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Pee Cee and Sons Exhibits Incisive Entrepreneurial Skills

Pee Cee and Sons Sierra Leone Limited

By Amin Kef Sesay

The private sector plays decisive roles in fostering development in any nation as it is very obvious that Governments exclusively cannot champion to undertake all interventions that are geared towards improving the lives and welfare of the populace.

One business entity that has been doing business in this country for quite a considerable period of time now is Pee Cee and Sons Sierra Leone Limited. This private business enterprise has expanded the scope of its operations over the years during which period job opportunities have been provided and huge taxes paid to the Government which in turn had and is still contributing to give Government the financial muscle to fund different development programmes.

Indisputably, Pee Cee and Sons is one of the most successful businesses in the country that has demonstrated true entrepreneurship skills in serving the local market. Whilst other businesses are folding up due to the prevailing challenges in the current market, Pee Cee and Sons holds high the banner of serving its customers with quality goods and services

Petty traders and other business-oriented professionals have acclaimed Pee Cee and Sons for the continuous sustainability of its businesses across the country even at difficult moments in the country. “To succeed in commerce, you need three things: demand products to sell, the skills to market them, and the drive to succeed,” says Marie Bob Kandeh of the Petty Traders Association, making reference to Pee Cee and Sons, which continues to serve the country with quality goods and services.

Pee Cee & Sons (PCS), an enterprise that strives to offer quality brands that are affordably-priced and available to buy nationwide has been in existence for over fifty years and has maintained its standards, being one of the largest distributors and marketing companies for food products in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea. It represents world-renowned brands for a variety of frozen, chilled, dry food and non-food products, and it caters for wholesale, foodservice, and retail sectors.

As a household name in the three countries in the Mano River basin, PCS has a vertically-integrated set up whereby it handles everything from procurement, import logistics, clearing, warehousing, distribution, and final sales to consumers.

It operates in all cities in the length and breadth of Sierra Leone where it can serve the local population with its own integrated wholesale and retail distribution centers.

PCS is widely known for trading on convenience goods, which are products lives cannot do without. These are more in regards to products which are staples and essential to daily living. These products are classified as convenience goods, items that are widely available, and regularly bought with very little effort.

The Government of Sierra Leone had been urged to provide a safe and friendly business environment for businesses like Pee Cee and Sons to operate so that it continues to serve the people. “We can use Pee Cee and Sons as a practical model on how successful businesses should operate in Sierra Leone,” Mohamed J. Koroma of the Marketers Association suggests and furthered that the Government of Sierra Leone can gain a lot if it promotes businesses like Pee Cee and Sons.

As stated above, a variety of frozen, chilled, dry food and non-food products are often purchased, and PCS has created an opportunity for customers who do not need to go through a rigorous decision-making process to get their products.

What most Sierra Leoneans interviewed are happy about is the fact that the convenience goods sold and distributed by Pee Cee and Sons are usually inexpensive and have a low opportunity cost for customers, and it offers retailers an opportunity to sell in their localities.

“I believe that Pee Cee and Sons is demonstrating a merchandising strategy implemented by retailers where they stock impulse goods – goods which are purchased instantaneously without significant thought process – to great effect,” a Trade Expert in the Ministry of Trade remarked and added that for the successful merchandising practice by Pee Cee and Sons, a healthy mix of product types is playing a pivotal role in the profitability of its business centers.

 

NP-SL Ltd is Very Passionate about Efficient Service Delivery

By Amin Kef Sesay

Sierra Leone’s leading oil marketing company, the National Petroleum (NP) Sierra Leone-Limited, has been very steadfast in its service delivery of high standard petroleum products which it imports since this country is not an oil producing nation.

Due to good managerial decisions, the company has been doing extremely and exemplary well in terms of always ensuring the availability of those products in a timely manner which makes it possible for individuals to have ready access to them. It is no secret that the seriousness of the company, with regards ambitiously striving towards reaching the pinnacle within the business landscape not only in this country but far beyond, has heightened the confidence of its business partners to continue business relationships.

