Peace Without Poison

6.5 to 6.3 children per woman, which was most certainly accomplished through better provisionof family planning services.The third President of Sierra Leone, Ahmad Tejan Kabbah (1996-1997 and 1998-2007),continued in the same vein as his predecessors until 2004, when it appears that he accelerated theprogram. As a result, during the last 3 years of his presidency, from 2004 to 2009, he managedto reduce the total fertility rate from 5.7 to 5.2 children per woman. There is no reason to believethat he used involuntary methods but international NGOs have certainly tried to work around thegovernment.The current President, Ernest Bai Koroma (in office since September 2007), has slowed downthe pace of fertility reduction, undoubtedly because he is not allowing the internationalcommunity to use involuntary methods. The total fertility rate is currently at 4.8 children perwoman.Considering the slow pace of progress, but progress nonetheless, and the low contraceptiveprevalence rate (which has never reached 9%), one can only conclude that Sierra Leone’s leadershave played fairly and that international NGOs have managed only a few scores here and therewithout the government’s knowledge or consent.Sierra Leone is paying for its inability to tackle fertility with poverty and a stagnant per capitaGDP.Sierra Leone is in stage two of the demographic transition.737 | P a g e