THE CHAMBER PRESIDENT NEW YEAR’S MESSAGE
From the Board and Management of Chamber for Entrepreneurship Development (CED-SL),
Warmest season’s greetings to our valued members, partners in the public and private sectors, and all entrepreneurs!
As we close this year, we celebrate the resilience, innovation, and spirit of Sierra Leone’s entrepreneurs. Wish you a prosperous 2026, filled with growth, opportunities, and success for all.
Wishing you joy, peace, and a bright New Year!
Allan S Tuboku-Metzger
President
Chamber for Entrepreneurship Development
Sierra Leone
PRESIDENT BIO ANNOUNCE 2025 A YEAR OF TANGIBLE PROGRESS
This isn’t rhetoric but actual tangible impact felt in streets, heard in sounds, tasted in local foods and kept alove by hope and progress. When I say together #WeAreDelivering, this is what I mean:
– The economy was tough at times but yet still, you increased the minimum wage by 50% and reduced the price of rice by 30%.
– The foreign reserve dipped below 2 months import cover and debt payments to GDP were high but still, forex is most stable, inflation to lowest in 20 years and commodities abundant.
– Health care challenges like M-Pox emerged but yet still we further reduced maternal and infant mortality.
– There remained threats to public safety and border infarctions but yet still we were President of UN Security Council when the world introduced a Peace Board for Gaza.
– The ECOWAS sub region saw disruptions in Constitutional order but yet still, as Chairman of ECOWAS Authority, decisively intervened to stop another in Benin.
– The resurgence of drugs in the streets haunted our youth but still, over 600 have been rehabilitated, new laws set in place and border interceptions heightened.
– The arts and culture space needed more collaboration and coordination but yet still more than a dozen global superstars visited Sierra Leone, our own artists excelled locally and internationally.
– A handful of companies folded up but yet still more than half a dozen new large industries opened across the country.
– Global aid money dwindled but yet still domestic revenue mobilization ramped up and foreign direct investment significantly increased.
– Some critical road and bridge infrastructure in rural areas need more attention but yet still we opened new bridges, laid new roads and invested more in infrastructure through innovative financing models.
When I look at the National Development Plan, I know thay we are delivering.
When I see how lumley is full at night with traders at 2am on a Thursday morning, I know that we are delivering.
When I see that over 200,000 students transition from secondary school, I know that we are delivering.
When every hotel is booked this December and the tourism numbers are at an all time high, I know that indeed we are delivering.
Here’s my commitment – 2026 will be better because I know that together #WeWillDeliver!
THE COLLAPSE OF ARTHUR ANDERSEN.
Part One
16th January, 2026
For decades, Arthur Andersen LLP ranked among the world’s most respected auditing firms.
Founded in 1913 in Chicago, the firm became a pillar of the global accounting profession and one of the prestigious “Big Five” audit firms.
By the early 2000s, however, Arthur Andersen had collapsed, its reputation destroyed by ethical failures, legal troubles, and the loss of public trust.
The roots of the collapse lay in the erosion of auditor independence.
During the 1990s, Arthur Andersen expanded aggressively into consulting services, often earning higher fees from advisory work than from auditing. This business model blurred professional boundaries and created conflicts of interest, reducing the firm’s willingness to challenge questionable accounting practices by major clients.
These weaknesses became undeniable with the downfall of Enron Corporation in late 2001. Enron, once celebrated as an innovative energy company, used complex accounting structures to conceal debt and exaggerate profits.
Arthur Andersen, Enron’s external auditor, failed to adequately scrutinize or oppose these practices. When Enron filed for bankruptcy, one of the largest in U.S. history, attention quickly turned to its auditor.
The crisis deepened when it was revealed that Arthur Andersen employees had destroyed audit documents related to Enron while regulatory investigations were underway.
In 2002, the firm was convicted in the United States of obstruction of justice. Although the conviction was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2005, the ruling came too late to save the firm.
By mid-2002, Arthur Andersen had lost most of its clients and surrendered its license to audit public companies in the United States.
Thousands of employees worldwide lost their jobs, and the global accounting industry shrank from the Big Five to the Big Four.
Arthur Andersen’s collapse reshaped the profession, leading to reforms such as the Sarbanes–Oxley Act of 2002 and stricter oversight of auditors. The firm’s fall remains a lasting reminder that in business, ethical integrity and public confidence are non-negotiable assets.