It must be hammered that NP-SL-Ltd is not extraordinary because like any business entity the company is susceptible to internal and external shocks that impact on its efficacy and sustainability. Currently, the high exchange rate of the dollar to the Leone, meaning the Leone has drastically depreciated, is affecting many entities, creating inflation (prices of basic commodities have skyrocketed) and impinging negatively on the overall standard of living. NP-SL –Ltd pays for petroleum products it imports and understandably whenever the price of the dollar goes up then it means the company is spending more Leones to buy dollars in order do so.

Accessing the very dollar has turned out to be a huge task as it is scarce which has created a situation whereby the company has to go the extra-mile to get the required amount of dollars it needs from time to time to import the products it markets.

For such an important company to continue to thrive it is but very prudent on the part of the Petroleum Regulatory Agency, the Bank of Sierra Leone and other commercial banks to give it the maximum attention and support it needs in the company’s bid to do foreign exchange transactions.

It has gone down the annals of history that the company is impressively one of the most successful indigenous entities that is sustainably forging ahead when others have collapsed for a variety of reasons.

A marked reality of the company’s viability is evident in its opening of branches in Guinea, Liberia, Ivory Coast, The Gambia and in all of those places it is providing qualitative customer care services to residents, making it a prime priority.

It has been established that NP has been meaningfully contributing to economic growth through payment of taxes and rolling out meaningful interventions in the discharge of its Corporate Social Responsibility which are transforming lives and improving communities.

The company has gained reputation for offering different jobs to Sierra Leoneans throughout the country where it is operating and this has helped in improving standards of living.

NP-SL gives preference to Sierra Leoneans with regards offering jobs, a clear indication that it is strictly poised towards adherence to the country’s Local Content Policy. Utilizing local talents makes it possible for indigenes to imbibe useful knowledge and skills through training exercises that could be applicable in other places.

The company has one of the best cooking gadgets, known as NP Gas that offers suitability for cooking purposes. There are different cylinder sizes and they could be located at all the filling stations of the company and also accessed from authorized agents or dealers.

In this digital age, moving away from the traditional way of transacting business has now become the norm. It is along such a line that it was thought wise on the part of the shareholders and Management to introduce the use of smart cards. With these cards, customers can procure petroleum products of whatever quantity they do desire.

“Using NP smart card always makes transactions very easy and convenient for me,” a prominent entrepreneur informed.

For its solid service delivery to its numerous and esteemed customers right across the country, the company over the years, has gained widespread recognition and admiration evident in bagging awards from different organizations.

NP is really promoting efficient service delivery, contributing positively to the socio-economic development of the country but it must be reiterated that contractual business agreements must be strictly adhered to by other parties so that such an important company will continue to operate unfettered.

Social Distancing for now is a Preventive Measure Impossible

Social Distancing

By Amin Kef Sesay

Nobody should make the mistake that COVID-19 is a mere myth. The virus is REAL and it is taking a heavy toll on lives and economies right across the globe as no continent has been spared from the ravages it is causing. This point must be strongly registered against the backdrop that there are certain people in our midst who are tenaciously denying the existence of the virus in this country, on the basis that it is just a mere ploy on the part of the Government to be considered for any form of financial support or donation that the International Community could dish out towards combating the spread of the virus.

In a nutshell, they are claiming that the Government is not saying the truth that the virus does not exist in this part of the world, simply out of greed and financial aggrandizement. But such a similar denial was one of the conspiracy theories that went a little bit viral after the Ebola outbreak surfaced not until when loved ones were consumed in droves by the virus when indeed the realization dawned, on those who hitherto held a contrary view, that indeed the Ebola virus was REAL and DEADLY.

At this material time, the most disheartening thing about this unprecedented virus, which only reared its ugly head towards the end of 2019 in the Far East, precisely in China, is that it has remained elusive. Up to this time there has been no known cure, though medical researchers are currently working frantically round the clock to discover or come up with a vaccine, which many are yearning for because most are now sick and tired of the dislocations the spread of the virus is causing.

Here in Sierra Leone, since the Corona virus entered the country the SLPP-Led Government under the leadership of President Julius Maada Bio has really take huge strides to contain its spread among the populace. Necessary medical mechanisms have been put in place with regards setting up a Response Team, instituting additional treatment centres, procuring additional medical equipments, boosting the morale of health workers and instituting other parameters that are all geared towards curtailing the spread of the virus.

Our President has indeed, really demonstrated exemplary leadership in mobilizing both human and material resources just to keep the country safe from the deadly clutches of one of the most deadly viruses that has invaded humanity. President Bio must be truly commended for his sincerity in leading the fight!

