In a speech on 'Managing Sierra Leone's post-conflict economy' given on 12 July, Mohamed Fofana of the Bank of Sierra Leone said that there is a need to ensure that West African countries stay the course in their commitment to achieve economic convergence. But virtually all the countries have found it difficult to achieve and sustain, over time, the required level of economic performance under the convergence criteria.

"The persistent slippages do not augur well for the July 2005 deadline for