Summit Communications: Recent research into Mobile Phone technology shows that mobile phones raise long-term growth rates and an extra ten phones for a hundred people in a typical developing country boosts GDP growth by 0.6%. Here in Sierra Leone liberalisation in the telecommunications sector means there are now four providers competing against each other. Dr Harding, please share with our readers your experience of liberalisation in this sector and how have managed to harness it to improve penetration rates and coverage.

Dr. Prince Harding: Well, the effect has been tremendous throughout the country. It has impacted positively on the economy, because we have been able to raise revenue for the Treasury and we are now the second highest revenue contributor to the Treasury after the Customs and Excise department. Since liberalisation, the enhancement of competition in the sector has given us choice, affordability and, above all, quality service. It has really created jobs and as I said from the licences and royalties, it has been able to contribute tremendously to the revenue of the Nation.

Summit Communications: Are there any plans to issue further mobile phone licences?

Dr. Prince Harding: No. The issuance of mobile licences especially GSM is limited by the availability of the spectrum. We have about five playing fields and we have been able to give about four to five licenses. You cannot go beyond that. However, there are others areas where people are coming in other forms of communication. The wireless local loop is there and we have these mobile telephone centres that are also playing their own crucial role in terms of revenue generation and creation of jobs, impacting directly on poverty alleviation. Our people used to come to Freetown to telephone to the outside world but now the telephone system has come to them. With the availability of telecentres, one does not need to own a mobile phone, you can go there and for $1.00 or $2.00, you could make a phone call to any part of the country or even outside the country; you can even ask the person you are calling to call you back. It has created accessibility because one of the conditions is that the mobile companies should roll out to the provinces and not just focus on the urban areas. Almost every major mobile phone operator is fulfilling that condition and that is very good for the people.

Summit Communications: If we look at another company Sierratel is the large state-owned company in the telecommunications sector. I understand there are plans to privatise Sierratel and to change the management structure. Could you share with the readers of the New York Times a little more about your plans for that?

Dr. Prince Harding: You see, one of the benefits of liberalisation is not only to bring affordability and choice to people but also to force state owned companies to compete within the market economy being developed in Sierra Leone. In that context, we have set-up the National Commission of Privatisation to manage and monitor the activities of these parastatals with a view of making them either marketable by outright sale or to bring in a form of privatisation which will also yield dividends for the government of Sierra Leone and for its people. It may not be an outright sale. It may be a Private/Public Partnership. The NCP is charged with the responsibility of running these parastatals.

Summit Communications: And in terms of the privatisation of Sierratel are you aware of any particular timetable that has been laid out for these changes?

Dr. Prince Harding: I don't know of a particular timetable per se; but as I said, it is an ideal candidate for privatisation. However, the form of privatisation is also important. They have to assess the financial viability; they have to take other audits into account; environmental factors; employee and labor union concerns before you privatise such a big entity. Having said that, it is slated for privatisation, I think sooner than later.

Summit Communications: Looking at transport, Sierra Leone has one of the largest natural harbours in the world and obviously the country is very well situated between two of the world's largest markets and has access to the United States' AGOA agreement and the EU through the "Everything but Arms" agreement. Dr. Harding, can you please share with the readers of the New York Times what you are doing to capitalise on these strength in the area of transport?

Dr. Prince Harding: Well, you see 90% of the world trade is by sea and we are endowed with a natural harbour which is admirable. Our strategy is to make our port a Landlord Port. We are going to privatise certain core functions like Stevedoring etc. In addition to that, we have attracted World Bank funding to improve the container stacking area and build a slip way and now we are trying to negotiate for funds and by next month, the World Bank hopefully will be able to fund the provision of certain equipment which include navigational aids to enhance safety within the harbour and just outside it. Those are the types of things we are doing. We also need to be able to review our tariffs in order to be able to compete within the sub region. But that is within the overall purview of the government, specifically for the Ministry of Finance and the National Revenue Authority.

Summit Communications: Dr. Harding, I want to introduce the next question with your own words: "My Ministry is not only trying to provide reliable and affordable transport but, it is also opening up the transport landscape so that people can make a choice". Can you share with the readers of New York Times a specific example of how your policies and your leadership have enable you to create a choice in transport?

Dr. Prince Harding: In the area of transport, we talking about air, sea and land transport. In terms of land transport, we have a parastatal called the Sierra Leone Road Transport Corporation which is charged with the responsibility of providing affordable transportation to Sierra Leone. We have decided to make it another candidate for privatisation so we are hoping that some entity might come and take it over and run it efficiently for all concerned. Having said that, this Ministry would not stop anyone coming to run a transport system to compete with this or any other entity. This is also an area where we want to generate employment by creating sustainable jobs for our youths. We are hoping to get about forty buses somewhere and we want to subcontract them to youths with managerial skills to run and compete with other transport entities within the country.

