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Sierra Leone President Turns Sod for Construction of a Bakery Plant in Wellington

By Alim Jalloh

On the 8th October 2019 during a snap but very interesting program His Excellency President Dr Julius Maada Bio has turned the sod to commence the construction of SONOCO Assembly Plant Facility for baking equipment and training center for food technology and related electrical and mechanical maintenance technicians, at Wellington, East End of Freetown.

Minister of Trade and Industry, Dr Edward Hinga Sandi, said that the theme for the event, “Industry Development for Job Creation and Food Security” was a direct response to the vision of the President in Human Capital Development with focus on middle manpower training, which also resonated with the theme of the country’s 2020 National Budget Agenda.

He said that the project could provide over five thousand jobs in the next two to three years and disclosed that a similar project would be replicated in all five regions across Sierra Leone. He noted that the project would also establish a flour production facility with the capacity of two thousand five hundred metric tons production per day, adding that the venture would not only meet the local demands of flour but would become a major export line.

Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Professor Aiah Kpakiwa, said the SONOCO Group was also ready to help the country in the technical vocation education training that would help to take care of the middle level manpower. He said the company would provide training for Sierra Leoneans in bakery mechanics and machineries. He also disclosed that within weeks, his ministry would operationalize technical vocation education centers in ten districts with plans underway for the remaining districts.

National Chairman for the Bakers Union, Chernoh Saadu Jalloh, said that they were particularly pleased with the government for its efforts in setting up the factory that would ease their work. He also commended the leadership of the New Direction for the reduction in the price of flour in the country and added that such a project was coming to the country for the first time ever.

Deputy Managing Director, Abdoul Karim Diallo, said that they were grateful to the Government for providing them the environment to invest in a project that would directly generate thousands of jobs in the next three years and stated that the construction would take eight months. He said his Group had heard the call of the government to initiate an investment that would contribute to the industrialization of Sierra Leone, heighten the technological level and create jobs.

“We will feed the brain here by training young people by building a world-class training center for bakers to modernize the bakery profession in Sierra Leone. We will feed the tummy by producing bread in the bakery that will be built here and we will take care of the welfare of the human being because the equipment and the food that will be produced here will respect all the standards in terms of environment, safety and nutrition that will help strengthen the health of the consumers,” he said.

On his part, President Bio said that the private sector had to lead if sustainable development and growth were to take place, adding that the private sector was the engine for economic growth. He commended the SONOCO Group for moving quickly to establish a factory that would serve the country and the sub-region. He also assured that as part of its responsibilities, his government would continue to provide the enabling environment that would encourage investments.

“We have to be integrated if we are to create a market that will serve our purpose. We are a small nation with a small market but we if we work toward creating the environment that is inviting enough to bring more, then some of the challenges we face will go away. Creating an ecosystem that is conducive for investment is a collective effort not only from government but from everyone.”

“We must work collectively to support development in this country. I appeal to us all to create that enabling environment that will support private investment by looking at our own attitudes. We are good people and I want to encourage and inspire every Sierra Leonean to change our attitudes for the good of our country,” he ended.

 

As Poverty Deepens… Critical Need for Sierra Leone Government & Partners to Rethink Development Actions

=COMMENTARY=

By Amin Kef Sesay

In the poorest countries, nearly two decades into the millennium, poverty is still a matter of life and death. Despite commitments to inclusive, pro-poor and broad-based growth, the poorest 20% of people still receive just 1% of global income.

Ending poverty requires a sustainable and comprehensive approach which will lift and sustain people above the poverty line while also ensuring they are more resilient to crisis and are able to benefit from opportunity and progress.

It is not simply a matter of lifting every one living on $2 day or less above the international poverty line. If it were a matter of increasing income alone, this would be a more achievable challenge.

Ending poverty requires fundamental changes to the systems that will drive its end and the factors that perpetuate it; ensuring that the people lifted out of poverty are then able to access services, fully participate in society and benefit from national and global growth.

