Sierra Leone’s leading mobile operator, Africell has on Tuesday 16th July, 2019 engaged media owners in order for them to insure their staff at Africell American Corner Bathurst Street Freetown.
Speaking at the event, Victoria Mamah, Africell Life Insurance Product Manager disclosed that Le50,000 per head is the policy for the life insurance and the that the beneficiary is eligible to claim USD 1,000 following the policy-holder’s death.
She said the beneficiary has one month after the policy-holder’s death to submit the claim and that he/she should provide the following documents:
Official Death Certificate and must provide the policy-holder’s telephone number linked with the Africell life insurance.
She added that furthermore, the policy-holder can change the beneficiary at any time during the life of the policy for an administration charge of Le5,000 or free of charge when the policy is being renewed.
She said that the loss of a breadwinner can bring severe financial hardship, which can affect the whole family, adding that Africell’s mobile insurance is available to all Africell subscribers and provides financial security when it is most needed.
John Konteh, Station Manager AiRadio-Africell, said the eligibility for the Africell life insurance is that applicants must be between 18-45 years old and he/she should be an Africell subscriber registered with Africell money and that the person should provide approved/valid identification and Le50,000 must be in his/her Africell money wallet.
He concluded by saying that no blood test or medical examination and no extra or hidden expenses make it quick and easy to set up as your insurance cover starts once your application is validated by Africell.
He added that you can subscribe to this policy by downloading the app via Google playstore or contact any of their agents or visit any of their customer’s service centres.
Operating at the highest international service delivery standard, National Petroleum NP customers have never had cause to grumble about sub-standard products or shoddy service at its outlets.
Being Sierra Leone’s leading and longest serving oil marketing company, the National Petroleum (NP) SL Limited continues to weather the storm gallantly as it endeavours to give optimum satisfaction to its esteemed customers across the country as well as in neighbouring Liberia, Guinea, Ivory Coast and The Gambia where it also operates – a truly multinational Sierra Leone giant.
Number one for customer care, NP’s management is aware that paying maximum attention to customer care is key to its viability and sustainability in a highly competitive market.
Since its establishment, NP has been meaningfully contributing to economic growth through payment of taxes and rolling out meaningful interventions in the discharge of Corporate Social Responsibility that are transforming lives and improving communities.
The company always ensures that petroleum products are always available, thereby preventing shortages that could create shocks in many quarters. The level of confidence which overseas business partners have reposed in the company has made it possible for it to enter into payment agreements thereby keeping the demand and supply chain open and running.
The company has gained reputation for offering a variety of managerial and technical jobs to Sierra Leoneans throughout the countries it operates; thereby helping in improve standards of living.
NP-SL giving preference to employing Sierra Leoneans is clear indication that it adheres to the country’s Local Content Policy.
Utilizing local talents make it possible for indigenes to acquire useful knowledge and skills through training courses that could be applicable in other places.
In addition, the company sells the best cooking gas that is available in hundreds of outlets across the country, thereby contributing to creating cleaner environments, thus aiding the work of EPA.
In this digital age, moving away from the traditional way of transacting business has now become the norm. As such, NP introduced the use of smart cards with which customers can procure any quantity of petroleum products easily.
“Using NP smart card always makes transactions very easy and convenient for me,” Gibril Koroma, an engineer informed.
The public’s recognition of the invaluable contributions of NP both to its numerous esteemed customers across the country and to national development has seen it bag meritorious awards from different organisations.
The latest was “Best Company of the Year” received on 6th July 2019 during the National Business Award 2018/2019.
Walton Gilpin and Victor Bocakrie cutting the tape
Students at the Congo Cross Campus Milton Margai College of Education, Science and Technology last weekend celebrated the official handing over of a new Mini Amphitheatre, three rehabilitated relaxation sheds and leisure gardens by the Rokel Commercial Bank. This came through a request by the Student Union government of the campus.