The world over, preventive measures have been mapped out which all must follow or strictly adhere to in order not to come in contact with the virus. The most outstanding being, frequent washing of hands with soap/sanitizer, to avoid handshaking, make use of face masks, avoid frequent touching of the nose, eyes, mouth, avoid hand shaking, to cover our mouths with our elbows whenever we cough or sneeze, use tissue to cover our mouths as an alternative and quickly dispose it in the bin and practice social distancing of three feet apart. These preventive measures have now become messages that the Government and its health partners are disseminating using different mediums with the objecting of raising awareness in order for people to put them into practice.

So far, so good, we have witnessed the placing of veronica buckets, soap, hand-sanitizers at the entrances of public institutions for people to wash their hands and they are complying. People are noticeably avoiding shaking of hands, when individuals show signs of the disease 117 is being called to get the timely responses of health workers. There has been contact tracing, isolation and quarantine of suspected cases and all the like.

When it comes to social distancing measures have been taken by the Government including banning of  worship in churches and mosques, banning of football matches and other entertainment activities that bring people together, moratorium placed on public gathering of not more than 100 people, reducing the number of passengers in vehicles, closure of our borders with neighboring Guinea and Liberia. All these are supposed to be strictly enforced by our security personnel, the Military and Police.

Lamentably, though, as far as social distancing is concerned we are far from getting it right as a nation. The clustering of people in marketplaces and the jostling for transportation in public places, especially during rush hours when people are desperate to return home, rubbing against each other are very mind boggling. Take a ride along Guard Street in the East End of Freetown, where most people purchase cooking ingredients for cooking purposes; you will quickly notice that we are far from achieving social distancing.

You see large crowds of people unavoidably having close body contacts as if we are living in normal times when indeed, in actual fact, times are not normal.

Poda-Poda drivers still continue to cram people in their vehicles simply because they want to conduct business as usual and hapless passengers have no alternative in the face of limited vehicles and not wanting to be caught violating the 9:00 pm to 6:00am curfew. Law enforcement officers just turn blind eyes as if we are living during normal times when in actual fact we are not.

The situation is indeed quite serious and very frightening to say the least.

Although comparatively, Sierra Leone has recorded low rates of deaths from COVID-19 but the fact and heart of the matter is that the number of infected cases keep rising on a daily basis and the future is unknown. Against such a bleak backdrop, even though efforts and resources are being expended to shove up the fight against the advancement of the enemy, without getting social distancing right is really a big cause for concern.

What must now be preferable is to direct more focus towards enhancing social distancing and one way of going about it is to galvanize our security personnel to be very stern in implementing it to the letter. Vehicles must be regularly checked to see that there is strict adherence to social distancing. If what was being rumoured that marketplaces will be relocated to various stadia is anything to go by then it is deemed to be a good step in the right direction. Those places could indeed be spacious enough to prevent the clogging of people as was evidently seen at Guard Street.

The Government can impose as many lock downs as possible, millions of Leones could be spent on awareness raising campaigns for people to adhere to preventive messages but if we fail to maximize social distancing then the possibility to see the reduction of newly infected cases will be farfetched.

Now is the time to act before it becomes too late. A stitch in time………..

May Common Sense Prevail!

 

Santigie Abdul Bangura, Alleged Master Minder Of Tombo Riot In Big Trouble

Santigie Abdul Bangura running for his life

By Amara Samura

The Harbour Master of Tombo Fishing Community in the Western Rural district of Sierra Leone, Santigie Abdul Bangura is facing serious death threat from the Community, after police declared him wanted for his alleged involvement in the violence that took place in the township that resulted to the death of three people and six police officers while five other sustained gun shot wounds on Wednesday 6th May 2020.

Investigation revealed that immediately after the three days nationwide lockdown from the 3-5 May 2020, instituted by government to fight COVID-19 and stop the chain of transmission, news went round the Tombo Community that the government will not allow over two hundred fisher men to go to sea to fetch fish. The move was part of the regulations adopted by government to fight COVID-19. Over five thousand people living in Tombo depends on fishing activities for their survival.