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (Agenda 2030) sets an ambitious but achievable, universal and holistic agenda for all. There is a clear call for action to dramatically scale up development finance and improve the development impact of all financial flows. But it is at risk as the gap between the poorest people and the rest of the world widens.

Fragility and poverty still converge while national-level inequality is on the rise. Development finance has to respond to the demands set by the Sustainable Development Goals with the changes and action needed to ensure their aspirations become reality for all.

Progress is possible when we work together to a shared agenda. But real challenges remain and some are becoming more acute. The right balance between promoting growth and direct assistance to people in poverty and the need to mobilize more resources and use them effectively has to be found by the government and its development partners.

The poorest people are falling further and further behind everyone else as the income gap grows, consumption floors remain functionally stagnant for the poorest people and critical investment is not made in social protection and building human capital.

In that context, Official Development Assistance (ODA) continues to be the most critical source of external financing for development to support and complement national investments, particularly for the people and places most at risk of being left behind. Yet, worrying trends show a shift away from a clear allocation to the people, countries and sectors most critical to ending poverty.

All resources and all actors have a responsibility and a role to play, but investing to end poverty and closing the gap needs more than scaling up resources as many international resources increasingly bypass where they are needed most – in countries with high poverty rates and low domestic resource capacity.

Information and data have not kept pace with the need for ever more disaggregated data to effectively identify the people and places most at risk and the resources available to them. And nor has investment and support for data use to target resources to the people furthest behind.

All these factors mean that Agenda 2030 and its inspirational call to action are at risk – financing is only part of delivering sustainable development for all, but a necessary part. A future of business as usual will fail too many people, in too many places.

Invest in data

Better data is required to target resources effectively to the people who need it most and, for each of those resources, to measure who is included and who is left out. That means greater investment in systems to ensure everyone is counted, and in the collection and use of data disaggregated by income, gender, geographic location, age and disability to identify the people at greatest risk of being left behind.

Political will and leadership are critical: Despite limitations in data, who is at risk of being left behind and where they are, or will be, is broadly known. As are many of the types of investments, tools and mechanisms to best reach them. The allocation of resources is ultimately a political act, shaped by competing political incentives.

How successfully these are overcome during the next decade will be measured by how many people remain in extreme and other dimensions of poverty, how many people remain excluded from progress and for how long the gap between the poorest and the rest continues to grow.

Social protection systems have a vital role in ending extreme poverty. Some 36% of people in extreme poverty who received safety net benefits escaped extreme poverty.

Sierra Leone Nido Ambassadors Defeat Congo Contractors 2-0

The President, Abiodun Oyebola taking the kick-off to start the friendly match

=SPORTS=

By Karifa Kello Thoronka

Nido Ambassadors before the match

As a way of celebrating their 57th anniversary the Yoruba Youth Organization in Sierra Leone in collaboration with Nigerians in Diaspora organized a friendly encounter between Nido Ambassadors and Congo Contractors on Sunday 6th October 2019, at SS Camp playing field in Freetown. The game ended 2-0 in favour of Nido Ambassadors.

The kick-off was done by the President of the Nigerians in Diaspora, Abiodun Oyebola. In his key note address he said the reason for organizing the friendly encounter is to maintain the good relationship between Nigerians and Sierra Leoneans as they are one family, and also to celebrate their country’s Independence.

Speaking with the Public Relations Officer Mustapha Ilesami, he noted that the football match was peaceful and well organized, adding that this has been a tradition for the past three years now. ‘We have been playing ourselves in previous years but this year we decided to play Congo Contractors as the host,’ he said. Mustapha went on to thank all those that participated or contributed towards the friendly encounter.

While thanking Sierra Leoneans for their support towards Nigerians, Aziz Omotosho a player for Nido Ambassadors mentioned that without a good relationship between the two sister countries, it would not have been a successful friendly encounter. He encouraged everyone to maintain the peace.

The Head Coach for Congo Contractors accepted the defeat in good faith, revealing that his boys tried their best to defeat their opponents but luck was not on their side.

The Yoruba cultural group entertained the spectators during the football match.

