Trippies Clothing Company Donates Reusable Masks to SLMDA

April 9, 2020

By Alhaji Tamba -Sowa

The first Sierra Leonean fashion brand design entity that has started to produce indigenously made masks is Trippies Clothing Company. The Company is situated on 73 Campbell Street in Freetown. As a way of contributing to the containment of the spread of the corona virus the Management of the company on the 8 April 2020 donated 250 reusable masks to the Sierra Leone Dental and Medical Association(SLDMA).

According to the Proprietor of Trippies Company, Denise King , she decided to make the donation to doctors because they are the frontline workers in the fight against the deadly virus. ‘They are doing a tremendous job at this critical moment and so they deserve all the humanitarian supports individuals institutions and businesses could offer,” she underscored.

Receiving the donated masks on behalf of the Association, Dr Delwin M. Findlay , President of the Sierra Leone Medical and Dental Association congratulated the Proprietress for what he described as a brilliant initiative saying the masks are well designed and qualitative. “They are fit for use,” he praised adding that at this crucial moment no gesture is too small as we are facing very challenging times . He called on other well-meaning Sierra Leoneans to emulate the good initiative of Trippies Clothing Company.

Dr Findlay also used the opportunity to call on all to strictly adhere to the protective measures that are now in place including frequent hand washing, social distancing etc.

Trippies Clothing is a Sierra Leonean fashion brand that designs and produces contemporary African Wears using vibrant African prints. The Company also produces handmade leather goods and accessories, all ethically handcrafted in Africa.

SLPP Leader Appoints Hon. Bashiru Silikie as Deputy Leader of Govt. Business

April 9, 2020

By Alhaji Tamba -Sowa

The dynamic and pragmatic Member of Parliament representing Constituency 082 has been appointed last week by the Leader and Chairman of the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP), Dr. Prince Harding, to become the latest Deputy Leader of Government Business. Prior to his appointment he was very instrumental in making salient contributions during debates to such an extent that his popularity grew exponentially and he became a household name.

According to Parliamentary history he has been the youngest MP ever to be appointed as Deputy Leader of Government Business.

Hon Bashiru Silikie holds a Master of Public Admin(MPA) Degree from Njala University , a Bachelor of Arts(Linguistics) Degree from the same University.

He first became a Member of Parliament in 2012 representing Constituency 082 in the Baoma Chiefdom, Bo district and since then he has maintained that position to date.

Hon. Silkie was Deputy Leader of Delegation to the Pan Africa Parliament, Chairman of the Committee of Works and Public Assets, a Member of the Appointments and Public Order Committee as well as a Member of the Transport, Mines, Information and Communications Committees.

Born in Yamandu in the Baoma Chiefdom, he started his primary school education at ICS primary School Yamandu in the Boama Chiefdom and later proceeded to the Police Primary School in Kissy .Later he attended the Bo School and St Edwards Secondary Schools.

The charismatic MP has won a lot of awards for his development drives in his Constituency and the country as whole.

He was re-elected as MP because of his pro-activeness in Parliament. It has been established that he and Hon. Paran Tarawally were the strongest voices of then SLPP in Parliament when the now main opposition APC was in Governance.

He submissions are those one cannot question. Many see him as a real mixer in Parliament who cuts across all political party members. Many have attested that the SLPP leadership took a wise decision to appoint such an Honourable at this time when the country need such kinds of people in the leadership of SLPP in Parliament.

In an exclusive interview with this medium Hon. Bashiru Silikie stated that as Deputy Leader of Government Business he believes he will be in a better position to represent the interests of his party and find common grounds with opposition parties.

Kaningo Community Receives Goodwill Gesture from Mahmoud ‘Nice Guy’

April 9, 2020

By Alhaji Tamba -Sowa

On the April 4 2020, Mahmoud Kamara, popularly known as “De Nice Guy” once again demonstrated his innate God-given ability to reach out to others during good and bad times with the main aim of creating positive impacts that will change lives for the better.

A day before the 3 Day Lockdown the “small time philanthropist” donated 100 bundles of water, 10 bags of rice, 18 Veronica buckets, hand washing soaps and tissues among other items in a bid to cushion the economic effects that the lockdown will have on residents of the Kaningo Community, within Lumley in the West End of Freetown, amidst the intense fight against the deadly coronavirus. The donation was also meant for the people who benefitted to have access to basic items for consumption during the three day and at the same time to be used to prevent themselves from contracting the virus.

Receiving the items on behalf of the community, Madam Mariama Sesay and Nurse Daborh expressed profound thanks and appreciation to Nice Guy for what they described as a true humanitarian gesture during a critical moment when the whole world is grappling with the pandemic.

Nurse Daborh of the Kaningo Community Health Centre stated that they are in need of such items and advised the people to respect the health precautionary measures in order to protect community residents against the dreadful virus.

“You have proven to us today that indeed you are a true patriot who means well for the residents of this community. We do appreciate the gesture and pray that Allah will continue to bless you and provide for you so that you will do more for residents of this community,” Madam Sesay expressed gratitude. All those present including the Youth Leader voiced similar sentiments of appreciation.