The mini Amphitheatre at MMCET Congo Cross Mariama Jajua receiving one of the awards as Most Outstanding professional
At a ceremony held at the Campus’s multipurpose hall, the Principal of the college, Dr. Philip Kanu described the gesture as first of its kind from a financial institution in Sierra Leone. What makes the donation particularly unique, according to Dr. Kanu is the fact that the college has no operational account with the bank. “This is what we refer to as a friend indeed…. they come to help you even when you had not given them anything…” Dr. Kanu went on to commend the leadership of Rokel Commercial Bank over what he described as the “jet-speed transformation” of the bank in recent times. He cautioned the students to take good care of the facilities and said the administration would not tolerate any act of indiscipline that would lead to the vandalization of the new structures.
Rokel Commercial Bank Managing Director, Dr. Walton Gilpin was philosophical in his admonition to the students who were left in awe at his superlative oratory skills, “We are setting our footprints on the sands of time…we believe there’s an opportunity for young people in Sierra Leone…you got to excite yourself with the challenge so we can change the story line…everyone has a role to play in life. If you don’t do anything you are missing your mark” Another notable speaker at the ceremony was the Technical Education, Dr. Victor Massaquoi who advised the students to use the facilities mainly for academic exercises like mini seminars and a rendezvous for strategic discussions.
In another development, the Rokel Bank MD was among several distinguished Africans to receive the 2019 African Achievers Awards for Excellence in Banking and Financial Administration in London last week. The event has consistently honored great Africans in leadership, young achievers, community builders to captains of industries across the continent. The Awards ceremony has been established as one of the biggest gatherings of influential and global African achievers on the continent. FORBES Magazine has rated the awards as one of the Most Reputable Awards for African achievers across the globe. The award came on the heels of five local awards (Best Brand, Best Employer, Best CEO, and Most Outstanding Professional to two of the bank’s employees, Mariama Jajua and Margaret Davies) from the African Consulting Group last week.
Mayor Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr few days ago made a presentation at the Voluntary National Review (VNR) Lab on peacebuilding and sustaining peace through the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The VNR Lab is convened on the margins of the High-level Political Forum to provide a platform for participants to share experiences and reflections on implementing measures to improve the condition of the poorest and most vulnerable people. Sharing challenges in mobilizing resources, policy making, data collection and building partnerships to create societies that leave no one behind was also part of the agenda.
In Mayor Aki-Sawyerr’s presentation she highlighted the alignment of the Transform Freetown agenda to the Sustainable Development Goals. She explained how the inclusive process adopted in developing the Transform Freetown targets and initiatives as well as the targets and initiatives themselves contribute to strengthening community ownership and the improvement of the lives of Freetown’s residents. She said these are important elements in sustaining peace. Mayor Aki-Sawyerr also shared examples of digital innovation that are being used by Freetown City Council in the implementation of #Transform Freetown.
ROGEP is an off-grid solar electrification project that will be implemented in West and Central Africa. The beneficiary countries of the programme are Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo. The completion of this project is expected to provide electricity to approximately 1.7 million people.
The ROGEP project will be under West African Development Bank (BOAD). Part of the amount corresponds to a line of credit with a fixed limit of US $140m, the other part represents a grant of US $10m from the International Development Association (IDA), a structure of the World Bank.
To finance this revival, CTF is also providing US $74.7m in funding, including US $7.5m in grants. The project is based on two main axes. It will facilitate the development of the regional autonomous solar market, on the one hand, and improve access to financing for companies operating autonomous solar systems, on the other.
Moreover, practically the project will make it possible to detect the barriers that affect the autonomous solar market and raise awareness among policy makers so that they can remove them. It will also provide a framework for the development of regional quality assurance standards for solar equipment, while allowing beneficiary countries to adopt a common external tariff, which will facilitate cross-border trade in autonomous solar products.