Sierra Leone ACC Deputy Commissioner Visits SSN Payment Points

Deputy Commissioner of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), Augustine Foday Ngobie

By Alim Jalloh

The Deputy Commissioner of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), Augustine Foday Ngobie has concluded his first set of visits to the Social Safety Nets (SSN) payment points across the regions. The visit served to ensure that the grievance redress mechanism (GRM) role, which the commission plays in implementing the SSN, is emboldened and up tight.

The visit commenced on Thursday 3rd October 2019, with the first phase of visits covering Bombali and Kono districts respectively. The SSN is the World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors’ approval of support for Sierra Leone’s efforts to create a strong social safety net system that will identify and assist poor and vulnerable households, following the end of the pilot program in 2018.

According to the World Bank, while economic growth has been strong in Sierra Leone, poverty and food insecurity have remained very high and human development indicators such as maternal health and survival are weak. This prompted the introduction of the SSN, because it reaches the poorest of families and helps those who have been left behind. The SSN is making direct cash transfers to households in Kono, Bombali, Moyamba, Bo, Kenema, Port Loko, Tonkolili Kailahun and Western Rural districts, usually to women, who tend to spend the money in ways that benefit the family. Eventually, the system has been scaled up to 9 of Sierra Leone’s districts from 4 in 2018, reaching poor families across the country.

Speaking to beneficiaries of the SSN across the regions, DC Ngobie said that the role of the commission in the SSN program is to strengthen the grievance redress mechanism (GRM) and anti-corruption measures during the payment process. He furthered that the ACC is part of the process to also ensure that the exact amount gets to the right people devoid of abuse.

He encouraged the beneficiaries to use the funds in benefitting them and their relatives. “This project adequately reflects the aspirations of the New Direction and it will be a remarkable milestone in enhancing the efforts of government to importantly simmer down the number of Sierra Leoneans below the poverty line; it will not only put food on the table of the poorest, it will also enable them to access social services like health and education”, DC Ngobie concluded.

Other monitoring visits covered Moyamba Bo, Kenema, Kailahun and Western Rural districts.

The development objective of the SSN Project for Sierra Leone is to establish the key building blocks for a basic national safety net system and to provide income support to extremely poor households in Sierra Leone.

 

Sierra Leone Amputees Celebrate New School Building

By Samuel Serry Jr.

Over 200 children at the Nyandehun near Newton can now boast of a modern classroom block, thanks to funds from the US-based Perry Alliance Church and the Lord’s Mission Church in Sierra Leone.

The Nyandehun community sprang up during the country’s eleven year war and is currently home to dozens of amputees and war wounded. Prior to the Perry Alliance’s intervention, the area could hardly boast of any social amenities.

At a recent unveiling ceremony of the new classroom building, the General Overseer of the Lords Mission Church, Rev. Hassan Mansaray said through their efforts, the community now has a church and a school building, adding that the amputees have benefited from micro credit facilities that have changed their lives.

A representative from Amputees Association of Sierra Leone said the new school will not only guarantee the future of children in that community but will significantly reduce the associated risks children take to access schools in distant areas. He expressed gratitude to the Perry Alliance and the Lords Mission Church and appealed for more assistance in the form of livelihood support programs and vocational training opportunities for the amputees.

Sierra Leone to Host Science and Leadership Festival

By Dr. Alhaji U N’jai

The Founder and Chief Strategist of Project 1808, Dr. Alhaji U N’jai, has said that the annual Science and Leadership (SciLead) Festival, will be held in Kabala, northern Sierra Leone. The event is slated for January 9-11, 2020. The theme of the festival is: Ideas to Action – Building Entrepreneurship, Economic Freedom, and Sustainability.

“It has been just wonderful to see the growth each year with the community as well as national recognition we are gaining. I feel a great sense of satisfaction from the community ownership, the active engagement of the young people in implementation, and in being able to sustain the program all these years,” said Dr. N’jai.

