By Amin Kef Sesay
The Ministry of Planning and Economic Development (MoPED) and delegation, including Members of the Parliamentary Oversight Committee on Planning and Economic Development and local authorities from Kaffu Bullom Chiefdom, Port Loko District on Friday 23rd August 2024 visited the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Logistics Depot in Lungi, Kaffu Bullom Chiefdom, Port Loko District.
The MoPED Minister, Madam Kenyeh Barlay commended the Members of Parliament from Port Loko District, the chiefdom authorities and ECOWAS for their support towards the completion of the project, noted that the depot is not only important to ECOWAS but Sierra Leone and that the main opposition leader for the APC and MPs from the District were invited to the event.
She went on to recall that they visited the depot in May this year during which they promised to engage stakeholders to address the challenges affecting its timely completion , especially land grabbing, security and stressed the need for stakeholders to raise-awareness and misconceptions about the project.
The Minister went on to state that the visit is to ensure that action is taken on the parcel of land on the seafront that the depot wants access to intimating that the project start in Jeduly 2000 but that it is only now that it has developed rapidly to 99% completion rate in spite of the EBOLA and COVID-10 outbreaks and other challenges and stressed that she wants the project to be handed over to Government by the end of this year.
Madam Kenyeh Barlay also appealed to the people of Kaffu Bullom Chiefdom to offer about an acre of land to the project citing the opportunities to them including jobs and capacity building and disclosed that discussions are underway with the Sierra Leone Civil Aviation Authority that has quarters on the land earmarked for expansion for an amicable resolution.
The ECOWAS Representative in Sierra Leone, Alhaji Aruna Musa revealed that the depot was established through the United Nations and African Union Protocols for peacekeeping operations as well as to serve as a standby force to produce a combination of forces to maintain peace adding that the depot is the baby of ECOWAS.
According to Alhaji Aruna Musa, the ECOWAS Depot is a logistics hub within the sub-region underscoring that no mission would succeed without logistics.
The representative of the project consultants disclosed that the project is over 97% complete citing the water supply, fire equipment, planting of trees, fencing and installation of fire hydrants remaining and the additional building for soldiers of the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces.
The Speaker of Kaffu Bullum Chiefdom, Alhaji Alimamy Dumbuya commended Government for constructing the new airport and pledged their unflinching support to the project underlining that they are development-oriented and proud of the depot.
Earlier welcoming the delegation, the Head of the Logistics Depot, retired Lieutenant-Colonel Dr. Bala Mohamed described the day as historic, commended the Government of President Dr. Julius Maada Bio for taking Sierra Leone higher to the United Nations Security Council and the opportunity to establish the ECOWAS Logistics Depot in Sierra Leone as well as taking the project as the country’s baby especially the time and resources allocated to it.
