and efficient top officials.
In making the appointment, Dr. Kerali, the senior World Bank Director who announced it said, the World Bank was applauding the efficient and effective fiscal management under President Bio during the last 10 months. Huge challenges remain, Dr. Kerali said, but the progress thus far, particularly in the areas of fiscal discipline and human capital development, has made Sierra Leone a country worthy of accelerated and enhanced support.
The World Bank Country Director praised the economic management team headed by Minister Jacob Jusu Saffa, noting that it has demonstrated the ability to restore macroeconomic stability in the short and medium terms. This, he said, will allow other stakeholders to develop greater interest and efficiency.
Dr. Kerali said that Sierra Leone is becoming a high performer, noting that if only the recent gains are sustained and improved upon, the country was on track towards fiscal stability and solvency. He concluded by saying that the World Bank’s appointment of Mr. Jusu provides an opportunity to the Government to more effectively canvass increased resources for the financing of Government programs as articulated in the new National Development Plan.
The Borrowers’ Representatives are senior government officials from IDA recipient countries with extensive experience of development policies and practice in their own countries, with a good level of familiarity with the IDA policies and operations both domestically and internationally. The responsibility of an IDA Borrowers’ Representative is to express, at IDA fora, the interests and views of African clients to IDA Deputies and Management of the World Bank Group (WBG) in the design and implementation of IDA policies.
Sahr Lahai Jusu will also play a key role in the negotiations of the 19th replenishments of IDA’s finances (IDA19), by bringing to the table perspectives and experiences from the challenges and opportunities faced by IDA client countries. In an earlier meeting at the signing ceremony of a $12.0 million Financial Inclusion agreement between the Finance Minister, Jacob Jusu Saffa and the World Bank, Mr. Jusu expressed his desire to work with other IDA Borrowers representatives towards achieving the overall objectives of the new replenishment cycle by seeking more resources and even doubling resources to those countries that demonstrate high performance in promoting inclusive and transparent economic management.
He thanked his boss, Finance Minister, Jacob Jusu Saffa for nominating him, noting that with his continued support, they will deliver for the people of Sierra Leone.
This is not the first time that Mr. Sahr Jusu has been honored to represent low-income countries as an advocate for their increase representation and effectiveness in mobilizing resources to finance poverty alleviation programs.
In 2004, Jusu was posted to the Commonwealth Secretariat in London UK, where he served as an Adviser to the Commonwealth Finance Ministers advocating deeper and broader debt relief for 43 countries. His efforts contributed to the successful cancellation of poor countries debt worth US$44.0 Billion.
Jusu has a graduate degree in economic policy and management from UN-IDEP and Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Harvard University. He is an accredited Fellow of Edward S. Mason in Public Policy, also at Harvard University.
Comments