Unlocking the bottlenecks to robust and sustained real growth through economic diversification and addressing pre-existing macroeconomic weaknesses will be crucial for building a resilient economy that promotes inclusive growth and reduces poverty, according to the new World Bank Sierra Leone Economic Update (SLEU).
The country’s macroeconomic situation remains challenging despite the bold and courageous policy measures taken by the new government.
Growth is still low (3.7%), inflation and exchange rate depreciation are high (16.8 and 11.8% respectively), the fiscal and current deficits are high (6.6 and 13.8%, respectively), and increasing debt has resulted in the country being downgraded from moderate to high risk of debt distress.
However, the medium-term outlook is promising, with growth expected to reach 5.2%t by 2021, driven primarily by supply side factors, including favourable agricultural output, uptick in mining activities and strong performance of the services sector, the report noted.
“There is an urgent need for Sierra Leone to develop a comprehensive strategy for deepening the financial sector and this is required to ensure poverty reduction, job creation, investment and growth in the country,” said Gayle Martin, World Bank Country Manager for Sierra Leone.
The Sierra Leone Economic Update (SLEU) is an annual publication that reports on and analyzes recent economic developments, reviews regional and global contexts and analyzes the implications for the country, and presents the medium-term outlook and prospects for the economy.
The 2019 Update features a selected topic relevant to promoting inclusive growth and poverty reduction, namely Financial Inclusion for Economic Growth and Development. The target audience for the SLEU includes policy makers, business leaders, development partners and analysts interested in Sierra Leone’s economy. Sierra Leone’s macroeconomic situation remains challenging despite the bold and courageous policy measures taken by the new Government, which assumed office just over a year ago.
Macroeconomic imbalances remain in both the fiscal and external accounts. Growth is still low (3.7 percent); inflation and exchange rate depreciation are high (16.8 and 7.3 percent, respectively); the fiscal and current deficits are high (6.6 and 13.8 percent, respectively) and increasing debt has resulted in the country being downgraded from moderate to high risk of debt distress.
Unlocking the bottlenecks to robust and sustained real economic growth through economic diversification and addressing pre-existing macroeconomic weaknesses will be crucial for building a resilient economy that promotes inclusive growth and reduces poverty. The medium-term outlook is promising, with economic growth expected to reach 5.2 percent by 2021, anchored primarily by supply side factors, including favorable agricultural output, uptick in mining activities and strong performance of the services sector.
The special topic of the 2019 Update focuses on deepening the financial sector for inclusive economic growth and development. Usage of the financial system is low in Sierra Leone with only about 5 percent of adults using formal savings products and about 54 percent saving money within the past year. Access to finance for enterprises is a significant barrier to growth of the private sector with 40 percent of firms indicating lack of credit as their biggest constraint. Only 11 percent of Sierra Leoneans have mobile money accounts compared to 20.8 percent in Liberia, 38.9 in Ghana and 72.9 percent in Kenya.
The government plays a significant role in the financial sector and could spur financial sector development by creating the financial infrastructure to provide financial services to underserved populations. Bolstering the role of Digital Financial Services in Sierra Leone is critical to ensuring affordable and accessible financial services through, for instance, mobile phones.
We are pleased to present a rich menu of policy options in this second edition of the SLEU. It is my hope that this 2019 Update will inform and stimulate policy debate and help set an agenda for prioritizing financial sector development in Sierra Leone. Henry G. R. Kerali Country Director for Ghana, Liberia and Sierra Leone World Bank 6 Acknowledgements The Sierra Leone Economic Update is a product of the Macroeconomics, Trade and Investment Global Practice of the World Bank. The first part of the report was prepared by Youssouf Kiendrebeogo (Senior Economist and co-TTL, GMTA3) and Kemoh Mansaray (Senior Economist and co-TTL, GMTA3).
