By Amin Kef Sesay
China Railway Seventh Group (CRSG) is one of Sierra Leone’s strongest infrastructural partners, a relationship which was borne out of the genuine desire to solidify the long standing bilateral and fraternal relationship between Sierra Leone and China.
CRSG has not only contributed to infrastructure development in Sierra Leone, but the company’s presence has also played an important role in emergency rescue in times of difficulty and need.
During the trying times of the Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone in 2014, the first nation or country to rush to the country’s rescue in providing mobile laboratory, PPEs, and other related medical supplies to reach the shore of the Lungi international Airport was China. Again, CRSG was the first company in Sierra Leone to immediately arrange personnel and to dispatch several trucks to help complete the challenging task of transporting large number of supplies that needed to be transported within three days to the China- Sierra Leone Friendship Hospital situated at Hastings, commonly known as Jui Hospital, for the primary purpose of preventing and controlling the spread of Ebola was CRSG.
On August 13, 2017, Sierra Leone was struck again by a huge Mudslide in the regent hills of sugar loaf in Freetown. This sad event saw the destruction of hundreds of homes and hundreds of persons were buried under the rubble. The first to come to our rescue with a rescue plan was CRSG who immediately set up an accident rescue team after receiving a call from the Government of Sierra Leone to assist. The general manager of CRSG instantly led both experts and local staff and immediately directed a number of large excavators to carry out rescue activities that won precious time for saving many lives.
The Savage Street Bridge is a major route and a thorough pass connecting Western area and Brookfields, Syke Street, St John and other major places especially the Central Business District. The collapse of that bridge was a major setback and challenge that was faced by the Government on the 17th September 2020. CRSG undertook the project in the face of a crisis and overcome numerous difficulties including the fight against the dangerous COVID-19 ravaging the globe. The bridge construction was completed in time within three months and with high quality standards and delivered to the Government and people of Sierra Leone. Providing convenience and enhancing flow of transportation for the people plying the center of Freetown.
These monumental drives have yielded positive results which Sierra Leoneans should ponder on to make a better judgment of the good friend that is always around to improve personal and national development. CRSG has always been an institution that prides itself in the core values of discipline, hard work, quality delivery and respect for every citizen.
According to a renowned media practioners, Abu Bakarr Kargbo (Fada Bakish) most Chinese companies working in Sierra Leone, categorically stating the CRSG, they hold Sierra Leonean workers in high esteem.
He maintained that since their operational inception in Sierra Leone, the group has contributed to the development of Sierra Leone particularly in terms of infrastructural development as well as impacting the lives of many Sierra Leoneans through job creation and the implementation of programs and policies in line with the company’s Corporate Social Responsibility.
