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10 APC Councillors, 4 C4C Big Guns & Droves of APC Supporters Cross Carpet to SLPP

Few months into conducting Presidential, Parliamentary and Municipal Elections, the Leader of the Sierra Leone People’s Party, Rt. Brig. Julius Maada Bio and First Lady Fatima Maada Bio, as well as the hierarchy of the Party welcomed 10 Councillors , 4 Regional Executives from the Coalition for  Change Party (C4C); hundreds of other supporters from the main opposition All People’s Congress  Party (APC),  and the National Grand Coalition , including the  Limba Community and support groups, into the  ruling SLPP.

The welcoming of the new members took place during the turning of the sod for the construction of the SLPP office in Koidu City, in Kono District on Saturday 4th February 2023.

Welcoming the converts, His Excellency, President Julius Maada Bio commended the Regional Executive of the party for working hard to persuade the Councilors to return to the great SLPP whilst calling on all party members nationwide to embrace the new members and show them love in the SLPP way as he dubbed it: “One Country One People.”

President Bio assured the new members of the party a peaceful welcome adding that they would be treated as one in the family.

Speaking on behalf of the Councilors, Councilor Brima Moigua of Ward 095 explained that it was due to the development programs the President and his Government have done for the district over the years that convinced them to join the SLPP party adding that like the new Kono University, the 24-hour light system, the construction of major roads, and bridges within the district, among others.

He admitted that their declarations are to help the President and the SLPP win the 2023 election on the first ballot and to strengthen the SLPP support within the Kono District.

The ceremony was chaired by an astute daughter of the soil, First Lady Dr. Fatima Maada Bio.

 

Ahead of Elections… MoPADA- SL Preaches Peace, Non-Violence Messages to Youths & Party Stakeholders

By Jonathan Hindolo Kurabu, D Catalyst

With funding support from IRISH AID, Sierra Leone, the Movement Towards Peace and Development Agency-Sierra Leone (MoPADA-SL) has over the week in Bo City engaged youths and major political party stakeholders on the need to preach peace and non-violence messages ahead of the country’s general elections .

The Project Titled: “ Making Elections Meaningful; Promoting Electoral Justice and Policy based Voting in Sierra Leone’s 2023 Elections” has a life span of one year and it is expected to enhance greater scope for participation of women and youths in making elections in Sierra Leone more responsive to the needs of excluded or marginalized populations.

Governance Manager for the Project, Jabez Amadu underscored the purpose of the engagement noting that it’s designed to talk to different political parties and stakeholders in Bo about the upcoming general elections with specific emphasis on need to preach peace and not to promote violence. These, he said ,could become achievable through dialogue and continuous engagement with the relevant stakeholders including women and youths.

Executive Director, MOPADA SL Patrick Momoh on behalf Management and Board of MOPADA SL, Consortium and Irish Aid expressed profound thanks and appreciation to the participants for gracing the ceremony re-affirming the need to discuss and chat the way forward for the development of Sierra Leone.

He affirmed that the Project will address issues hovering around electoral justice, peaceful, free and fair, acceptance of outcome, equal opportunities for participation of all eligible voters, among others.

Bintu Ma-Sellu, who represented  the Sierra Leone People’s Party described the engagement as fruitful and timely adding that the SLPP is a peaceful party that strives towards attaining the ideals of democratic tenets as provided for by law.

Youth Leader, National Grand Coalition, NGC, Kamara Kelfala appreciated MOPADA SL and its funding partners for hosting such a remarkable event ahead of the National elections slated for June 2023.

He appealed to all political parties present to put the interest of the country above all else by eschewing all forms of violence before during and after elections.

Local Unit Commander, Bo West Division, Michael J.K. Lagga, on behalf of the Sierra Leone Police said they are committed towards the attainment of peace and security before, during, and after elections. He said the SLP is undergoing trainings of similar fashion geared towards collaborating with multi stakeholders ahead of elections to keep the community safe from incidences of drug abuse and all forms of violence among youth.