The second part was prepared by a team of the Finance, Competitiveness & Innovation Global Practice led by Rinku Chandra (Lead Financial Sector Specialist, GFCAS), including Nicholas Timothy Smith (Financial Sector Specialist, GFCAS), Anita M. Schwarz (Lead Economist, GSP08), Franz Joseph Le Lesle (Consultant, GFCAE) and Alari Hasanatu Ijileyoh Mahdi (Consultant, GFCAS). The Report was prepared under the overall guidance of Abebe Adugna (Practice Manager, GMTA3), Gayle Martin (Country Manager, AFMSL), Henry G. R. Kerali (Country Director, AFCW1), and Errol George Graham (Program Leader, AFCW1). The report benefited from useful comments and suggestions from the following peer reviewers: Max Rudibert Steinbach (Senior Economist, GMTPG), Mamadou Ndione (Senior Economist, GMTN1) and Cedric Mousset (Lead Financial Sector Specialist, GFCFS). The team also acknowledges constructive comments received from Harish Harish Natarajan (Lead Financial Sector Specialist, GFCFI). Fatu Karim-Turay (Executive Assistant, AFMSL), Lydie Ahodehou (Program Assistant, GMTA3), and Karima Laouali Ladjo (Program Assistant, GMTA3) provided relentless administrative support. The team would like to thank the Sierra Leone authorities for their hospitality and fruitful collaboration.
Key risks to the growth outlook
Key risks to the growth outlook include a deterioration in Sierra Leone’s terms of trade; lower than anticipated FDI inflows and the effects on the exchange rate and prices; fiscal slippages including adverse debt dynamics; and financial sector weaknesses.
“Whether Sierra Leone can promote sustained inclusive growth and reduce poverty depends on whether it can modify the structure of the economy to generate more and better-paid manufacturing and service jobs. That could be accomplished by facilitating creation by the private sector of formal manufacturing and services activities and increasing the productivity of the informal sector,” stated Martin.
The SLEU is an annual publication that reports on and analyses recent economic developments, reviews regional and global contexts and analyses the implications for the country, and presents the medium-term outlook and prospects for the economy.
The 2019 Update focuses on promoting inclusive growth and poverty reduction, namely ‘Financial Inclusion for Economic Growth and Development’.
The target audience for the SLEU includes policy makers, business leaders, development partners and analysts interested in Sierra Leone’s economy.
Inclusive economic growth
The special topic of the 2019 Update focuses on deepening the financial sector for inclusive economic growth and development.
The report notes that usage of the financial system is low in Sierra Leone with only about 5% of adults using formal savings products and about 54% saving money within the past year.
Access to finance for enterprises is a significant barrier to growth of the private sector with 40% of firms indicating lack of credit as their biggest constraint.
Only 11% of Sierra Leoneans have mobile money accounts compared to 20.8% in Liberia, 38.9 in Ghana and 72.9% in Kenya.
“The government plays a key role in developing the financial sector through promoting resilience and stability. One of the key functions that needs to be established is an effective supervision and regulatory regime for financial institutions to address market failures like anti-competitive behaviour, market misconduct, information asymmetries, and systemic instability, which can negatively impact financial sector development, economic growth, and shared prosperity,” said Youssouf Kiendrebeogo, World Bank Senior Economist and one of the authors of the SLEU.
Tamba Allieu-Kokobaye the Chief Executive Officer for Leisure Hotel
The Covenant Life Ministerial Organization (USA) in collaboration with the Ministry of Reconciliation, Songs and Praise/Worship Liberia INC/Sierra Leone presented three straight awards on Global Leadership to Tamba Allieu-Kokobaye the Chief Executive Officer for Leisure Hotel Aberdeen, Kono and Kenema.
The special merit award Seal of Excellence was presented to Mr. Kokobaye on Wednesday 10th July 2019 at the hotel premises.
Apostle John Marvelous Kallon, Founder/General Overseer, National Co-ordinator Sierra Leone Global Leadership Network, said among other things that they have an eagle eye to look for people that are doing well in various fields to award them.