Dr. Alhaji U. N’jai, a Scientist from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an Infectious Disease, Toxicology and Biological Sciences Associate Professor at Fourah Bay College and College of Medicine (COMAHS), University of Sierra Leone, is pleased with the strides and accomplishments of the program over the past years.

The goal of the annual festival organized by Project 1808 as the theme suggests is to nurture talents, build technical and leadership capability among young people and adults to solve their own problems; create entrepreneurships and job opportunities, and be competitive globally. The organization thrives to enhance economic freedom by promoting local ideas, build next generation of ethically minded transformational leaders, and mitigate corruption through servant leadership and technical excellence.

According to Dr. N’jai, Project 1808; almost five years down the line in organizing the festival, has made significant impact. “We Dae Pan Di Journey” – “We are on the journey as they would say in Krio. I would say we have made good strides from where we started with barely no structures or huge funding. We have a good number of students in college. Our students are growing in technical depth and breadth as shown in them facilitating many of our workshops. Significantly, they are taking active ownership of the program by taking the lead in organizing the festival for the last 2 years. I am very happy about the direction we are heading. The future looks bright.”

Science and technology are fundamental to advancing quality of life in all societies and translating ideas to practice in communities requires effective and visionary leadership. The SciLead events have been successful over the years through collaborative efforts and blend of international and national volunteers, facilitators and sponsors; and a huge number of Project 1808 students as well as other students and adults within and outside the community.

“This has been good over the years and we will like to maintain that high level of diversity. However, this year, we would like to plan better for the participants and reach as many schools as possible. So we will be inviting schools and asking them to send five to ten participants for the program. This way, we ensure we cover as much schools in the district and the country,” Dr. N’jai added.

Annually, the SciLead has small pointed and targeted activities that build science, technology, engineering, arts, mathematics (STEAM) and leadership capacity among students, youths, and adults in the community. Facilitators work with small groups of students and adults on each day of the three-day session, helping them to explore the worlds and fields of biology, ecology, physics, chemistry, leadership, entrepreneurship and more.

In January 2019, over 500 students and community members attended the festival in Kabala where they observed, experimented, and explored the various fields through hands-on experiments and demonstrations.  Project 1808 anticipates the 2020 SciLead to be much bigger and fun – arts, entertainment, more professional facilitators, and engagement with organizations. It hopes to amalgamate some stations to streamline the program and allow participants to spend more time at the stations.

“We hope to introduce new concepts and a call for innovations or inventions with prizes for best entries. Due to the large turn outs we have experienced in previous years, we want to initiate a registration process ahead of SciLead this time to better plan and manage for participants nationally, “disclosed Dr. N’jai.

Generally, Project 1808 is a non-profit organization based in Madison, Wisconsin that has long been involved in youth capacity building and community development in Sierra Leone through a school-community-University partnership model. Project 1808 currently supports the education and wellbeing of over 400 students in the Koinadugu District of Sierra Leone through scholarships, after-school classes, computer literacy programs, and leadership opportunities. The organization is also currently working on establishing a college in the district.

 

 

 

 

Sierra Leone Commercial Bank Launches Customer Service Week

SLCB MD Fidelis Turay

By Babatunde Sesay

The nation’s biggest commercial bank, the Sierra Leone Commercial Bank (SLCB) in its continued stride to improve on the interface with its hundreds of thousands of customers across the country has launched its Customer Service Week from 7thto 11thOctober, 2019.

Excellent customer service is central to the success of any business. It is this knowledge that providing positive experiences for customers will dramatically impact its growth and profit that has helped SLCB over the years to maintain its leading industrial position.

Research shows that over 90 percent of customers will share their business engagement experiences with others. And those customers remain loyal to a company that promotes a very good or excellent customer service culture. Loyal customers provide positive endorsements and online reviews that can help businesses strengthen their brand, as well as build strong relationships.

Thus, SLCB is dedicating the Customer Service Week to the acknowledgement of, and appreciation of the invaluable role its customers play in making it the most profitable commercial bank in the country. This is coming at the same time as the bank has provided its customers with an array of user-friendly products and services.

