Sierra Leone’s Bio appoints new cabinet chief to prepare for 2023 polls

Among the most significant developments from the 30 April cabinet reshuffle is that Jacob Saffa will now serve as both Finance Minister and Chief Minister. His elevation may introduce additional experience and ruling party heft to the cabinet, but the focus is on preparing for elections rather than improvements to government business/broad-based reform.

Main Findings – Changing of the guard

President Julius Maada Bio has moved David Francis from the post of chief minister to foreign affairs, effectively demoting him, and promoted Saffa, who now doubles as chief minister and finance minister*.

The reshuffle is especially significant because of the chief minister’s principal role supervising all government ministries and running the government in the Bio administration. Bio created the office after coming to power in 2018 and put Francis, who had headed Bio’s transition team when he won the election that year, in the role. This made him the dominant figure in the government while Vice President Mohamed Jalloh was relegated to a more ceremonial role.

However, the chief minister’s position was unpopular because it was widely deemed to be extraneous to the country’s political system. There was significant concern locally that an unelected figure would command so much influence, and corruption allegations against Francis this year further worsened his public image. Meanwhile, members of the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) viewed him as an outsider. A former professor overseas, he had no prior political experience and had got into the government chiefly because of his personal relationship with Bio.   

Saffa’s elevation to the chief minister position now seems to be a move to placate the SLPP establishment. He has a long SLPP history unlike Francis. He is a former SLPP secretary-general (2005 to 2011) and he chaired the party’s 2018 campaign team. With general elections now two years away, the chief minister’s position is being repurposed to be the link between the government and partisan interests who have unfulfilled expectations regarding the distribution of political patronage.

Saffa’s experience with managing election campaigns and mobilising grassroots supporters are more suited for this position at this time, regardless of his track record as finance minister. To illustrate his track record: one newspaper reported in March 2020 that Bio had placed the government’s treasury single account in his hands and that he was directly involved in the alleged abuse of this public finance system.

Outlook – Elections first

Saffa will be at the centre of policymaking for the rest of Bio’s current tenure, but the pace of reform is unlikely to pick up with him in charge since preparing for the elections overshadows government business. For example, the top development on the government’s agenda at this time is a proposed census that the opposition fears would be rigged to give the ruling SLPP an electoral advantage (See Sierra Leone's parliamentary fault lines).

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*Dennis Vandy was named finance minister on 7 May (after the original publication of the piece).

Photo credit: Freetown from Fourah Bay College. mifl68, CC

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