Tamba Allieu-Kokobaye is the first Sierra Leone to benefit from such award after presenting awards to the Nigerian High Commissioner to Sierra Leone and the President of Chambers of Commerce.
He said they found Tamba Allieu-Kokobaye on the impact he has created in leadership and business careers, as they saw him as a role model.
“We are grateful to God for a Sierra Leonean to be awarded for the very first time. We don’t give award because individuals have money or positions but we are monitoring what they do.”
He continued to say Tamba Allieu-Kokobaye’s leadership in both his business and family are very great.
“His excellent management and leadership skills are very great.”
The Africa Director Bishop, Bishop Success Hans, said Global Leadership Award is a division of Covenant Life Ministries Organisation of which he is the President.
He explained that they are looking into communities and award people that are doing well.
“We leave everything we do in this world and whatever we are doing we are watched by God or by human. We thank God for giving Tamba Allieu-Kokobaye such a position. We have come to thank him and celebrate with him. He is a great man,”he commended.
After receiving the award, Tamba Allieu-Kokobay CEO, Leisure Hotel described the day as a great one for him.
He said when he was called to send his biography he thought about it and was surprised because it was too sudden.
He thanked the team which was headed by the Bishop for the opportunity accorded to him from the Ministry and the global network worldwide.
He disclosed that Leisure Hotel is not only in Freetown but Kenema and Kono saying it gives him lot of satisfaction to serve people and communities.
“We are changing lives and making a difference,” he said adding how his interaction between him and his staff is just like a family.
“Now I know that I belong to one family. I don’t see my staff as staff but family. There is more to life than money and the care we drive.”
Tamba Allieu-Kokobaye promised to do more to impact lives.
Allieu Kokobaye, son of the CEO thanked the awardee for the award and all those that graced the presentation.
He described his father Tamba Allieu-Kokobaye as a man of principle whom he always admires.
Leisure Hotel situated at the heart of the historic Aberdeen, West of Freetown is one of the most prestigious, highly technological and well-equipped hotel in the country.
On Thursday 11th July 2019 the Parliament of Sierra Leone debated the Bill entitled “The Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 2019” and committed to the Legislative Committee for further scrutiny in consultation with other Committees in Parliament.
The Bill was piloted by the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Dr. Priscilla Schwartz with the aim of amending The Sexual Offences Act of 2012 by prescribing life imprisonment as a maximum penalty for perpetrators of rape and sexual related offences such as penetration of minors.
The said Bill is primarily aimed at curbing this dreadful social malaise in our society by upping the sentences for such crimes against minors by paedophiles from fifteen years to life imprisonment. The Bill also made provisions for the introduction of offences related to aggravated sexual assault, alternative conviction of aggravated sexual assault, prosecution of offences under the same Act as well as the making of court rules in order to empower the Court Committee to further regulate the practice and procedure under the Act and provides for other related matters.
Addressing the Honourable Members of Parliament after a motion was accepted for the Bill to be tendered to the Legislative Committee, the Presiding Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Segepoh Solomon Thomas urged the MPs to be patriotic when considering those amendments for eventual passage by the House. “I want you to remember certain facts being drawn to our attention during the debate” he stated adding that “this is a situation that is very serious and we as a nation have to be ashamed of ourselves”.
The Presiding Speaker also wittily ordered the appearance of the Inspector General of Police, the Director of Correctional Services and the Director of Crimes Management to come before the Committee of Internal Affairs to assist with information gathered from perpetrators as to the causes of rape and other forms of violence against women and children in the country. He observed that “at a certain time I begin to address my mind that there are some rituals associated to certain sexual penetrations” he revealed.
On his part, Hon. Sama Sandy of SLPP said the necessity and crucial nature of the Bill needs not to be over-emphasized. According to him, the document has to do with the reproductive aspect of women and girls. He expressed dismay over the wicked attitude of rapists, pointing out that some of them are not supposed to be part of the current generation.
