The widespread and uncontrolled smuggling of diamonds has since their discovery been an unfortunate feature of and often the impetus for international involvement in Sierra Leone. The problem persists unabated even today among businessmen and politicians, and on a smaller scale among tourists and even the monitoring personnel, relief and development partners who are ostensibly here to help the country. The perpetrators of these acts are in effect depriving the world’s least developed country of much-needed revenue through the theft of its single most precious asset, with little chance of recourse by the authorities.
Yet perhaps the most alarming aspect of this issue is the lack of effective mechanisms to check the illicit

trade. Customs and government monitors of mining activities have been hamstrung by the national government, which has left them woefully shorthanded and lacking the sufficient capacity and resources to carry out their duties. In addition, the low pay associated with these positions is another contributing factor to the widespread corruption among mining officials. This unfortunate situation further reflects a general lack of will to enforce and regulate mineral legislation, which is of the utmost importance in a country where the diamond industry

constitutes the largest generator of locally derived revenue and foreign exchange.
It leads one to wonder whether this deprivation is deliberate so as to perpetuate the network of kickbacks that benefits prominent officials. The Momoh Pujeh Case provides a poignant reminder of the lack of political will to prosecute high-profile smugglers. While it must be recognized that the challenges of preventing smuggling are significant considering the small size of the valuable stones, a cohesive action plan with an emphasis on prevention and effective monitoring is necessary to increase revenues from this potentially lucrative trade so as to bring some tangible benefit to the people of Sierra Leone from the wealth of resources that the country has to offer.

The EITI

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Effective implementation of the EITI would require the Government of Sierra Leone to hire an independent auditor through a competitive and transparent bidding process to carry out a financial and operational audit, as well as the sustained financial backing of government and the international community. These efforts must be then supplemented by the enacting of effective legislation requiring the public disclosure of extractive companies’ payments to the government as well as the revenue that government receives. For the program to be effective, a civil society coalition focused on the EITI would be instrumental in helping design and monitor the program, as well as verifying the published returns and holding government accountable for the use of the revenue generated. The support and vigilance of the international community, particularly the

World Bank, would also be critical to ensure the effectiveness and transparency of such an endeavor.
The realization of a successful implementation of EITI policies in Sierra Leone would be dramatic. If companies and government were effectively forced to behave in a more transparent manner and loopholes allowing the diversion of funds were plugged, a major facet of corruption in the extractive industries would be addressed, allowing greater revenue to be derived for government and public services. Such progress would also improve the business environment by attracting foreign direct investment, particularly from more responsible and reputable companies who would have otherwise been reluctant to invest in and support an industry renowned for its widespread corruption.
The question remains then how to get Sierra Leone onboard this initiative. Nigeria and Ghana have signed on to the pilot program, and have already met with success in monitoring and increasing revenue from

their extractive industries. Despite the June 2003 declaration at the EITI Conference in London by Sierra Leone’s Minister of Mineral Resources, Hon. Alhaji Mohamed Swarrey Deen, that his government “stands ready to pilot the approach and…request[s] assistance from our partners to establish an efficient monitoring procedure,” the country is yet to take a significant step forward by signing on to the initiative.
Therefore it is apparent that civil society – media, unions, the NGO sector – must embrace the principles of the Publish What You Pay (PWYP) campaign and take the lead by pressing the government to be more proactive in the adoption of this initiative. Indeed, the success of the entire program is very much dependent on the sustained activism on the part of civil society to ensure that, once implemented, all parties are complying with the laws.