Honestly Speaking with Antonia Howard

Antonia Howard

Honestly Speaking is a thought-provoking podcast featuring conversations on pressing issues, social dynamics, and professional insights in Sierra Leone, and connecting them to global narratives and trends. Through an accessible, yet informative approach, the show navigates serious discussions with entertaining elements by creating space for real and unfiltered views of contributors.

  1. Why Resource-Rich Countries Stay Poor | Governance, Power & Public Contracts in Sierra Leone

    17 FEB

    Why Resource-Rich Countries Stay Poor | Governance, Power & Public Contracts in Sierra Leone

    Sierra Leone is rich in natural resources — yet poverty remains part of the narrative. Why?In this episode of Honestly Speaking, Antonia Howard is joined by Andrew Lavali, a governance and public policy expert, for a deep conversation about how poverty is produced and maintained — not just through corruption, but through power, control, and public contracts.This episode examines the hidden layer of governance: who controls revenue, how large public contracts are structured, and why governments often derive little benefit from major infrastructure and resource projects.The conversation explores:Why governance reforms often look good on paper but fail in practiceHow bad public contracts drain state revenue across AfricaWho benefits when oversight is weakWhy changing governments doesn’t always change outcomesWhat real accountability would look like in resource-rich but cash-poor statesDrawing lessons from Sierra Leone and the wider African continent, this episode challenges familiar narratives about poverty and asks harder questions about economic power, elite influence, and institutional culture.This is a must-watch for anyone interested in: governance in Africa, public finance, political economy, development, accountability, and citizen power.#HonestlySpeaking #GovernanceInAfrica #SierraLeone #AfricanEconomy #PoliticalEconomy #PublicContracts #Accountability #DevelopmentDebate

    59 min

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

Honestly Speaking is a thought-provoking podcast featuring conversations on pressing issues, social dynamics, and professional insights in Sierra Leone, and connecting them to global narratives and trends. Through an accessible, yet informative approach, the show navigates serious discussions with entertaining elements by creating space for real and unfiltered views of contributors.