MANU RIVER UNION BEGINS SLOW RECOVERY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 FREETOWN 000109 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR AF/W E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/15/2017 TAGS: PREL PGOV EAID EFIN SL SUBJECT: MANU RIVER UNION BEGINS SLOW RECOVERY REF: FREETOWN 091 Classified By: Ambassador Thomas N. Hull for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (C) During a February 8 meeting, Manu River Union (MRU) Secretary General Aliou Diallo told the Ambassador and DCM SIPDIS that after one year on the job, he continues to struggle to rehabilitate the MRU, but that he is cautiously optimistic about future prospects. He said that he has successfully lobbied donors for much-needed financial support using contacts from when he worked for UNDP. Diallo said that funding will be used to "jump-start" his organization and support a skeleton staff of 20. He said that because the three member states (Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone) continue to lack the resources to fund the MRU, he has had to be creative when soliciting financial support. He said that the MRU is considering a 2.5 percent levy on goods coming from non-ECOWAS states as a means of generating revenue. Diallo raised the possibility of Cote d'Ivoire membership in the MRU. A native Guinean, Diallo talked extensively about potential effects the crisis in Guinea could have on Sierra Leone and the MRU (reftel). END SUMMARY. OFFICES ARE IMPROVED -------------- ¶2. (C) The Ambassador and DCM, accompanied by PolOff, called on MRU Secretary General Aliou Diallo on February 8. Located on the fifth floor of a dusty, old and decaying building in crowded downtown Freetown, Diallo's office was surprisingly freshly, and pleasantly, refurbished with new furniture, a television, and functioning air conditioner. He said that UNDP had provided assistance to refurbish several floors of the building. Like President Kabbah, Diallo formerly worked at UNDP. SG MOBILIZES FUNDS; PROMOTES BUSINESS INCUBATORS -------------- --- ¶3. (C) Diallo said that after nearly one year in office his efforts to "resuscitate" the MRU were showing incremental progress. Diallo said that he had just returned from overseas where he had managed to mobilize nearly $60 million in assistance. Both Morocco and Saudi Arabia have pledged significant support for MRU activities, and the Arab Development Fund and Organization of Islamic Conferences also will provide funding support for small to medium-size business and micro-credit training. He noted with interest that during his travels, he observed how Arab countries have successfully implemented business incubators to promote private enterprise through micro-credit programs. He felt that incubators could be effective tools to promote private enterprise in Western Africa. He said that donor assistance would initially support a skeleton secretariat staff of 20, comprised of two deputies, and six division heads, rounded out by support staff. INNOVATIVE FUND RAISING -------------- ¶4. (C) Diallo said that the unreliability of member states' financial contributions has forced him to think of innovative ways to generate revenue. He said that the MRU was considering a 2.5 percent levy for goods that enter MRU member states from non-ECOWAS countries. He also mentioned that the Chinese Ambassador had been to see him recently and, the PRC was funding a project, but he did not elaborate. POSSIBLE MEMBERSHIP FOR COTE D'IVOIRE -------------- ¶5. (C) Diallo said that Cote d'Ivoirean Foreign Minister Bakayoko had contacted him to express his country's desire for membership in the MRU. The Ambassador asked what Cote d'Ivoire would bring to the table if granted membership. Diallo responded that it may be better to have Cote d'Ivoire "inside the group" versus outside, and that this concept was being floated by the Liberian Minister of Trade and Industry. DIALLO'S THOUGHTS ON GUINEA -------------- ¶6. (C) Diallo speculated that if the crisis in Guinea deteriorated further it would have a ripple effect (reftel). He said that it would be felt immediately on the Guinea - Sierra Leone border. He also said that there would be a need for security contingency plans to handle the ensuing FREETOWN 00000109 002 OF 002 humanitarian crisis if refugees began flowing across the border. He was very pessimistic about the potential for unrest if Conte did not appoint a viable prime minister. COMMENT -------------- ¶7. (C) Diallo, who has been Secretary General for one year, seems very capable and is a welcome change for the MRU. He appears to have innovative approaches to solving much of what ails the MRU and is clearly adept at raising funds. The MRU still lacks capacity to effect change regionally, but with Diallo's leadership, it seems ready to reestablish itself financially, perhaps as a customs union, and begin small development programs. END COMMENT. HULL