By Simche Malinji Williams
Sadique Sillah, Deputy Minister of Transport and Aviation, on the 22nd October 2020 has divulged that the SLPP led Government would sign the contract for the construction of the Lungi bridge in November this year.
He made that disclosure during a Press Conference convened by the Ministry of Information and Communications at its Youyi Building Conference room in Freetown.
The Deputy Minister further revealed that before now there was no fleet vehicle policy clearly categorizing which civil servant should get which type of vehicle, maintenance and disposal of such vehicles.
He said since the city is now over-congested and the movement of people and goods has become problematic, the Ministry would soon launch a pilot project to move people and good enmasse through a corridor to be created from Waterloo in the far East to Number 2 River in the far West of the city assuring that research has proven that people and goods can be moved in record time as there would be free flow of traffic on the corridor.
According to him 100 air-conditioned buses with WIFI would soon be purchased for the pilot project.
The Deputy Minister also disclosed that the pilot project would be extended to other parts of the country and that potential passengers would buy tickets for a certain period, that the buses would be run on a cost-recovery basis and not for profit making as it is the social responsibility of Government to move people and goods to improve on the free quality education as well as the workforce.
He also informed that the United States Coast Guards have validated the Sierra Leone seaport, that plans are underway for Government to construct another seaport in the South of the country as the current one is congested, that the project would improve the fishing and marine sectors saying Government is accountable to the people and would subject itself to international auditing.
According to the Deputy Minister, Sierra Leone’s topography is between 30-35% riverine and therefore requires sea transportation asserting that construction of the Mamamah Airport is not a priority and that Government would modernize the current outdated landing sites for ferries for which serious negotiations are ongoing with investors on a Private Pubic Partnership (PPP) arrangement.
On air transportation, Sadique Sillah said Government is on top of the global corona virus pandemic, that although people need air transport service, it is not profitable although there is need to improve on it, that the sector has been rated 18%, that internal flights would soon commence at Hastings Airfield as talks are ongoing with investors, that passenger terminals and overpasses would also be constructed by Pavi Fort but assured that Government would not put the private sector out of business.
He continued that Government would by the end of this November sign the contract for the purchase of 200 buses with two for VIPs, that private commercial transport owners would be formed into cooperatives and profits shared with Government by percentages asserting that Government wants to enhance the capacity of the private sector, that the Sierra Leone Road Transport Corporation would be transformed to a regulator and that courses related to the transport sector would soon be offered at Fourah Bay College concluding that a feasibility study would shortly be conducted for the introduction of the railway which he said was phased out for political reasons.
Earlier, the Senior Information Officer in the Ministry of Information, Mr. Solomon Rogers gave an update of Government’s activities and also welcomed all to the Press Conference while the question and answer session climaxed the event.