He concluded that through their outreach endeavours, they are engaging youths from various spheres of lives to refrain from acts of violence adding that they will continue to engage ghetto youths and vowed with the consent of the Inspector General of Police and the AIG South, to investigate and prosecute all matters bordering on electoral violence.

Public Relations Officer, Civil Society South, Joseph Dominic Blackie, Regional Manager South, National Commission for Democracy, NCD, Andrew George and Paramount Chiefs Representatives made meaningful contributions which ultimately climaxed the event.

Elections in Sierra Leone have overtime been marred with violence hence a justifiable need to engage party and youth structures ahead of the General Elections.

 

 

 

Orange SL Debunks Allegations of Indebtedness to Government

Orange Digital Center
Orange Digital Center

By Amin Kef (Ranger)

The General Management of Orange SL Ltd in a Press Release dated 5th February, 2023 stated that it  wishes to inform the general public that the article circulated on various social media platforms with Caption, “Rogue Orange (SL) in big financial Crisis with Government” is misleading.

It further clarified that the allegations that “Orange Sierra Leone is indebted to the Government in the sum of Le 80 billion inclusive of Le14.0 Billion Leones owed on custom duty taxes and further accusations that it is not the first time Orange Sierra Leone has been on shady tax deals on Government tax payments”, are totally unfounded.

The company categorically denied the misleading information, which, it said, aims to tarnish its reputation and that such a damaging article contrasts with the values of transparency and responsible corporate citizenship to which the Orange group is particularly attached.

Management maintains that Orange Sierra Leone is a compliant company that has always demonstrated transparency in its corporate commitments to the Government and all other regulatory authorities.

The company revealed how in 2022, the total tax paid by Orange Sierra Leone and its subsidiaries amounted to NLe 285 Million and have never defaulted on any of their tax obligations to the Government.

According to the company, they remain one of the largest taxpayers in the country, contributing significantly to the economic development of Sierra Leone.

In setting the record straight, Management disclosed how the letter dated 31st January 2023 addressed to Orange Sierra Leone from the Ministry of Finance was in relation to a request for a monthly payment plan to settle their Annual and Regulatory fees for the year 2023.

The Management went further to disclose that over the years, settlement of Annual Regulatory fees via a payment plan has been the common practice between the regulators and all mobile network operators in Sierra Leone.

Orange Sierra Leone is reassuring the public and its valued customers that it remains an internationally reputable company that operates with the highest ethical standards and that such malicious information is considered as defamatory.

The company added how it remains committed towards providing their valued Customers with superior network quality through an enhanced world class system for an unmatched experience.

 

 

A Better Deal and A New Direction for Sierra Leone Mining

By Vickie Remoe

A $476 million investment into Sierra Leone’s iron-ore-rich Northern Province offers new hope that rural communities will reap the rewards of the region’s considerable mineral deposits. The challenge for this West African nation has always been striking a win-win-win deal where investors, local communities, and the central government profit.

Under the new deal, Arise Integrated Industrial Platforms Limited (Arise IIP) will operate and expand the 200km Pepel Rail and Port, which transfers iron ore from remote areas to the sea for export. The new agreement (which is yet to be ratified by parliament) will transfer control of the rail from Leone Rock Metal Group (previously Kingho).

Timothy Kabba, the Minister of Mines and Mineral Resources, signed the rail and port expansion agreement that he says will change the country’s sometimes troublesome track record on foreign direct investment.

“My responsibility is to provide fairness in the sector, accentuate the opportunities, and protect and maximize the interests of the people in their mines,” said Kabba.

When Kabba received the appointment as Minister of Mines in July 2020, he inherited a legal dispute between the Government and Gerald Group’s SL Mining (now Marampa Mines). He brought that matter to a settlement on the condition Marampa would access the rail.

“It is not in Sierra Leone’s interest to strangle any existing investors. On the contrary, with Arise IIP’s investment, we will stimulate growth through increased production at a reduced cost for all,” said Kabba.