Hon. Shiaka M. Sama, an Independent MP from Pujehun District suggested an amendment on the Bill to consider the protection of young boys who may be used by ladies to fulfil their sexual desires. According to him, that aspect is not mentioned in the document. He also drew the attention of other Honourable Members to critically look into a situation where some bad women may want to use this law to punish men through the allegation of rape. “Men should stop illegal sex and this Bill is very important and dangerous” he advised.
Hon. Hassan Sesay of APC called the attention of colleague MPs to look at grey areas in the Bill relating to customary and other laws with the aim of harmonizing them to suit the prospective amendments.
Chairman of the Legislative Committee, Hon. Hindolo M. Gevao informed the House that some witnesses have brutally been killed in relation to the issues of rape at Aberdeen. He appealed to the Minister to properly investigate the matter of rape before prosecution. He also said a large percentage of women and girls are being abused in Sierra Leone. He used the opportunity to ask the authority to increase the number of police stations and magistrate courts to fast track cases of sexual penetration and related offences in remote areas in the country.
Hon. Bernadette Wuyata Songa of SLPP said that Sierra Leone has several laws but is challenged with the implementation of these laws, whilst calling on the Minister and colleague MPs to change the situation regarding the Sexual Offences Amendment Act 2019. She informed that in some cases, matters relating to rape are not reported. She therefore called on the stakeholders to conduct awareness raising programmes relating to the implementation of this Bill.
Hon Rebecca Y. Kamara of C4C described herself as a potential victim of rape. “I am indirectly a potential victim of rape because I am a woman and I also have girls” she asserted. She informed the Honourable House that her District is one of the most vulnerable places for rape because of the mining activities taking place in that part of the country. She said, in most cases, the perpetrators go unpunished and sometimes the victims died as a result of psychological impact and poverty.
Hon. Paramount Chief, Matilda Y. Minah from Pujehun District called for a speedy approval of the Bill, whilst appealing to the stakeholders and state authorities to provide logistical support to social workers in that part of the country. She informed that sexual penetration is very high and most times perpetrators quickly cross to neighbouring Liberia to escape prosecution.
Leader of the Opposition, Hon. Chernor R.M Bah thanked President Bio for listening to Parliament and urged colleague MPs to pay keen interest during the amendment and to avoid any attempt to duplicate the laws that are subsisting in other Acts of Parliament.
Concluding the debate, the Acting Leader of Government Business Hon. Mathew S. Nyuma said they as a Government want to change the narrative of the situation regarding the offences relating to sexual penetration. “The whole issue of rape is an intentional business”, he noted adding that they were not going to repeal the law but were going to treat it with seriousness. He described rape as a “filthy thinking” and that it should not be compromised. He encouraged all MPs to follow the spirit of the law and remember the conditions of the victims, some of whom he said had died as a result of those circumstances.
The debate was climaxed by special prayers for victims who had died of rape.
In another engagement, the Parliament of Sierra Leone has also on the 11th July 2019 debated and unanimously ratified $ US 34.12 Million on financing agreements for regional rice value chain programme and food self-sufficiency aimed at increasing rice production in the country.
MPs who spoke to the motion appreciated Government’s interventions in promoting and increasing rice production through mechanized farming for the citizenry of Sierra Leone.
The following financing agreements were ratified by Parliament:
Framework Agreement Installment Sale Financing for Regional Rice Value Chain Development Program Between the Republic of Sierra Leone and Islamic Development Bank;
Agency Agreement Installment Self-financing for Regional Rice Value Chain Program Between the Republic of Sierra Leone and Islamic Development Bank;
Technical Assistance Grant Agreement Between the Republic of Sierra Leone and Islamic Development Bank (ISDB) Concerning Regional Rice Value Chain Development Program; and
Loan Agreement Between the Republic of Sierra Leone and Islamic Development Bank (In Its Capacity as the Administrator of the Islamic Solidarity Fund for Development) Regarding Regional Rice Value Chain Development.