The week will also see the launching of SLCB’s Call Center and Call Service – a platform that will give customers the opportunity to call toll free and tell the Bank what is being done right and wrong, in enhancing quality customer service delivery.

The platform also provides customers with the opportunity to make enquiries and complaints about SLCB’s products and services.

During the Customer Service Week, management teams will be deployed in the banking halls to meet with, greet and talk to customers. Some management staff will even be seen behind the counters serving as cashiers.

On the final day of the Customer Service Week, SLCB will launch a raffle draw. All customers who make a minimum deposit of Le 5 million and above from October 1st to October 11th automatically qualify for the draw.

The star prize winner will enjoy a fully sponsored weekend vacation at Golden Tulips Hotel whilst first runner-up will get a dinner for two at Radisson Blu Hotel Aberdeen Freetown. Also, there are a various prizes to be won at the event.

The height of the customer week will be marked on October 12th, 2019 when SLCB will host a cocktail for its top 100 customers.

Economic and marketing analysts have observed that the annual initiative brings with it a blend; confidence strengthening increased identity with the bank, and a deepening of access to products, which is premium in present day banking.

 

 

Sierra Leone Information Minister Appeals to ECOWAS Ministers

By Emmanuel Turay

The Minister of Information and Communications, Mohamed Rahman Swaray, has appealed to colleague Ministers of ECOWAS Commission for Sierra Leone to benefit from projects and programs from the ECOWAS Commission aimed at enhancing Sierra Leone’s Digital Transformation roadmap currently developed by his Ministry in line with African Union Digital Transformation Strategy and the ECOWAS Digital programme.

The Information Minister made this statement in his address to colleague Ministers and delegates in charge of ICT/Telecom and Postal sectors during the 16th ECOWAS Ministerial meeting at Laico Hotel, Ouagadougou, and Burkina Faso.

The ECOWAS Ministerial meeting is a periodic event to consider and adopt harmonized regional policies, guidelines and recommendations prepared by the ECOWAS Commission towards the development of the Telecommunications/ICTs and Postal sectors in the ECOWAS region. The Ministerial Meeting also served as a platform where the status of the implementation of tasks assigned to the ECOWAS Commission by the Ministers at previous meetings is also considered.

Minister Swaray used the occasion to reiterate His Excellency President, Dr. Julius Maada Bio’s commitment to the use of digital technologies and innovation in promoting and fostering regional integration.

The Telecommunications/ICT and Postal Sectors Ministers’ Meeting further looked at various programs that the ECOWAS Commission had initiated such as: affordable regional roaming; ICT accessibility policy for people with disability (PWD); Cyber Security agenda for a resilient cyberspace and enhancing the fight against cybercrime in the ECOWAS Region.

On the margins of the Ministerial Meeting, Minister Mohamed Rahman Swaray interacted with delegates from Cape Verde on the possibility of Sierra Leone participating in a study on landing a second Submarine Cable that will provide redundancy to the current single ACE cable as well as linking the country to the Americas through Brazil. Mr. Swaray also held discussions with his Ghanaian and Gambian counterparts on issues bordering Cyber Security, Universal Access Fund and the revitalization of the incumbent operator in Sierra Leone, SIERRATEL.

The Minister was accompanied by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Information and Communications, Mr. Augustine S. Sheku; Acting Director for Communications, Mr. Mohamed M. Jalloh; and the Deputy Director, Regulatory Administration, NATCOM, Mr. Musa Jalloh.

The ministerial meeting was preceded by an expert meeting (1st – 3rd October, 2019) where the ECOWAS Ministers reviewed and adopted the following reports: the ECOWAS ICT accessibility policy for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs); the draft guidelines and the recommendations on relevant market powers which have been developed by the Commission that sets out the principles for use by the National Regulatory Authorities (NRAs) for more effective competition in the ICT markets of ECOWAS Member States; and the recommendations of the West Africa Internet Governance Forum (WAIGF) towards fostering the sustainability, robustness and security that will promote the use of ICT services as well as increase internet penetration to promote increased active participation and engagement of ECOWAS citizens, including the youth in internet governance discussions among others.