The new agreement guarantees a more level playing field for all the mines in the Northern Corridor. Leone Rock and Marampa Mines can focus on their core business—mining, while Arise IIP will invest $476 million to expand the rail and port. Arise has a 25-year lease. They’ll add 25 kilometers to the rail, the infrastructure needed to increase exploration.

“Leone Rock has a concession of six to seven billion metric tons of estimated 12 billion metric tons at the Tonkolili mines. The rail infrastructure doesn’t extend far enough for new players to take the rest. We will create new opportunities for iron ore exploration and bauxite with Arise IIP,” said Kabba.

African Mineral Limited (AML) built the Pepel rail under a 2013 mining concession backed by a $2 billion investment from Shandong. The latter, who had a 25% stake, acquired the remaining 75% when AML went bankrupt in 2015. But Shandong also went into administration. Before Shandong exited the Tonkolili mine in September 2020, they returned the rail assets to the Government, who, per the mining agreement, had the first right of refusal. In addition to transferring the rail to a third party, the Arise IIP contract means more revenue for the central Government and land owners.

Caption: Arise IIP construction site at Glo-Djigbé Industrial Zone (GDIZ), Benin (Source: Arise IIP)

Arise will pay $1.1 million annually in addition to a 10% profit on total export. While the Pepel Rail and Port Expansion project will be their first entry into Sierra Leone, they have a portfolio that spans West and Central Africa. They’ve built and operated Gabon’s Special Economic Zone (GSEZ) for forestry, and Togo’s PIA, a vertically integrated industrial zone for agriculture, mining, and textile. In Benin, they’ve invested $1.5 billion in the Glo-Djigbé Industrial Zone (GDIZ), a PPP with the Government of Benin to promote investments in textiles, agriculture, and oil with existing agreements to develop industrial zones with the Governments of Tchad, Nigeria, Congo, and Rwanda.

Arise IIP will pay more surface land rent than their predecessors to the five chiefdoms impacted by the rail and port.

In Sierra Leone, there have been instances where landowners have been deprived of fair compensation and excluded from the consultation before signing FDI contracts. This lapse often sets the stage for conflict between the mines and affected communities.

“When Leone Rock came, we went to settle the outstanding surface rent on the Tonkolili concession. It had gone unpaid for two years. The accumulated rent paid to the five chiefdoms was $40,000. Five chiefdoms in three districts split $40,000. A paltry sum!” said Kabba.

In September 2022, Sierra Leone passed two progressive laws; the Customary Land Rights Act and the Land Commission Act. They give local landowners the power to negotiate the value of their land and compel all companies operating in Sierra Leone to obtain the consent of local communities before starting activities.

Mr. Kabba said the new laws made it easier to negotiate a better deal for the five chiefdoms who had already leased their lands to Leone Rock.

“The annual surface rent agreement will increase from $20,000 annually to $250,000. Safroko Limba, Makari Gbanti, Bake Loko, Loko Masama, and Kamasondo chiefdoms will receive $50,000 each,” said Kabba.

Not everyone is happy about the Government’s plan to bring a third-party port and rail infrastructure expert to manage the Pepel rail and port. Local news reports say Leone Rock Metal Group plans to sue the Government for terminating the six-year lease agreement to manage and operate the port.

“It was always the Government’s intention to find a third party to manage the rail and port. Upon signing the lease agreement in 2021, we reserved the right to engage a port operator to independently run the railway and port after the first two years of the lease, provided we sent a six-month notice to Kingho,”  said Kabba.

Kingho received notice under the agreement. The time has come for Sierra Leone to adopt a new approach to foreign direct investment.

“We have acted to open the mining sector and break the infrastructure bottleneck, but we’ve also signed a deal that is fair to all. The resource curse will be a thing of the past. Sierra Leone must be a choice investment destination but not at the expense of local communities. Mining won’t change overnight, but we are definitely on the right track.”