Sierra Leoneans in recent times have congratulated the ruling SLPP government, led by President Bio, for taking bold steps towards maintaining peace and stability.
Those moves, according to many citizens, are ones to be reckoned with as it could be recalled that the country has gone through series of political tension since the March 2018 elections that brought the then main opposition SLPP to power.
The political tensions cut across supporters and sympathizers of the two main political parties, SLPP and APC, during which we have witnessed women and children from both political parties partaking in violence.
Among many other things that led to increased tension was the walking out of the main APC opposition party out of Parliament in the form of a protest, the indictment of various former APC political officials of being corrupt, the sacking of lower and higher level bureaucrats of the APC party members within various Ministries, Departments and Agencies, the withdrawal and replacement of the security personnel of the former President.
The other that added salt to injury was the court decision of removing nine members of the APC from Parliament bringing in its wake protest that led to the firing of tear gas canisters on APC supporters and arresting some at the party’s Head Office in Brookfields.
Recent moves by state functionaries like the visit of Vice President Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh to former President Koroma in Makeni, the half payment of benefits to former government officials and allowing the security personnel to return to the former President have led to some semblance of peace and stability in the country. We have seen recently the former President visiting his party office in Freetown after his last visit many months ago and also his visit to the leader of the NGC to sympathise with him for being bereaved.
It should be noted that meaningful peace in any country is based on peaceful coexistence among political parties especially between the two main political parties in this country.
Peace must be gained through open communication and problem-solving via non-violent channels as the present government has already started. The Government must not relent in its strives to bring lasting peace and stability to our beloved country as no country can succeed in terms of development without peace and stability.
Minister of Technical and Higher Education, Prof. Aiah Gbakima
Within the framework of getting rid of certain challenges that used to plague tertiary institutions in the country, the Government of Sierra Leone has decided to start paying salaries and other allowances of academic and administrative staff of those institutions. To that effect, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed between and among the Ministry of Technical and Higher Education (MTHE), the Ministry of Finance and various tertiary institutions (universities/colleges).
The signing ceremony took place at the conference hall of the Finance Ministry on Friday July 12 2019.
The Minister of Finance, Jacob Jusu Saffa said the tireless efforts of the MTHE officials in making the intervention a reality justify the decision of the President to separate the Education Ministry.
“Integrating the university payroll into the national payroll is part of the government’s public expenditure review which includes payroll audit,” he disclosed.
The new arrangement, he said, will ensure prompt monthly payment to university staff.
The MOU dictates that the government undertakes payment of salaries and allowances including rent, medical, annual leave and 10% NASSIT contribution of core staff.
The Minister noted that salary payments to associate lecturers and other allowances including ex-gratia payment to contract staff will be undertaken by the institutions using government subvention and internally generated funds.
He called on tertiary education institutions to ensure prompt reporting of staff termination, replacement, recruitment and all relevant information.
The Minister of Technical and Higher Education, Prof. Aiah Gbakima said the days of strike actions by lecturers are over, noting that the new direction government prioritises lecturers’ welfare.
He called on the universities/colleges to ensure timely submission of relevant information to the Ministries of Finance and Higher Education.
“We expect high level of efficiency from the lecturers with this new arrangement,” he appealed.
Deputy Minister of Technical and Higher Education, Dr. Turad Senesie described the event as a milestone that will support quality education.
“This move marks the end of an era where lecturers go for months without salaries,” he noted, while highlighting the challenges being faced by university staff over the years.
According to him, “we have witnessed situations of staff allowances being accumulated over a period of one year with no assurance of bulk payment”.
Lecturers, he said, have been struggling to maintain their respect and dignity in various communities as their kids were being asked out of schools for failure to timely pay tuition fees.
He however noted that the latest laudable intervention by the government will require commitment from the lecturers to improve on the standard of education in the country through better service delivery.
