By Ibrahim Alusine Kamara
Past Thursday February 20th, 2020, three foreign companies including Sierra Trading Company (STC), BILHAQ and IAS who are said to be owned and sponsored by some foreign nationals including a Ghanaian, Nigerian and Lebanese embarked on what many have described as a calumny campaign against Autospect (SL) Limited, a Sierra Leonean owned company that was awarded the contract for the production of number plates, vehicle registration, Licenses and most importantly the transformation of the Sierra Leone Roads Safety Authority (SLRSA) into a modern entity.
The three companies, who had been in charge of the production of number plates at SLRSA for over twenty three (23) years before their contract expired in 2014 alleged among other things during a press conference held at the Harry Yansanneh Hall on Campbell street in Freetown that Autospect is a foreign owned company that was recently awarded the contract without due processes, that Autospect intends to make over 300% increment on services they are to provide and that the SLRSA has been privatized among other allegations.
Cognizance to the allegations above, this medium therefore embarked on a due diligence mission and after a thorough investigation into the said allegations, it was discovered that Autospect is a Sierra Leonean owned company that is only contracted as a service provider.
It was further discovered that the said contract which is worth over twenty million dollars ($20, 000,000) was awarded way back in the days of the All Peoples Congress (APC) led administration following the expiry in 2014 of the contract of the three companies that had been producing the number plates for SLRSA with all due processes followed to the latter.
The $20 million Autospect contract according to investigations, will see the total transformation of SLRSA into a modern day entity that will be fully automated in which there will no longer be delays in the production of number plates, vehicle registration, licenses among other services.
Despite the massive transformation that will be brought to the Authority, our investigations furthered, over 500 jobs are also said to be created when Autopsect finally starts operation.
With these goodies and more packed in store, it therefore suffices to tell those calumny campaigners to leave Autospect alone and join the company in its course to rebrand the SLRSA as there are lots of opportunities packed in store for them.