 

ARISE IIP to Pump $1.2 Billion on Industrial Zone

By Amin Kef (Ranger)

It could be recalled that the Government of Sierra Leone on the 17th January, 2023 signed a lease agreement with ARISE Integrated Industrial Platforms Ltd (ARISE IIP) for the development, expansion, and management of the Pepel Port and Pepel-Tonkolili Railway.

After a thorough assessment of ARISE IIP by looking  at the company’s profile and its remarkable achievements in other parts of Africa where it has a presence some have described the agreement signed as a landmark achievement that will serve as a game changer provided things work out well.

One distinctive aspect of this agreement is that through the intervention of ARISE IIP , as part of the terms of agreement, a leeway will be created for other companies operating or that will in the future operate  in that part of the country to use the rail for the transportation purposes which at present is not the case.

From a reliable source, Arise Integrated Industrial Platform (Arise IIP) is set to pump in a lump sum of $1.2 billion to establish an Industrial Zone in Sierra Leone, which is a specific area of the national territory that will be allocated by the Government of Sierra Leone to promote agricultural production and processing (cashew nuts, cotton, soybeans, shea butter, pineapple, etc.) and other raw materials, where fiscal and customs measures and facilities for settling up administrative procedures, infrastructure and services are put in place to attract investors.

Cognizance must be taken that the Industrial Zones in other African countries have contributed immensely to booming their economies through massive job creation, payment of royalties, rolling out corporate social responsibilities, attracting more international and local investors.

The company has prior committed itself to spending a further $476 million in extending the current railway and port at Pepel.

Arise Authorities revealed that they want to achieve  major goals in the next twenty-four months in Sierra Leone, which are to develop and manage the rail and port; to launch an industrial zone for which the land has already been identified; and to run passenger trains linking the whole country and neighboring Guinea and Liberia.

The company has already put in place $85 million to kick-start the process of achieving its targeted objectives in Sierra Leone.

As a high profiled company, it is capable of bringing in major reputable and credible companies from across the globe to operate in the Industrial Zone in areas like textile, tile, processing agricultural raw materials, etc.

“The Industrial Zone will provide electricity, water supply, health, and other basic amenities to investors working within the zone,” it was revealed.

It must be reiterated that the company is also set to handle the rail and port that will provide services to mining companies, other investors that will be transporting their raw materials and finished products, etc.

Taking journalists from Sierra Leone to see firsthand how Arise IIP operates in Benin and Gabon it was learnt that the company established a successful partnership with the Government of Gabon to establish the Gabon Special Economic Zone (GSEZ), which idea came after a moratorium on timber logging and export was enforced in 2009.

The zone was later established in 2012 exclusively to process timber logs in Gabon and refined them into different products for export. It was later on opened to other economic investments, for which the Government of Gabon now owns 32% shares whilst Arise IIP has 68%.

The Gabon Economic Zone has three major components, the Commercial Zone, the Residential Zone, and the Industrial Zone. The Administrative Zone is a single window manned by 23 administrations, such as tax, customs, immigration, employment, forestry, environment protection, etc.

There are 82 industrial companies within the Economic Zone, 65 of which are concentrating on timber processing. It has so far provided jobs for 60, 000 Gabonese whose country’s population is just 2.4 million.

The Gabon Special Economic Zone (GSEZ) Ikolo ZIS is a joint venture, signed in June 2021, between the GSEZ and the Government of Gabon. Owing to its single window clearance system, national and international investors can set up businesses with ease. The zone’s composition includes industrial, infrastructural, and residential spaces, along with multiple quays.

The Ikolo Special Economic Zone benefits from its strategic location, accessible by both land and river, and its proximity to the forests of the region and neighboring provinces.

Covered 85% by forest, on 22 million hectares, Gabon has a stock of exploitable wood of 130 million m3 of Okoumé and 270 million m3 of other species. GSEZ has enabled the country to develop and modernize a wood sector that was previously not very promising by relying on specialization, one-stop services, and alignment with the national development strategy.

With 3.4 million m3 produced each year Gabon has become Africa’s leading producer and exporter of tropical plywood, and the world’s second-largest exporter.

