Sierra Leone President addresses nation on 55 years of independence

Sierra Leone is celebrating its 55th anniversary of independence on Wednesday with President Ernest Bai Koroma calling on his compatriots to take ownership of the post Ebola program.

He said despite all the challenges of a ten year war and the Ebola disease, the country has forged ahead with its development programs. He said the economy is picking up and that the country's growth rate has being pegged at 4.3 percent this year.

He said the country is retracing its development strides toward prosperity.

He said business is picking up with "farmers going back to the fields, fishermen going to the seas, school children are back to schools whilst the sick are getting confidence in the health system."

He noted that his government is not "a perfect government" but has been able to empower the the Anti-Corruption Commission to prosecute corrupt officials.

He said that his government has moved into rebuilding the economy as well as improving the infrastructure by constructing roads that benefit the country.

He said his government's priority are education, health care, road construction and empowering the private sector. He told the nation that the country has completed the first phase of the Ebola recovery program and there are signs the country is getting back on track."

He paid tribute to all those who lost their lives to the Ebola epidemic and commended the survivors and health workers including the international community for their sacrifices during the Ebola scourge. Enditem