With the new arrangement, the Government will ensure timely payment of salaries on a monthly basis, he said.
“This New Direction government places premium on welfare of lecturers,” he reiterated, adding that the Government is determined to minimise poverty and support savings.
The Deputy Minister assured the public that the current Government has prioritised human capital development ‘and will continue to take steps to ensure sustainable solutions to chronic challenges in all sectors’.
Tertiary Education Commission’s Prof. Alghali said this epoch making step will address welfare challenges and minimize strike actions.
He however called on all stakeholders to ensure they embark on ‘forward planning’ to ensure that the challenges with the new system are minimised.
He urged the beneficiary institutions to be proactive and swift in responding to queries and requests to ensure seamless delivery of service.
In a separate development Memorandum of Understanding has been signed with Universities and teacher training colleges in the country for a computerized payment system for academic, administrative and other staff at.
According to the Minister of Finance the new payment system would ensure prompt payment of salaries and other allowances for staff of universities and teacher training colleges nationwide as their salaries, transport, medical and leave allowances would be paid directly into their accounts articulating that government wants to effectively manage the payroll, the reason the Ministry of Education was separated into two but lamented that a new Ministry is very difficult to start.
Jacob Jusu Saffa said the signing of the MoU is part of the public expenditure review to sanitize Government’s payment control expenditure, that the entire payroll system is being audited and affirmed that the initiative is a signal that more stringent measures would be taken to sanitize the system underscoring that institutions of higher learning are key to government’s human capital development.
The Minister of Finance also revealed that all tertiary institutions are indebted to the National Revenue Authority, that government payroll is over-blotted in all the colleges, especially Njala University, disclosing that the computerized system would soon be rolled out to health workers revealing that the BADEA project and other donors have allocated $68 million to rehabilitate four government schools including the Bo School, Kenema Government Secondary School and the Prince of Wales, two tertiary institutions-Bunumbu Teachers College and the Milton Margai College of Education and Technology in Freetown assuring that government would do more to promote higher education and that the next agenda is to look at the conditions of service of lecturers and other staff.
Dr. Turad Senesie, Deputy Minister of Technical and Higher Education enlightened that the computerized payment system would integrate lecturers and other staff into the national payroll system marking the end of an era when lecturers went without pay for three months and allowances for a year and affirmed that the new scheme would help them to be committed to duty as they would promptly receive their salaries and other allowances.
Head of the Tertiary Education Commission, Professor Aliyagin Algalie revealed that the event is epoch-making and a novelty, that the timely payment of salaries and allowances would end strike actions but reminded heads of universities and teacher training colleges that there is a moratorium on new recruitment and promotions and urged heads to promptly inform the Commission about replacements.
He also observed the differences in the identity cards and bio- data of some staff members for which an integrated ICT system costing $200 million would be created, disclosed plans for a uniform condition of service for lecturers and other workers aligned to the budget circle and called for tertiary institutions and teacher training colleges to be proactive in responding to the Commission.
The Minister of Technical and Higher Education, Professor Aiah Gbakima said while serving as Vice Chancellor of the University of Sierra Leone from 2005-2019, he experienced the challenges of none-payment of salaries to lecturers and other staff that resulted to strike action and observed that the University of Sierra Leone is not part of the scheme due to late submission of data for which it would not receive its subvention until the information is submitted to the Ministry of Finance.
He also informed that government would pay the salaries of lecturers and other staff of universities and teacher training colleges, Pay as You Earn Tax (PAYE) and cautioned heads of universities and teacher training colleges to notify the Ministry if the need arises as there is a moratorium on new recruitment for which exceptions would be made.
Professor Aiah Gbakima also reminded lecturers to be effective in their work and that punitive action would be taken against defaulters such as withholding of salaries.
The vote of thanks was rendered by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Technical and Higher Education, Mr. Gilbert Cooper.
