The Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Parliament of Sierra Leone, Hon. Aaron Aruna Koroma, has cautioned that the proposed Joint Venture Agreement between the Ministry of Information and Civic Education and the Diming Yimo Printing Group could negatively affect private printing businesses if implemented without key safeguards. He also called for periodic reviews of the agreement to ensure it continues to serve the Government’s long-term interests.
Speaking during the parliamentary sitting on Tuesday, 14 July 2026, as Members debated the ratification of the agreement signed on 24 March 2026, the Tonkolili District lawmaker stressed that Parliament’s role goes beyond approving agreements, and includes ensuring that every agreement is thoroughly scrutinised in the national interest.
Hon. Koroma pointed to what he described as a significant omission in the agreement—the absence of a commencement date. While the document states when it was signed, he noted that it fails to specify when its provisions will take effect, describing this as an important requirement in contract law.
He also dismissed claims that the Government Printing Department had become defunct, arguing that the institution continues to print official government gazettes, budget speeches, bills, and presidential statements. According to him, the real challenge is not a lack of capacity but the Government’s failure to adequately invest in and strengthen the department.
Questioning the proposed 70-30 revenue-sharing arrangement, Hon. Koroma argued that the Government is contributing substantially more to the partnership by providing land, buildings, machinery, skilled personnel, and tax incentives, while the private investor’s financial contribution is estimated at about Le5 billion. He maintained that this imbalance raises concerns about whether the arrangement is fair.
The Deputy Opposition Leader therefore called for the publication of an independent valuation report to determine the actual value of the Government’s contributions before finalising the revenue-sharing formula.
Hon. Koroma further criticised the agreement for granting exclusive government printing rights to the private investor for a period of ten years. He proposed that the agreement should be subject to a mandatory review after five years to allow the Government to assess the investor’s performance and, where necessary, renegotiate more favourable terms.
He warned that granting exclusive printing rights, together with tax waivers and duty exemptions, would create an unfair competitive environment and could force many private printing companies out of business. Instead, he recommended that only a portion of government printing contracts be allocated to the joint venture, while the remaining contracts should remain open to competitive bidding by local printing firms.
The lawmaker also expressed concern over Clause 21 of the agreement, which requires the Government to facilitate the passage of relevant legislation within three months. He argued that no agreement should appear to dictate Parliament’s legislative agenda, emphasising that the Constitution gives Parliament the sole authority to determine how and when legislation is enacted.
In concluding his contribution, Hon. Koroma urged the Government to undertake a comprehensive valuation of all assets and incentives being committed to the joint venture, including land, infrastructure, equipment, and tax concessions. He said such an exercise would ensure a fairer revenue-sharing arrangement and better protect the interests of the people of Sierra Leone.
Despite raising several concerns, Hon. Koroma said he would not oppose the ratification of the agreement but urged the Government to address the identified shortcomings to promote transparency, fairness, accountability, and value for money in the implementation of the partnership.