In a recent statement, Yusuf Keketoma Sandi addressed what he described as a “troubling misunderstanding and misrepresentation” of his comments on Sierra Leone’s historic achievement with the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) investment by the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ).
“I am compelled to address a recent fact-check by SLAJ regarding my statement about Sierra Leone’s significant achievement with the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) investment,” Sandi said. “The analysis presented shows a troubling misunderstanding and misrepresentation of my claim, which undermines the platform’s credibility and adds no value to public discourse.”
Sandi reiterated his original statement: “Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio has secured the largest per capita investment by MCC in the subregion, amounting to USD $480 million.”
Sandi explained the importance of understanding the term “per capita,” which means “per person.” He detailed the comparison: “For Sierra Leone, you divide the $480 million by the population of 7.5 million. For Ghana, their $547 million investment (as of 2006) must be divided by their population at the time, which was 23.1 million. Even with Ghana’s current population estimated at 33 million, the per capita investment remains lower compared to Sierra Leone.”
He emphasized the key distinction in his claim: “To clarify, my claim is about the ‘largest per capita investment,’ not the ‘largest investment.’ This distinction is crucial and has been overlooked in the fact-check.”
Sandi concluded with a call for accountability from SLAJ: “Thus, it is factually accurate to state that ‘Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio is the first to secure the largest per capita investment by MCC in the subregion.’ For the sake of maintaining the credibility of your platform, I request an immediate retraction and a public apology for the misrepresentation of my statement.”
Below Is the SLAJ Iverify platform flagging Sandi’s assertion on the MCC compact as false.
However, following the called out by Keketoma Sandi they have changed their verdict as True, as seen below.
