THE LEAKING ROOF: THE CIVIC AUDIT
Domain:
socioeconomic
The Leaking Roof: The Civic Audit is a comprehensive political economy analysis of Sierra Leone. Utilizing a pioneering investigative methodology called "Structural Witnessing," this report bridges the chasm between macroeconomic audit data and the lived realities of ordinary citizens.
The central thesis of the audit is that Sierra Leone's governance system is not failing due to incompetence; rather, it is functioning precisely as designed—to concentrate resources and power within a narrow elite through a system of "Corruption-as-a-Service" (CaaS), while insulating the state from the demands of its population.
Across four thematic parts and 13 chapters, the report applies a rigorous binding constraints framework to diagnose systemic failures across multiple sectors, including:
-
Human Capital: Agriculture (Feed Salone), Education (Free Quality Education), Healthcare, and Infrastructure.
-
Economic Plunder: The stifling of domestic enterprise, youth unemployment, and the extractive mining sector.
-
The Complicit Ecosystem: The moral hazard of international aid dependency, the alienation of the diaspora, and the survival coping mechanisms of ordinary citizens.
The audit concludes with a unified theory of state capture and a sequenced reform agenda. Crucially, it provides a pragmatic "Fiscal Recapture Strategy" mapping how the government can independently unlock $350–$500 million in domestic resources to finance these structural transformations without relying on external aid.
This document serves as a vital resource for policymakers, civil society organizations, international donor partners, and citizens demanding a state built on accountability and the rule of law.