The Village Headman Pa Alhaji Tunkara accused the Harbour Master, Santigie Abdul Bangura of spreading the message to the fisher men, an accusation he vehemently denied.
He said as Harbour Master, he was busy pleading with the people to abide by what ever measures adopted by government in the COVID fight.

The Village Headman said while negotiation was ongoing between the fisher men and the authorities, news went round that armed police officers have been dispatched from Freetown to put the situation under control in Tombo. The arrival of the armed police officers according to Chief Tunkara created more tension in the Community and in the process the police started firing tear gas cannisters.

As the ugly situation Intensified, the police fired live bullets resulting to the death of three civilians while few others sustained gun shot wounds. Six police officers who were dispatched to quell down the riot died of road accident along the Waterloo to Tombo highway.

He said government later issued a statement claiming that the order to reduce the number of fisher men to go to the deep sea to fetch fish did not come from them.
The people accused the Harbour Master of spreading that message which has caused the death of some people. Because of this development, both the police and youths declared Santigie Abdul Bangura wanted for spreading what they described as false news, an allegation that he vehemently denied,” the Chief said.

He accused the youths of burning down Santigie Abdul Bangura’s house in Tombo in retaliation for the death of their relarives. He said this latest development forced Santigie to flee to an unknown destination for fear of his life as the irate youths vowed to kill him if seen.

State of the Nation: When “Mumus” Start Speaking……

Andrew Keili

By Andrew Keili

It would seem that the chicken is coming home to roost as ordinary Sierra Leoneans, fearful of the potential chaos that may ensue from the current political divisions in the country, have started speaking up. It is particularly troubling that the division is being played out in the midst of a pandemic, the severity of which none of us has witnessed in our lifetime.

Meanwhile those who have made it a vocation to be the voice of the voiceless have chosen to keep quiet. I am talking in particular about mainstream civil society. CSOs have been very dynamic and advocated for many issues pertinent to our national life especially since the end of the war.

Since the last political dispensation, we have seen CSOs split either along political lines or being cowed into submission by various nefarious means. We have seen how some CSOs became for hire to fight off others. We have witnessed heads of CSOs condemning government just for them to markedly shift their position on issues and be “compensated” with Government appointments even to the extent of becoming Ministers or Heads of MDAs. It is not however merely the venture into politics that is repulsive. It is when they become turncoats and sell out the very ideals on which their organisation was founded as a condition precedent for being “invited” to serve that it becomes repulsive.

We have also witnessed the inaction of many officially sanctioned Government institutions dealing with Human Rights and Good Governance keep quiet when we have a crisis. They often speak from both sides of the mouth.

This brings me to the matter of the recent riot at Pademba Road Correctional Centre. Surely there can be no greater story that this more recently-a story relating to a riot with loss of lives and the alleged threat to the country’s stability that has led to the palpable rise in political animosity between our two existing major political parties. Many supporters are threatening violence on either side and there is a general fear that we may be sliding into chaos.

Both sides in this current conflict which still simmers blame the other. The government’s claim that the APC is bent on destabilising the country, making it ungovernable is a familiar one, as is the current insinuation that the riot at the prisons was politically motivated. The opposition APC’s claim of not being offered political space and of the government carrying on a campaign of calumny to incarcerate important figures and make their party impotent has also been made.

Civil Society and our Governance and Human Rights institutions have remained silent throughout this and other recent conflicts. There are however some institutions, which may also by dint of the individuals heading them, have been bold enough to make pronouncements on the state of affairs.

Basita Michael when head of the Bar Association was bold enough to make the following personal statement at the Peace Commission conference at the Bintumani Conference Centre last year:

“You cannot preach peace and sack people from tenured jobs, you cannot preach peace and impose a speaker on Parliament against the wishes of the majority in parliament. You cannot preach peace and deny access to justice in political cases, including cases brought forward by the Bar Association…..We should not be shackled by the past. Bad stuff by the past administration should not justify bad stuff by the current administration. If we are not careful, we will be in a quagmire of an epic proportion”.

Her insistence in official Bar Association statements on “adherence to the rule of law, respect for the constitution and practising human rights” was mantra for her leadership period at the Bar Association.