The country intends to go further in adding value to its wood products by transforming GSEZ into a center for the manufacture of “Made in Gabon” furniture.

In Benin the company’s investment is huge providing job opportunities for many as well as resources for the Government.

 

 

US Attack on Chinese Civilian Unmanned Airship is an Overreaction and Threatens World Peace

By Amin Kef (Ranger)

China expressed strong dissatisfaction and protest on Sunday against the US’ move to shoot down a non-threatening Chinese airship for civilian use, calling the US’ move an overreaction and vowing to reserve the right to take necessary actions. By turning an unintentional accident into an incident that has been hyped by the US officials and media, Washington is adding new uncertainties into the already-intense relations with China, creating a bad precedent for blurring the line between civilian and military uses, experts said.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry expressed strong dissatisfaction and protested against the US’ use of force to shoot down a Chinese civilian unmanned airship, urging the US to properly handle the incident. The Ministry said on Friday that the balloon is a civilian airship used for research, mainly meteorological, purposes. Affected by the Westerlies and with limited self-steering capability, the airship deviated far from its planned course.

Although the US knows that this airship is harmless, it insisted on shooting it down to maintain its dominant position and it’s also believed that the US is very interested in our related technology so that it needs to obtain it in such improper way, Lü Xiang, research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences gave his opinions on Sunday.

It is more of a political show, as the balloon was only shot down after it already travelled across the US and was about to leave, experts said.

Some experts also believe that shooting down a harmless airship is like “shooting down an unarmed civilian,” creating a bad precedent for interaction between China and the US.

It’s widely known that US aircraft, appearing in civilian or military purposes, operate around China much more frequent than Chinese aircraft do around the US, Lü noted.

“If the US does not differentiate between civilian and military aircraft, then it has made a very bad precedent in treating the China-US relations,” he said.

It must be underscored that already there has been a frosty relationship between the two world powers or countries bordering on trade, Taiwan and South China Sea.

This recent one involving the shooting down of the balloon, it is feared, may heighten the rift between the two and may either lead to future escalations which may not augur well for the maintenance and improvement of international stability if diplomatic steps are not taken to deescalate the rising tension.

It is only imperative that the two sides put aside the mistrust, improve on relationship, take affirmative actions on international issues and continue to improve on World Peace and helping poorer nations like Sierra Leone to emerge from the bottomless abyss of poverty.

Legal Aid Board Highlights Challenges to Represent all Indigent Accused Persons

The Legal Aid Board has reacted to an online Publication in an online newspaper Sierraloaded in which His Worship Magistrate Hadiru Daboh of the Ross Road Magistrate Court  No. 3 is quoted as saying ‘Legal Aid Board Employees are just Salary Receivers; They are not doing their Job’.

According to the Legal Aid Board, Magistrate Daboh was unhappy with the failure of the Board to represent three accused persons before his court on summary trial.

It further noted that the accused persons have been on remand at the Male Correctional Center in Freetown for three months for committing minor offences or petty crimes.

The Legal Aid Board maintained that Magistrate Daboh  raised an important issue regarding the thousands of unrepresented accused persons in courts.

It continued that as a nation we should engage the issue in a fair and honest manner with a view to finding a solution, if we care about having a justice system that treat everybody equally regardless of their status in society.

The Board has expressed the view that it does not treat the criticism lightly, because it is coming from a former staff of the Legal Aid Board.

More importantly, the Board said it affords it the opportunity to explain to the public to have an informed opinion on how it is going about its work.

The Legal Aid Board revealed that Magistrate Daboh joined the Board in its formative years in 2016 and  was among the second batch of lawyers to join the Board following its inception in May 2015. Magistrate Daboh is said to be credited with contributing to authoring the Paralegal Training Manual and more importantly transforming the Board into the largest legal aid provider. At the time of his leaving in 2019, the Board had twenty-three (23) offices around the country.

