Often described as a meticulous technician, Kamara, 72, is standing for the second time in a row for the opposition All People's Congress in Saturday's election.
Although lacking a high profile outside the APC and the natural charisma of his predecessor Ernest Bai Koroma, Kamara was handpicked by him to contest the 2018 election -- which he narrowly lost to Bio in a runoff. "Now it's time for me to move away from a chief finance officer to a chief executive officer," he told AFP in the interview.Kamara has pledged to revamp Sierra Leone's agricultural and mining sectors, reverse the outflow of foreign exchange and restore confidence in the currency and in local economic institutions.
In December 2021, Kamara was charged with misappropriating more than $2.5 million in public funds in a case relating to the planned refurbishment of a New York consulate while he was foreign minister. "In civil service in Sierra Leone... professionals don't take their time to do their best, they just tick boxes -- he doesn't allow that," he said.