By Foday Moriba Conteh
It is now crystal clear that the plan to establish a new Administrative and Financial City is gaining momentum as the Government of Sierra Leone intensifies moves to actualize the President’s vision.
In that direction, the Vice President, Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh, on the 21st February 2022 led a high-powered Government delegation to commence a stakeholders’ engagement to acquire the required land for the project.
In Lungi, local authorities including chiefs and parliamentarians converged at the residence of the Vice President to map the way forward for the project that aims to completely overhaul and transform that part of the country.
The Vice President, Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh, assured his fellow indigenes that the project will not only benefit the community but the country as a whole.
He used the forum as an opportunity to remind the Lungi authorities, indigenes and residents of the enviable space they occupy in the President’s heart.
“This project will transform Lungi into a modern city with all its accompanying facilities and advantages,” he disclosed, while encouraging his people to give the Lands Ministry the required support for the acquisition of the land, and the Government in general for the actualization of the new city project.
Explaining the project to the local authorities, the Minister of Lands Housing and Country Planning, Dr. Turad Senesie, said the President’s vision is to extend the seat of governance to Lungi as part of the decentralization process.
“Cabinet has approved the vision and plan to transform Lungi into an administrative and financial city,” he pointed out, while explaining that the Government will need vast acreages of land to actualize this beautiful dream.
According to the Minister, the Government shall be identifying parcels of land for purpose of purchasing such land from the land owners, while at the same time recovering and protecting State land.
“Lungi will become the extension of Freetown hosting Government Ministries, departments, agencies, banks, hotels, among other facilities,” the Minister disclosed, while noting that the project will decongest Freetown and extend development to Lungi.
Dr. Senesie said a Government/Stakeholders Committee will be established as part of the land acquisition road map to identify, survey and negotiate with land owning families.
The establishment of a new city in Lungi, will attract investment, beautify and develop the nation.
The Deputy Minister of Lands, Housing and Country Planning, Rev. Abraham James Sesay-Jones, who doubles as a stakeholder of Lungi, urged his people to embrace national development, as according to him, the President is on an unstoppable drive to transform the entire Sierra Leone for the better.
The authorities in that part of the country unanimously welcomed the good news from the Government with assurances that they will support development irrespective of political, tribal or regional considerations.
In a related development, Dr. Turad Senesie, Minister of Lands, Housing and Country Planning, arrived in Lungi over the weekend with a team of senior management staff from the Ministry to ascertain progress and land use compliance at the site of the extended Freetown International Airport project in Lungi.
Following a conducted tour of the project site in Lungi, the Minister expressed satisfaction that the land was being used for the intended purpose.
Minister Senesie witnessed work at an advanced stage and received assurances from the investors that the airport reconstruction project would be completed before the end of the year as targeted.
The Minister was shown progress on work being done at the modern terminal that can host at least six flights at the same time, the presidential pavilion, the runway, taxiway and control tower that will form the ultra-modern airport being designed by the Turkish Investor – SUMMA.
“At the completion of this massive development, the citizens of this country would be happy that the President is transforming the nation in accordance with his manifesto promises and policy pronouncements,” the Minister noted, while encouraging the airport investors to continue to support the President’s dream.
According to the Minister, the Government will continue to attract more investors and ensure that their investments are well protected.
He disclosed plans of the Government to establish an administrative and financial city in Lungi which will attract more visitors and investors into the country and by extension support the airport investment.
Lungi, he said, will have a 5-Star Hotel and an International Conference Centre as part of the Government development plans.