 

 

 

 

Indian Vice President to Meet Sierra Leone President

India Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu

The Calabash News

Indian Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu will embark on a five-day visit to Comoros and Sierra Leone on October 10 as part of India’s sustained engagement with Africa.

During his visit to Comoros, Naidu will hold talks with Comoros President Azali Assoumani. He will also address the Indian community living in the nation.

An official release said that the Vice President will address the Comoros Parliament before departing to Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone.

Naidu will meet Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio and hold delegation-level talks. He will also address the Indian community.

Naidu had last year visited Botswana, Zimbabwe and Malawi as part of efforts to strengthen bilateral ties with those countries.

 

 

 

 

Sierra Leone Economist Jacob Macauley Releases Ministerial Score Card

Prince Jacob Macauley

By Amin Kef Sesay

Consultant Economist, Prince Jacob Macauley who has worked with the IMF and World Bank has released his first ministerial scorecard which highlights the performances of ministries for the period under review.

Speaking at a press conference held at SLAJ conference hall on Monday 7th October, 2019, Mr. Macauley said the SLPP Government of Julius Maada Bio inherited a beleaguered economy devoid of fiscal discipline. He added that the Government, however, is striving assiduously to reverse the abysmal situation. He added that the President and his cabinet, as a consequence, have made impressive strides in setting the country on a new trajectory for which they must be highly commended.

‘In support of the President’s “New Direction”, some ministers have made tremendous stride as they have hit the ground running and haven’t let up. Others have put in every effort but have been hampered by several institutional and capacity challenges,’ he said.

According to him, as it is a little over one year since the Government took over power, he did an assessment of the performance of ministries taking into consideration both their performances in terms of their institutional mandate as well as the perception of the public on the delivery and impact of services.

‘The Minister of Finance Jacob Jusu Saffa and Agriculture Minister Mr. Joseph Ndanema came out on top. This is most obviously due to the professionalism with which they have handled numerous tasks and the immediate results of their untiring efforts. Other Ministers, such as the Minister of Information Communications, Minister of Lands and Water Resources also attained higher ratings than their colleagues whilst they were constrained by capacity and institutional challenges.

He said the Chief Minister has not been considered in the assessment; as he is the personality who has to ensure that all Ministries perform at their best; and therefore, the assessment score would logically be the average of all ministries’ scores.

This, however, would give a distorted representation of the tremendous efforts put in by the Office of the Chief Minister to ensure the achievement of the vision and goals of the SLPP’s “New Direction” for Sierra Leone. The task of the Chief Minister, therefore, is to ensure that performing ministries maintain their high ratings and that those with lower rating improve their scores for the betterment of every Sierra Leonean, he maintained.

Minister of Finance, Jacob Jusu Saffa scored 80% for the establishment of a Single Treasury Account, minimizing leakages in the financial system; for being on track in restoring fiscal discipline; facilitating the payment of workers without using bank overdrafts; facilitating the payment of over $1.2 billion domestic debt; increasing public workers’ salaries by15%; integrated workers of Tertiary Educational Institutions into the Centralized Computerized Government Payroll System; IMF Rating Sierra Leone Economic Performance under the New Direction Highly; Scaling Up Project Financing Arrangements with the World Bank; signing  Budget support Grants with World Bank; improving Expenditure  Management and Control; Fiscal Risk Management and Fiduciary Oversight; improve Public Debt Management and Improving the Budget Preparation, Execution and Payment System and improving the implementation and coordination of donor-funded projects.

Minister of Tourism and Cultural Affairs – Mrs. Memunatu B. Pratt scored 55% for raising the prominence of the tourism sector; innovatively reaching out to new stakeholders; initiating tourism and agricultural trade fairs; raising awareness of the country’s tourism sector; rebranding the country; and sourcing funds for the promotion of the music and film industry.