Contrast this with the current spate of press releases from the Bar Association – I will leave the ones dealing with the Chief Justice/ Justice Browne Marke saga for later and hone in on the current press release on the Correctional center issue. The press release was so self-serving and concentrated on looking out for the “lawyerly” types:

“Our memories about jail breaks have never been pleasant. Evidence abound that whenever there is such an occurrence, judges, lawyers and judicial support staff are prime targets to criminals and other miscreants. The anarchy that ensues threaten our existence as a nation…… As an association, we breathe a sigh of relief as the incidence of April 29th supra did not degenerate to that level.”

A sigh of relief indeed. Having indicated that the worry was about how our “legal friends” would fare, and congratulated the military, police, correctional officers, Fire force and ONS, the release remembered it should call for a “full, thorough and impartial investigation”.

Perhaps the Bar Association needs to be reminded that there was also loss of life.

Notwithstanding the failings of other oganisations, there are others that have stood up to be counted.

The Renaissance Movement in a press release called for appointing “an independent and impartial panel to conduct thorough and timely investigations into the alleged “prison riots and attempted jailbreak”.

The release further warned the government and other political leaders to be mindful of their obligations:

“The Movement is deeply concerned by the incendiary responses from both the ruling and main opposition parties. We believe their respective releases were premature and likely to ignite tensions at a time when Sierra Leone needs level-headed calmness and a patriotic focus on the bigger COVID-19 fight. We note the arrest and detention of certain high-profile individuals for respective alleged offenses. The Movement reminds the GoSL of its obligation to continue to follow due process, respect press freedom and individual rights, including the rights to freedom of speech and protection from all abuses. The Movement will continue to closely monitor the situation. We ask all leaders and members of political parties and affected persons to remain law-abiding and to avoid any actions or utterances that could undermine our hard-earned peace in Sierra Leone.”

The 50/50 Group also expressed “concern about the recent spate of events, including the death of a number of persons during the Pademba Road disturbances, and in particular, the arrest of a number of high-profile women, including Madam Isata Saccoh, partner of Major (Rtd) Alfred Palo Conteh and Dr. Sylvia Blyden – former Minister of Social Welfare, Gender and Children Affairs.”

The release went on:

“At present, the reasons for these arrests have not been made clear….The arrests, and attendant speculation, accusations and counter accusations are taking attention away from this common enemy and undermining our fight against this disease.”

Then came warnings about COVID and advice to political parties and their supporters:

“We wish to remind all those responsible for their wellbeing to ensure that they are treated fairly, that their rights are not violated and that COVID-19 safety protocols are observed to safeguard their health….Finally, we urge the two main political parties to set aside partisanship and to refocus the attention back to our common battle against COVID-19.We also call on party supporters to refrain from using social media to incite and sow division. We call on party leaders to present a unified front, and to work together to eradicate a disease that has already claimed eight lives.”

Other political parties like the NGC and Unity Party have issued out similar press releases and  had their leaders speak out on the need for cessation of these hostilities and for impartial investigations.

It is clear that CSOs are failing us by keeping quiet. The question of “Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?”-“Who will guard the guards themselves?” becomes more pertinent now than ever before.

But do not despair! There is hope! The “mumus” have started speaking. I have seen comments from Sierra Leoneans who have hitherto chosen to keep quiet. Now they are identifying themselves openly and speaking up. One friend of mine chose to come out of “mumu mode” and wrote on Facebook about the incident and inflammatory audios on social media by party supporters:

“Personally I don’t think we should be sharing these audios and write up, for the simple reason that it creates tension and also helps spark up fire. Make we try lek we sef en wok together. When dem foreigner turn back  dem go meet different Salone en Sierra Leoneans. My two cents……Today people are concerned because Covid has become secondary and politics is our focus. Don’t you think we should all be embracing the fight against the spread of Covid as a nation?”

The tendency in this country to portray anyone who dares criticize government as a pro-opposition operative and pro-government supporter is not a new one and must be resisted if we are to develop as a nation. Criticism from certain quarters, if genuine can sometimes help keep the government on its toes to achieve great things.  I encourage all “mumus” to speak up. Rise up, O men (and women) of courage! Speak up! Silence is not golden!

Edmund Burke has been quoted as noting: “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” This country should not be left to the whims of political combatants alone. The “mumus” should start speaking up.

Ponder my thoughts.