The Board revealed how it had celebrated his joining the Bench like it did for Justice Ivan Sesay and Mamakoh Kallon as such  was rooted in the conviction that having staff (who are defence minded) going into the bench will help in some ways in addressing issues of rights of accused persons,  bail, speedy trial and over-crowding in correctional centers.

Magistrate Daboh, the Legal Aid Board continued,  has a unique insight into the challenges of the Board and the efforts which had gone into addressing them and therefore better based to critique the Board.

It stated how Magistrate Daboh knows the most pressing challenge the Board (which is the defence arm of the criminal justice system) has had and continues to grapple with is the number of Lawyers and Paralegals on its staff.

The Board , it was pointed out, had 18 lawyers and 46 Paralegals at the time of his leaving the Board in 2019. The number of lawyers was increased to 24 in 2022 while the number of Paralegals has increased to 71 thanks to the MOTT Foundation and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

It is important to underline, according to the Board that it should have at least one Paralegal in each of the 190 chiefdoms as provided in Section 14 (2) (1) of the Legal Aid Act 2012: ‘The Board shall appoint at least one Paralegal to each chiefdom’.

The picture is quite different in the case of the Board’s counterparts in the Law Officers Department (which is the prosecuting arm of the Criminal Justice System) who are better resourced with 72State Counsels. The Department recruited 31 State Counsels in 2020. The State Counsels are ably assisted by Police Officers who prosecute matters at the Magisterial level.

The Judiciary also increased the number on the Bench in 2020. This development saw for the first in the history of Sierra Leone each district having at least one Resident Magistrate. Also, Resident Judges were deployed in four districts which never had one. The difference in staff strength (Lawyers/Judges) between the Judiciary and Law Officers Department on one hand and the Legal Aid Board is an open secret. This state of affairs raises questions relating to equality before the law for complainants/Plaintiff on the one hand and defendants on the other.

It is for this reason the Board had prioritize High Court cases over Magistrate Cases since its founding. Even in the High Courts the Board gives topmost priority to indigent remand inmates. The cases for which legal representation are provided in the Magistrate Court are limited mostly to Child and Spousal Maintenance cases. Both current and former counsels  of the Board including Magistrate Daboh are aware of this.

The Board is in no illusion about the enormity of work regarding providing free legal representation to all the thousands of indigent persons before the courts in the country. This is why the Board has been grappling with overcrowding of our correctional centers.  Despite the best efforts of the Board, the prison population has continued to increase.

This is why the Board had launched an initiative since May 2015 geared towards decongesting the correctional centers through a combination of actions: calling on Magistrates to scrupulously apply the bail and sentencing Guideline which is the panacea to the overcrowding in  prisons; conducting frequent visits to Corrections Centers to identify inmates without indictments and work with the law officers to secure their indictments; ensuring those on remand but not on trial are put on trial; identifying those who are over-sentenced and apply for a judicial review of their sentences, ensuring those on judgement reserve have them delivered; mediating community level disputes and minor criminal matters (some referred to it by the courts) which would otherwise be taken to the police and possibly sent to jail and organizing community outreach around the country to educate people since those who are educated on laws are less prone to committing crime out of ignorance.

The Board had carried the criminal calendar with only 18 and now with 24 lawyers (including the Executive Director and Mr. Francis Gabiddon) by virtue of the fact that it represents most indigent accused persons brought before the Courts at both Magistrate  and High Court Levels. The Legal Aid Counsels provided legal advice and legal representation to18,752 indigent persons in 2022. This means each of the 22 Legal Aid Counsels, provided legal advice and legal representation to an average of 852.4 indigent persons in 2022.

Beneficiaries include indigent accused persons represented in all Criminal Sessions/Call-Over and Special Criminal Sessions in 2022. This resulted in almost 100% representation of indigent accused persons in these sessions. It also contributed in reducing the correctional center population. For instance, the Board provided legal representation to all the 870 accused persons in the Judicial Week (31 January to 4 February 2022). The Board secured the discharge of 234 accused persons and bail for 374during the week.