Transport is an open field for anybody to come and compete especially with other sub sectors. Coming back to the sea link, we have been able to get three ferries to cross between the mainland and Lungi Airport providing competition between the state run ferry and other privately run ferries. We also have means of transportation between Sierra Leone and Guinea and the sub-regions. The state-run ferry is also a candidate for privatisation. We have about one or two hovercrafts here. We brought in people and gave them all the conditions and they are competing with the ferries. We also have helicopters across the same estuary. So you have a choice between the hovercraft, the ferry, your private car, and the helicopter. The service of the ferry goes beyond just transporting passengers to Lungi airport and back. Over the river, people produce a lot the basic foods sold here in Freetown. These are people who need to come with their fresh foods to the market early and now for the first time, they are able to come by the ferry and arrive in the market in Freetown by 8.00am. All these are contributing factors to enhance our people's standard of living.

In air transportation, we have two airlines now competing on the London-Freetown route and we hope to get perhaps up to two more to compete between here and the United States. We have just given licence to one and are writing a cabinet paper for another airline to be able to fly directly from New York or Washington to here. Both Royal Afrique Airlines and Transatlantic Airlines are mobilising to be first on the list to be able to fly directly to America from here.

Summit Communications: When will they start to fly?

Dr. Prince Harding: I don't know yet. When cabinet approves it, then I will give them the green light and contact the authorities in the US. I have given air operator certificates to other airlines to fly between the sub-regions; about three or four airlines and they are flying there. We have others also between here and Dubai. Most of our goods are now obtained from Dubai. Bellview airline also flies from here to Lagos and India. We've got SN Brussels that goes directly to Brussels and back. So the air is highly liberalised; there is great competition on all the routes. I encourage it and above all, I don't delay in processing applications. The complete liberalisation in the air, sea and the routes has positive impact on quality delivery of service, affordability to a large extent and of course, it has given choice to our people.

Summit Communications: The United States has been a strong supporter of peace and stability here in Sierra Leone and it is also the second largest trading partner outside of the EU. As Minister of Transport And Communication, what do you believe are the key sectors; areas or companies to highlight to the American investors? Where do you think their cooperate investment can best be used?

Dr. Prince Harding: The first priority would be the Ports. We recently set up a container-scanning machine which will enhance our revenue capability because people tend to under invoice and pay less custom duty. It will also help us to prevent anybody attempting to smuggle arms that might disturb the peace within Sierra Leone and the region. The container-scanning machine is one of only one or two of it within the sub region.

The other area is communication. We are talking about GSM but there are a lot of other communication activities taking place. For instance, we now have more than twenty Internet houses. We have other systems of communications - the CDMA, wireless local loop; Voice Over Data; and people can still come and invest in communications and in whatever area they want. We are also looking for people who can invest in rural telephone services and incentives are available.

We still need a lot of buses especially for national services. We don't have a very good system yet and there is an opportunity for somebody to come in and invest there. You don't even need much, maybe twenty to thirty buses so transportation is a very good sector to invest in.

As I told you before, we are privatising Sierratel. This is an attractive prospect as the only land telephone system in the country so there is no competition there. The land phone is cheaper and most people would love to go back to the land phone.

Summit Communications: Dr Harding, I think you can see from the layout that it is not just institutions that we interview. We are also interested in speaking to personalities that are spearheading the changes in any country we find ourselves. We know that you have a long history with the SLPP and were instrumental in winning the last two elections. Can you please share with the readers of the New York Times a little bit about your background and your experience and how it has helped you in your present position?

Dr. Prince Harding: I studied chemistry but professionally, I am now a politician. My background has encompassed working in the oil industry, lecturing in Universities, business and in mining. The Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP) was the first unified political party in Sierra Leone in 1951 and is one of the oldest parties in Africa. It was thrown out of power and made moribund for about twenty-five years when Sierra Leone became a one-party state. When we came back in 1995, we decided to reactivate it and it took blood, tears and money to be able to bring it back to prominence. We were able to win the first elections after a second round. I was made the Minister of Mineral Resources but then we were overthrown by the AFRC. Then I was posted as Chairman of the National Power Authority (NPA). I was also a member of the National Defence Council and was the only civilian to be appointed there, together with the President. We won our second election in 2002. As Secretary General of the party over the last ten years, I have been able to ensure that the party has become fully entrenched in all the regions because we were only seen initially as South Eastern party. 1995 and 2002 were the first time that the party has ever won the majority of votes in the urban area since its inception. So basically my own contributions have been to bring back the party to power and diversify the party in such a way that its principles and policies appeal to others who never supported the SLPP. Now it is truly the Sierra Leone People's Party because we have membership from the North, South, East and to a large extent, the Western Area. I think that is the most fulfilling thing I have achieved and above all I was part and parcel of the team that brought back peace to this nation.