The business community has a unique capacity to support disaster relief By John Bonoh Sisay African countries are particularly prone to disasters – environmental, biological and man-made. Today’s Ebola epidemic, is one more link in a chain that is predicted to keep growing according to experts whose view is that a range of aggravating factors will result in increased frequency, complexity and severity of disasters. It is clear from the Ebola epidemic that effective disaster management in the future will need efforts and expertise from all directions. The government, public sector, aid agencies and international community already have clearly allocated roles. Frequently under-exploited is the potential contribution of the private sector. Historically, the business community’s role in disaster management is primarily financial. We tend to be a source of extra funding through voluntary donations. The outpouring of monetary support from Sierra Leonean companies during our current crisis bears this out - to date it amounts to more than Le 7.05 billion, according to the Ministry of Health website. It’s a necessary albeit limited role that overlooks the business community’s unique capacity to add value to the activities of the aid and public sectors in several ways. One is that businesses in Sierra Leone are often core members of our respective communities. We provide leadership, education, health care, social support and infrastructure development to varying degrees; and are often a primary source of information and social cohesion particularly in times such as these. Take for example, Sierra Rutile’s Community Affairs Department which works alongside government partners to dispense advice, resources and information in our area of operations. There is also the argument that workplaces are self-contained communities in themselves. Sinead Walsh, Irish Ambassador to Sierra Leone, an advocate of increased private sector involvement, highlights the potential for them to dispense targeted messages on Ebola to employees. Large companies with the resources, such as mining companies, are already doing so. Smaller companies may need more support – information, leaflets and dedicated training for example. Nor are local knowledge and resources sufficiently exploited. There are exceptions of course. As part of its CSR, Sierra Rutile has made deliveries for the World Food Programme. Similarly haulage company James International provided six trucks and warehousing services pro bono to deliver food to vulnerable communities during the three day lockdown. But beyond pro bono, there is a sound business case for aid agencies to source and hire the skills and services they need in-country rather than flying them in. They are already on the ground and they come with invaluable local experience. The solution to concerns that local companies may not have the specialised skills and necessary capacity, is for international aid agencies to help support their development in these areas. As well as ensuring available capacity on the ground, it has the additional advantage of sustaining the business sector who would normally face financial ruin in times of crisis when demand for their services erodes. A large part of the problem is inadequate attention to disaster risk prevention and management as an economic and business issue. In the immediate aftermath, we focus inevitably and understandably on the human tragedy. For fragile economies such as ours, the consequences of this oversight are particularly severe. The World Bank already estimates the economic impact of Ebola as U$79 million (1.8 percent of GDP) for Sierra Leone. With the private sector driving the economic growth needed to alleviate poverty in developing countries such as ours, these figures surely underscore the need for the private sector to be included alongside the public and NGO sectors in both the planning and execution of disaster relief efforts. There are some moves to make this happen. The Chamber of Mines and other industry bodies are discussing the greater role they could play; they and individual businesses are actively engaging with the international and aid communities, making themselves, their knowledge and their services available and looking for ways to co-ordinate their contributions now and in the future. In 2012 in the wake of Hurricane Isaac, American economist Steven Horwitz wrote that the private sector is very good at mobilising resources not only because they do it every day – and not just when a disaster rolls around – but also because they exist in an institutional environment in which prices, profits, and losses provide both the knowledge and incentives to do it well.” The business community is only too aware of the effects that failing to eradicate Ebola will have on Sierra Leone’s people and its economy. We know that we must play our part in preventing the disease’s spread and as the need for disaster preparedness, management and relief escalates, we are acutely aware we are a resource our country cannot afford to do without.
Posted on: Wed, 24 Sep 2014 21:29:31 +0000
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