The Board absolutely agrees with Daboh regarding the increasing number of unrepresented indigent accused persons in the courts and by extension the steady increase in prison and remand inmates around the country but to blame the Board with 24 lawyers for this is unfair. Magistrate Daboh is aware that as Legal Aid Counsel he used to represent far more clients than any private lawyer. He knows the situation has not changed to date.

We (Legal Aid Board, Judiciary, Law Officer Department and the Ministry of Justice) have a role to play in addressing this challenge which borders on equality before the law. A starting point would be to bring the number of lawyers with the Board at par with its counterpart State Counsels with the Law Officers Department and also allow our Paralegals to defend indigent clients at Magisterial level. If this means introducing a new legislation, why not?

Secondly, the Board is calling on the Magistrates to scrupulously implement the Bail and Sentencing Guidelines. That they believe will bring to an end a situation where an accused is sentenced to two years six months for stealing eight bottles of stout from the Sierra Leone Brewery Limited Company. The good news is the Legal Aid Board will be applying for judicial review of this sentence.

CARL Launches Electoral Justice & Security Projects

By Foday Moriba Conteh

In a bid to facilitate and put mechanisms in place geared towards attaining a peaceful and accountable electoral process in the country, the Centre for Accountability and Rule of Law – Sierra Leone (CARL-SL) has on Tuesday 7th February, 2023 launched the Electoral Justice & Security Projects.

The two projects that seek to support electoral justice and accountability for human rights violations and electoral offences during the elections were launched at CARL’s Head Office on Circular Road in Freetown.

Speaking during the launch, the Executive Director, Centre for Accountability and Rule of Law – Sierra Leone, Ibrahim Tommy, said  the two projects ,which are funded by the Government of Ireland and the Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA), respectively seek to advance efforts towards a peaceful and accountable electoral process, adding that the projects will support the speedy and fair resolution of election-related complaints, ensure accountability for human rights violations during the electoral process and strengthen the capacity of law enforcement officers and alternative electoral dispute resolution bodies.

“When laws regulating public elections are deemed to have been breached or violated, it is critically important that those charged with the responsibility of enforcing and or interpreting the law do so with fairness, professionalism and reasonable speed. That’s the only way we can reduce violence in elections and enhance public trust in the process,” he stated.

The Executive Director added that the two projects provide an opportunity for effective collaboration between CARL, its partners and State actors to address any issue that arises.

He said that specifically the Irish Aid-funded project, which is part of a broader project ,coordinated by the Institute for Governance Reform, will support the documentation of electoral complaints and calls for the speedy resolution of such complaints by the courts and alternative dispute resolution (ADR) mechanisms, furthering that CARL will also raise awareness about electoral laws and processes, and undertake advocacy for the protection of  the civic space, including the right to Freedom of Assembly and Freedom of Speech.

Ibrahim Tommy revealed that OSIWA’s funding will support the implementation of a Project titled: “Promoting a Safe and Peaceful Electoral Process through an Accountable Security Sector”.

He intimated that as part of the Project, CARL will document and produce reports on incidents of police brutality and politically-motivated violence, monitor proceedings before accountability mechanisms relating to incidents of police brutality, undertake advocacy for increased funding to oversight and law enforcement institutions, and contribute to empowering the capacity of law enforcement agencies.

“A recent report by CARL on the administration of electoral justice concluded that elections in Sierra Leone are often characterized by incidents of politically-motivated violence, an inadequate and highhanded response by law enforcement officers, and delay in addressing electoral complaints and holding perpetrators to account.

These projects will build on the gains made over the past two years as part of the Irish Aid funded Projects implemented by CARL, the Institute of Governance Reform, and the Office of National Security,” he assured and concluded.

NP-SL is Resolute in Enhancing Customer Satisfaction & Service Delivery

National Petroleum Sierra Leone Limited (NP-SL-Ltd)

By Amin Kef (Ranger)

It is strongly incontestable that the leading petroleum company in the country, NP-Sierra Leone Limited, is highly known for being the first in the realm of customer care. This is indisputable when cognizance is taken of how Management is very keen on optimizing customer satisfaction in its service delivery on different fronts.

