This discussion is provoked by the narrow thinking of many politicians that, having bloated Ministries, Departments and Agencies is a way of creating jobs in the country. 

As far as job creation and opportunities are concerned, this is not an employment scheme for the masses but a political patronage to pay back or reward political party members for their loyalty, lavish spendings or critical role in orchestrating violence etc. before or during elections period. 

Generally, governments through the public sector can't provide massive employment opportunities for every citizen even  in Western Countries like the US. Germany, UK etc. 

The role of every government including Sierra Leone is to create an enabling climate to attract foreign direct investment, trade and strategic partnership so that multinational companies, International Non Governmental Organizations, National Non Government Organizations, local  businesses and entrepreneurship would operate. With a conducive environment for the private sector to flourish, thousands of jobs can be created for citizens as what we witnessed in the days of Africa Minerals, London Mining, ADAX Bio Energy and among others. 

The operations of those multinational companies at that time didn't only offer missive job opportunities but also bolster up the economy- making Sierra Leone's economic outlook rosy during the "boom era of mining". However, that economic blossom was shattered by the twin shocks: Ebola and low price of iron ore; and non economic diversification policies hugely contributed to that dwindling situation. A topic for another time. 

Bloated Ministries, Departments, and Agencies is not and can never be a job creation scheme but a ploy to compensate "boys or girls" for their role while the political party was in opposition. And this has several negative effects on governance, the economy, and public service delivery; and the following are major consequences of having swelling MDAs: 

The main reason for a bloated MDA is to pay back political loyalists which is largely known as Political Patronage. Bloated MDAs may be used as tools for political patronage, where jobs are created not based on merit but to reward political allies, leading to a decline in overall efficiency and effectiveness. 

Let's serve our conscience with a sense of honesty and patriotism: which region or tribe that has the largest number of employees in this current regime? I leave you with your conscience! 

Another glaring effect is Increased Costs to maintain these MDAs. Having more of them often mean higher costs for salaries, office maintenance, and other operational expenses, placing a burden on the national budget. What's is the current wage bill in the Bio led administration? 

For instance, the wage bill before 2018 was around Two Trillion Leone (Le 2,000,000,000,000). The wage bill increased from Le 1.89 trillion (6.9% of GDP) in 2017 to 4.3 trillion (8.1% of GDP) in 2022. 
By the end of this year, the country's wage bill is projected at a colossal cost of Five Trillion Leones. Is this a prudent economic situation? 

With bloated MDAs, there's always resource misallocation as funds that could be better spent on critical areas such as agriculture, health, education, or infrastructure can be diverted to sustain unnecessary MDAs with tangling mandates.

Imagine if half of the country's wage bill is spent judiciously to maintenance feeder roads across the country, the ugly incident in Tonkolili District wherein a pregnant woman delivered on the way to a referral hospital recently would have been prevented!

Why should we have separate MDAs like: Geneder and Children's Affairs and Social Welfare; Youths and Sport; Communication and Information; Human Rights Commission, National Commission for Democracy and National Peace Commission; Environment Protection Agency and National Protected Areas Authority and the list go on and on. 

Overlapping of Functions which leads to inefficiency and redundancy is also a derailing consequence. When multiple MDAs have similar or overlapping mandates as the examples listed above, it can lead to duplication of efforts, waste of resources, and confusion among state officials. No wonder our public sector is so bureaucratic in nature. 

This brings us to the next disadvantage which is Bureaucratic Delays. A bloated MDA structure as it's evident in the Bio Administration can create complex layers of bureaucracy, leading to delays in decision-making and implementation of policies and programs. How far the "Feed Salone Agenda and the Lungi Bridge? A comic pronouncement indeed! 

Corruption and Patronage is a deeply rooted menace in a bloated MDA structure. The existence of too many MDAs can provide more opportunities for corruption, as monitoring and accountability become more challenging. What we are seeing now is recycling of corrupt politicians: either being suspended, transfered or reinstated later.  

The negative impacts of having bloated Ministries, Departments and Agencies are countless and I don't want to bother you on issues you know better than I do. Because when you have an enlarged or expanded MDA it can as well Reduced Accountability, creates Fragmented Oversight, results to Low Morale and Productivity, Slows Economic Growth and Development and Erodes Public Trust. 

Wastefulness and Extravagant Lifestyle is the final effect of a bloated MDA to be mentioned. Citizens may view the proliferation of MDAs as a sign of government wastefulness, especially if public services remain poor despite the existence of numerous agencies. 

What vehicles are our public officials driving? Toyota Land Cruisers, SUVs and other expensive and latest fleets is the answer! 

Have we seen improvements on healthcare services, food production and supply, quality education, supply of potable water, electricity supply and justice with all these bloated establishments? I believe every critical mind will say no! 

In sum, addressing the issue of bloated MDAs often involves reforms aimed at streamlining government functions, merging or abolishing redundant agencies, and improving overall efficiency and accountability. 

For example, Geneder and Children's Affairs and Social Welfare; Youths and Sport; Communication and Information; Human Rights Commission, National Commission for Democracy and National Peace Commission; Environment Protection Agency and National Protected Areas Authority and others with entangled mandates must be merged so that Sierra Leone can boast of seeing more of tangible projects like water supply, electricity supply, good roads, food security than having more policies that are not pro poor. 
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Abass Sesay is a Journalist and Development Analyst. He is a graduate in Development and ICT (undergrad); and Corporate Governance, Governance and Leadership (postgraduate).