Minister of Agriculture – Mr. Joseph Ndanema scored 80% for ensuring the re-establishment of agricultural systems; revamping sustainable agricultural programmes; rice self- sufficiency; increased livelihoods of households; diversification of the economy in the four key value-chain among several indicators.

Minister of Health and Sanitation–Dr. Alpha Wurie scored 55% for review of Public Health Ordinance of 1960; reviving the ambulance services nationwide; improving on the drug cold-chain through the supply of refrigerators to PHUs among other developments.

Minister of Justice and Attorney- General-Dr. Priscilla Schwartz scored 60% for actualizing the Commission of Enquiry; putting in place plans to establish the ACC Court; recruitment of magistrates and judges in all districts; fast-tracking court cases;  approved repeal of the 54-year-old criminal & seditious libel law and several other initiatives.

Minister of Primary and Secondary Education-Mr. Alpha Timbo scored 60% for launching the Free Education Programme; overseeing the supply of 26 million textbooks and other school materials to school pupils; approving over 100 schools countrywide and absorbing a large number of teachers into the payroll.

Minister of Water Resources–Dr. Jonathan Tengbeh scored 70% for Orugu and Congo water supply project feasibility study in progress and will be completed in December 2019; 45 industrial boreholes project commissioned for Kono, Moyamba, Segbwema and Daru commissioned; 200 boreholes projects across the country is 80 percent complete among many other developments.

Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation-Ms. Nabila Tunis scored 60% for Building relationships with new countries and strengthening existing diplomatic ties; the diplomatic community emphasizing the importance of open dialogue and reciprocal partnership; promoting UK-SL trade & highlighting the wealth of investment opportunities in Sierra Leone among other initiatives.

Minister of Information and Communications-Mr. Mohamed Swarray scored 60% for working towards improving the information policy; improving the national fibre optic capability; regulating all mobile operators; convening weekly ministerial briefing for the public; establishment of the strategy unit; provision of reliable and timely public information; consolidation of the national fibre optic backbone infrastructure; already engaged the Exim Bank of China for a Concessionary Loan of USD 30m to complete the National Fibre Backbone Infrastructure among other developments.

Minister of Planning and Economic Development-Dr Francis Kaikai scored 55%. 

Minister of Energy and Power-Alhaji Kanja Ibrahim Sesay scored 55%.

Minister of Social Welfare, Gender and Children’s Affairs-Ms. Baindu Dansama scored 50%.

Minister of Sports– Mr. Ibrahim Nyelenkeh scored 50%.

Minister of Transportation and Aviation–Mr. Kabineh Kallon scored 55%.

Minister of Internal Affairs–Mr Edward Soloku scored 55%.

Minister of Labour– Mr. Adekunle King scored 60% for repatriation of job seekers from foreign countries; National Labour Migration Policy; putting in place systems to enforce labour regulations, nationwide visit to all mining workers for better working conditions among other initiatives.

Minister of Works, Housing and Infrastructural Development- Mr. Peter Bayuku Conteh scored 50%.

Minister of Marine Resources and Fisheries-Mrs Emma Kowa scored 50%.

Minister of Political and Public Affairs-Ambassador Foday Yumkella scored 40%.

Minister of Local Government and Rural Development— Mr. Tamba Lamina scored 45%.

Ministry of Tertiary and Higher Education-Mr. Aiah Kpakima scored 45%.

Minister of Lands and Country Planning- Dr Dennis M. Sandy scored 65% for working on the recovery of government lands; working on correcting lands documentation; National Resettlement Policy Developed ready for cabinet approval; Njala land dispute resolved; ministry’s contribution to national revenue increased revenue – 4.4 Billion Leones among other initiatives.

Minister of Trade and Industry–Dr. Eaward Hinga Sandy scored 50%.

Ministry of Youth and Employment-Mr. Mohamed O. Bangura scored 45%.

Minister of Minerals Resources- Mr. Rado Yokie scored 60% for review of Mining Act; strong intention to help Government in revenue collection; review of all mining companies’ licenses and contracts; new feasibility studies ongoing among other initiatives.

 

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