 

Amnesty International & Partners Call for Protection of Women & Girls Rights in COVID-19 Fight

Amnesty International

By Amin Kef Sesay

Amnesty International, Women’s Link Worldwide and the International Planned Parenthood Federation Africa Region (IPPFAR) said in a report that authorities in Sub-Saharan Africa must ensure their responses to the COVID-19 pandemic must include specific protections for the rights of women and girls.

The document provides a roadmap for Governments and regional organisations for taking the necessary measures to protect the rights of women and girls, who are often disproportionately affected in crisis situations. It highlights States’ obligations to guarantee the right to live free from discrimination and violence and calls on Governments to ensure access to essential sexual and reproductive health services, commodities and information during the pandemic.

“The current COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the vulnerability of women and girls. Their health and well being is not only negatively impacted by the disruption of essential sexual and reproductive services such as contraceptives counselling, maternal and new born health, gender-based violence (GBV), and testing and treatment for HIV and sexually transmitted infections, but also their livelihoods and even their lives are threatened when sexually based crimes go invisible and stay unpunished,” said Marie-Evelyne Petrus-Barry, the IPPF Africa Regional Director.

“This is why the African Union, regional economic commissions, Governments and women rights defenders ​​must redouble their efforts in ensuring that the sexual reproductive health and rights of women and girls are protected and upheld​ and violations of these rights are documented dealt with by justice systems.”

The organisations are calling for Governments to take urgent action to protect the rights of women and girls, highlighting the specific gender risks which the COVID-19 pandemic poses.

Example highlighted in the report includes the right to live free of violence and any form of torture, inhumane or degrading treatment.

During times of crisis and turmoil such as the one we are living in, women and girls face an increased risk of suffering violations of their rights. This is especially true for women already living in marginalized situations. “For this reason, it is urgent that we work to ensure that their rights are respected and guaranteed.”

Viviana Waisman, President & CEO of Women’s Link Worldwide.

“These guidelines are a roadmap to allow us to carry out this monitoring and advocacy work and demand that governments comply with their obligations and maintain their commitment to the rights and lives of women and girls during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

According to the report, the implementation of measures such as curfews, lockdowns or travel restrictions may lead to police brutality and violence which ultimately poses a risk for women and girls to being subjected to sexual violence.

There are also concerns of increase in teenage pregnancies, as previously observed in Sierra Leone following the lockdown imposed to halt the spread of the Ebola epidemic. Governments should put safeguards in place to ensure women and girls are protected from sexual violence and have access to sexual and reproductive health services and commodities.

The organisations also call for better protections for refugee and migrant women. Africa hosts more than 25.2 million refugees and internally displaced people and houses four of the world’s six largest refugee camps in Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and Ethiopia. Refugee camps in the region usually provide inadequate and overcrowded living arrangements that present a severe health risk to inhabitants.

“As COVID-19 spreads across the region women and girls have reportedly already faced an increase in domestic violence. Restrictions on movement, social isolation and lockdowns can make it even harder for women to access essential services like sexual and reproductive healthcare and protection from domestic violence,” said Samira Daoud, Amnesty International West and Central Africa regional director.

“We call on governments in the region to act urgently to prevent gender gaps increasing. Any measures taken to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic must respect and protect women’s rights, including the right to live free of violence and torture and other ill-treatment, and the right to access justice.”

$4.7 billion UN Appeal to Combat Coronavirus

coronavirus

By Amin Kef Sesay

Recently, the United Nations issued a new appeal for $4.7 billion in funding to “protect millions of lives and stem the spread of coronavirus in fragile countries.” The money is on top of the $2 billion the UN already called for when it launched its global humanitarian response plan on March 25. It has received about half of that money so far.

“The most devastating and destabilizing effects” of the novel coronavirus pandemic “will be felt in the world’s poorest countries,” UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Mark Lowcock said in the statement. “Unless we take action now, we should be prepared for a significant rise in conflict, hunger and poverty. The spectre of multiple famines looms,” he warned.

The full $6.7 billion is expected to cover costs of the humanitarian response plan until December. It prioritizes some 20 countries, including several in conflict such as Afghanistan and Syria.

The new call for donations came as nine more countries were added to the list: Benin, Djibouti, Liberia, Mozambique, Pakistan, Philippines, Sierra Leone, Togo and Zimbabwe.