Members of staff of the company are very mindful of the fact that it is the customer that comes first and therefore needs the utmost attention always ensuring that transactions are conducted under a congenial atmosphere that results into a win-win situation. For this brilliant and managerial initiative, the company has been making positive headways in positioning to stand tall among other business entities in this part of the world.

With a capable and result-oriented Staff, working collaboratively and assiduously, where even the cleaner is regarded as highly relevant there is bound to be positive outcomes and the company has mastered this by ensuring that synergy is enhanced.

One admirable quality that NP-SL Ltd possesses is working tirelessly and effectively using its contacts with oil-producing countries in order to ensure that there is timely purchase and delivery of petroleum products to avoid shortages. It goes without saying that fuel, for example, could be a political commodity in the sense that fluctuation in its price would make a Government likeable or unpopular. When the price goes up then people blame the Government for that but if it goes down it is kudos for the political administration.

Its timely importation of petroleum products has earned NP high commendations from various quarters simply because it helps to cushion unrest and other forms of disadvantageous effects one of which is increase in transport fares, increase in the prices of certain commodities. The pro-activeness of the company invariably has a direct impact on poverty reduction in variable ways.

Some who may not be aware of the fact that NP-SL Ltd is wholly owned by Sierra Leoneans vis-à-vis the visibility of the company and how it is remarkably striving could find it hard to believe that it a truly indigenous company.

However, that remains the plain truth when it is learnt that it was Sierra Leonean 35 workers formerly working for British Petroleum (BP) who pulled together their end of service benefits to purchase shares which were used to establish NP, which today is a success story of an indigenous company, having branches in various parts of the country and in other four West African countries namely Liberia, Guinea, Ivory Coast and The Gambia. The company’s operations right across the spectrum is contributing towards revenue generation and job creation for many.

With gas as one its marketable products it was thought wise to be producing gas cookers, popularly known as NP Gas, which could be accessed at their different filling stations. According to investigation conducted NP Gas is cooking-friendly, safe and long lasting. It is going at an affordable price and many are going for it.

The company, in line with matching with technology, introduced the use of a Smart Card widely known as NP Smart Card which is a Card with memory chip embedded that can be credited with money and debited when it is used during the purchase of fuel. The holder only slots the loaded card into the space on the pumping machine after commanding the amount of fuel to be pumped and the exact amount is discharged with the card ready for another recharge to be used for the next purchase. It has been acknowledged that it is a safe, cashless way of conducting transactions assuring greater security and budgetary adjustments.

When reference is made to the effective implementation of the Local Content Policy, then NP-SL Ltd stands tall within that realm as nearly all its members of staff are Sierra Leoneans thereby making use of local talents everywhere they are operating. The Local Content Policy is indeed an engine of growth and NP is making full use of it.
Although these are trying times for the company in terms of easily accessing petroleum products as a result of the war between Russia and Ukraine, however, Management is doing everything possible to ensure that these products are available and accessible.

 

First Lady Takes South Korean Ambassador & Honorary Consul on Conducted Tour

The South Korean Ambassador to Sierra Leone, H.E. Kim Young Chae together with the South Korea Honorary Consul in Sierra Leone Mahesh Nandwani were taken on a conducted tour by the First Lady, Dr Fatima Bio, on the 7th February, 2023 ,of the 34 Military Hospital construction project which is currently being championed by the First Couple of Sierra Leone.

The conducted tour was done on the request of the Government of South Korea.

It should be noted that recently South Korea donated several brand new vehicles to the “Maada & Fatima Bio Foundation”, a charitable organization formed by the First Couple nine years ago to serve vulnerable Sierra Leone citizens.

At this material moment the First Lady and the Foundation are championing the massive infrastructural upgrades that are now ongoing at the 34 Military Hospital  which  has attracted  the further attention of the Government of South Korea.

 

 

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