The funds are to be used to buy medical equipment to test and treat the sick, provide hand-washing stations, launch information campaigns and establish humanitarian airlifts to Africa, Asia and Latin America, according to the UN.

It also aims to develop new programs to better combat food insecurity that is growing as a result of the economic crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. “Extraordinary measures are needed,” Lowcock stressed.

“I urge donors to act in both solidarity and in self-interest and make their response proportionate to the scale of the problem we face,” he added, warning of a long-term boomerang effect if poor countries are neglected by rich countries.

Covid-19 infections are expected to peak in the world’s poorest countries in the next three to six months, according to UN estimates.

Food Security Snapshot For Sierra Leone

Food Security

By Edward Vamboi

Following a timely onset of the seasonal rains in late March, planting operations for paddy rice, the major cereal grown in the country, are ongoing mostly in the south and some part of the east upland and riverine areas. In the most northern and northwestern areas of the country, land preparation activities are presently underway, for the planting to take place during May. The harvests are expected to start in September.

Since the beginning of the season, adequate rainfall amounts supported soil moisture content for crop development. In most planted areas, crops are at sprouting, seedling and tillering stages, and weeding activities are regularly underway.

However, the latest Forum of the Agro-Hydro-Climatic Seasonal Forecast in Sudano-Sahelian Africa (PRESASS) points to below-average rainfall amounts during the July-September period, with a likely negative impact on crop yields and availability of pasture and water for livestock.

During the dry season in early 2020, there was a scarcity of pasture and fodder for livestock. Rains usually contribute to the recovery of pasture conditions and, in May 2020, forage availability is satisfactory in the main grazing areas of the country, allowing animals to maintain good body conditions and enhance their market value. The animal health capacity is very weak and mostly dependent on partners’ support to prevent seasonal outbreaks including Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) in sheep and goats, Foot and Mouth (FMD) in cattle and Newcastle in poultry.

Despite the excess rainfall, which caused some flooding in July-August, the 2019 national cereal production is estimated at an average level of 1.3 million tonnes.

Import requirements for the 2019/20 marketing year (November/October) are forecast at an above-average level of 425 000 tonnes as local traders are aiming to replenish their stocks.

Markets are well supplied with both local and imported commodities across the country. However, field reports indicate that prices of staple food continued to increase in early 2020 due to some macro-economic factors including the high inflation rate, the liberalization of the exchange rate and the weakening of the local currency. According to Trading Economics, the year-on-year food inflation increased to 8.30 percent in February 2020. The large trade deficits are maintaining a downward pressure on the exchange rate, which weakened from SLL 8 900 per USD in early 2019 to about SLL 9 600 per USD in early 2020.

According to the March 2020 “Cadre Harmonisé” analysis, about 1 million people are estimated to need food assistance from March to May 2020. This number is expected to increase to 1.3 million during the lean period from June to August 2020, if no mitigation actions are taken.

In view of the evolving COVID-19 situation, the Government has decreed a partial country lockdown. The Government has taken some sanitary, social and economic measures. In early April, the World Bank through the International Development Association (IDA) approved a USD 7.5 million grant to strengthen the preparedness of the national health system in terms of prevention, detection and response to the threat posed by the virus. Official restrictions on population movements, combined with heightened levels of fear, have led many people to stay at their homes. These measures have already affected the flow of farm produce to the markets and further restrictions on population movements could hamper the access to land and have a negative impact on 2020 agricultural production.

Dug Out Mud Collapsed on 25 People in a Mines

By Foday Moriba Conteh

It has been reported that at least 25 people in Western Liberia who were searching for diamonds have been trapped and are feared dead after a hole that they had dug collapsed, official sources in the area have said. The incident took place in the town of Masakpa, near the border with Sierra Leone.

Aaron Vincent, Superintendent of Grand Cape Mount County said, “It is a serious matter but I have to get there first to know what the actual situation is.”

There have been conflicting reports of the number of people involved, with some putting the figure at 50. A relief worker said about, 25 people, were trapped and about three bodies had been recovered. A search operation was on going.

Police spokesman Moses Carter said authorities had instructed the regional police to move in and restore order as the search continued. Grand Cape Mount County is rich in minerals including iron ore, diamonds and gold, but the region is among the most economically inactive and underdeveloped in Liberia. In 1982, a landslide in an old iron ore mining town, No-Way Camp, killed hundreds of people.

Yumkella calls on Pres. Bio for Inter-Party Dialogue

Dr Kandeh Yumkella

By Amin Kef Sesay

During a local television programme that was aired on the 7th May 2020, Dr Kandeh Yumkella, the Parliamentary Leader of the National Grand Coalition Party and a Member of Parliament of the Kambia district, spoke about the rapidly deteriorating disorder in the country, amid rising political tension, Police arrest and detention without charge of opposition politicians perceived as dissidents by the ruling SLPP party.

Yumkella’s appearance comes as many in Sierra Leone are expressing disappointment at President Bio’s deafening silence and indifference, following the Pademba Road Prison disturbance which saw the alleged shooting of dozens of unarmed prisoners by Presidential Guards, leaving eleven dead and several seriously injured.

The rioting in Lunsar in the north of the country and the increasing rate of transmission of the coronavirus,  especially in the capital Freetown, have raised eyebrows, with many now calling for President Bio to come out and show strong leadership by addressing the people of Sierra Leone.

Speaking on AYV TV, Dr. Yumkella called on President Bio to reach out to the opposition political parties to find new partnership framework that will bring all parties together to work towards national cohesion, promote peaceful co-existence, unify the nation, as well as focus on combating the coronavirus.

Various reports have suggested that President Bio was going to address the people of Sierra Leone after ending his fourteen days quarantine and to review the success of the three days lockdown which ended last Sunday. President Bio was also expected to come out and clearly map out where the country is heading, as political tension mounts. But there was no broadcast from the President.

The President’s continuing silence and indifference, in the face of a rapidly deteriorating security and breakdown in law and order is a serious cause for concern.

In another development, Dr. Dennis Bright, Chairman and Leader of the National Grand Coalition (NGC) party recently issued a statement about the increasing political instability and rising tension in Sierra Leone, following the shooting dead of several prisoners in Freetown by presidential guards, as well as the arrest and detention of opposition politician Dr Blyden.

He said: “The National Grand Coalition (NGC) is very concerned about recent events in the country, particularly the violent incident that occurred on 29th April, 2020 at the Pademba Road maximum security Correctional Centre and the accusations and counter-accusations that have been levelled at each other by the All People’s Congress (APC) and the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP).

Dr.Bright maintained that the event and the accusations that are being made are escalating tensions in the country adding how people claiming to be defending the interests of these two parties are currently using the social media to fan the flames of hate and even sound the drums of another civil war.

He said no true Sierra Leonean would want to see the men, women and children of this country go through the pains, horrors and brutality of a civil war, AGAIN!

“As political parties, whether in Government or Opposition, we all have a sacred duty to ensure that our people live in peace and not in a permanent state of fear and insecurity. And certainly, no political party should be proud to drag their people back into bloodshed and death,” the seasoned politician averred.

According to him, that is why the NGC is appealing to the leadership of the APC and the SLPP to immediately pull back from their current confrontational postures in order to de-escalate the rising tensions in the country.

He stated , however, that the NGC is also calling for a FULL and IMPARTIAL investigation into the incident at the Pademba Road Correctional Centre which resulted in such a significant loss of life.

“Currently, the social media is awash with theories, claims, threats, testimonies and so-called eye witness reports that have plunged the entire nation into total confusion as to what really happened, why, who did what and what next.

The bereaved parents, relatives and the nation as a whole deserve to know the truth so that justice will be done. Our heartfelt condolences go to the bereaved and may the souls of those who died rest in peace,” he lamented and expressed sympathy.

He said at this time what is most important in our country is unity of purpose in our fight against the real common enemy: the Coronavirus or COVID-19 saying the disease has the potential to kill people, destroy our economy and turn the country into a wasteland but we should not make that happen.

Dr.Bright said our primary focus at this time should be to work together to contain the spread of the virus, protect individuals and communities and save the nation underscoring how in that regard the NGC is doing its bit.

“We all must agree that our people have suffered long enough. So now is the right time for political parties to show that they care for the people by joining hands to save them from the coronavirus, not tear the nation apart with interparty conflicts,” he admonished.

The chairman said the NGC is willing and ready to help in any way it can and will endeavour to engage the leadership of both the APC and the SLPP in the search for a new path of cooperation in the interest of the nation.

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