Mahmoud Kamara aka Nice Guy revealed that he will continue to support the community in order to fight the corona virus in the country but however cautioned young people to stay home and obey the regulations that the Government and health specialists have put in place to stop the spread of the virus. He said he always feels good to render assistances maintaining that as a fervent Muslim he believes in helping individuals whenever it is possible for him to do so.

It could be recalled that on the 15 February 2020 he donated football kits which include a full set of jerseys, two (2) set of beeps and three standard footballs all worth millions of Leones to the Kaningo Community Football team.

Blaming Weak COVID-19 Response, Head of EU’s Top Science Panel Quits

April 9, 2020

By Edward Vamboi

In a new development, the head of the European Union’s top science organization has resigned in frustration at the height of the coronavirus crisis. Mauro Ferrari had only become President of the European Research Council on Jan. 1, but EU Commission spokesman Johannes Bahrke said that “Professor Ferrari resigned,” effective immediately.

The sudden resignation of Ferrari and his stinging criticism was bound to add pressure on EU institutions, which have been accused of not working together to battle the global pandemic.

His resignation came based on a statement by Ferrari to a news outlet, saying he had “been extremely disappointed by the European response” to the pandemic. He complained about running into institutional and political obstacles as he sought to swiftly set up a scientific program to combat the virus. “I have seen enough of both the governance of science, and the political operations at the European Union,” he wrote. “I have lost faith in the system itself.”

The European Commission defended its record in combating the crisis and said 18 research and development projects had already been picked at short notice to fight the coronavirus crisis. It said another 50 European Research Council projects were contributing in the EU-wide effort. “The European Union has the most comprehensive package of measures combating the coronavirus and it is deploying different instruments in order to have the biggest impact for solving the crisis,” the EU’s Executive Commission said.

As the coronavirus spread from China to Italy, Austria, Spain and other EU nations, the bloc was criticized for not acting forcefully enough to set up a coordinated response even though health issues are still primarily the responsibility of the bloc’s 27 individual nations.

Over the past month, EU nations have been trying to work closer together and EU leaders have committed to better coordination to try to alleviate the human and economic suffering from the global pandemic that has upended the daily lives of billions and dealt a huge blow to the economies around the world.

But it remains an uphill struggle. On the economic and financial front, Ministers from the 19 nations that use the euro currency failed to get a breakthrough on how and to what extent to use its financial clout to improve solidarity between the richer and poorer member States.

COVID-19 Vis-à-Vis Sierra Leone’s Open Data, SDG3

April 9, 2020

Institute Creates Special app to Self-Test for Coronavirus

By Theresa Vamboi

Sierra Leone is among West African countries with low number of cases of COVID-19 that has been spreading across the globe like a wildfire. Amid the Coronavirus outbreak, the country has activated the Emergency Operation Center (EOC) established during the 2014 Ebola outbreak that claimed over 4,000 lives. Almost 100 percent of Ebola deaths (about 11,000 died in West Africa) were recorded in Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia.

“We have been training staffs for various pillars. We activated the emergency operation center at level two and we have created the pillars to support the center. We have been doing training and deployment of personnel into every pillar and these are the pillars we institute into different functions to enhance the Coronavirus preparedness and response activities,” said Rev. Can. Dr. T. T. Samba, Chief Medical Officer at the Ministry of Health and Sanitation.

Sierra Leone has banned all flights to the country and deployed its military to help enforce the closure of its borders with Guinea and Liberia in efforts to prevent the virus from spilling over to communities. The activities of many establishments including schools, Mosques and Churches have been suspended indefinitely. President Julius Maada Bio last month declared State of Public Emergency and the country recently observed a nationwide lockdown for three days from April 5-7.

According to a survey conducted from March 18 to 24 by Sanusi Research & Consulting, a newly established local firm, 61 percent of respondents say they are somewhat satisfied with measures being introduced to deal with Coronavirus. 17 percent say they are very satisfied, and 16 percent say they are neither satisfied nor dissatisfied. Only 6 percent say they are somewhat dissatisfied.

The research firm’s daily update on the COVID-19 in West Africa showed on that Sierra Leone has recorded 7 cases of the disease, zero deaths and zero recovered.

The country’s policies on open data and public disclosure have resulted into the passing of the Right to Access Information Act in 2013 and the formation of the Right to Access Information Commission (RAIC) in 2014. “We try as much as possible to make data and information accessible to the public. Not only making it available to the public but in user friendly manner. All reports produced by us or our partners are published on our website for further research purposes,” said Ms. Clementina I. Akran, the Head of Open Data at Statistics Sierra Leone (Stats SL).

With Prof. Osman Sankoh as Statistician General, Stats SL was the first institution in Sierra Leone to develop a Publication Scheme according to the RAI Act, which resulted in Stats SL winning a gold medal.

Sierra Leone also moved upwards in the 2018/19 Open Data Inventory report (ODIN) from #122 in 2017 to #86 in 2018/19, according to Open Data Watch. However, open data on Sierra Leone shows that the Coronavirus came at a time when the country is ranked 181 out of 189 countries in 2019 by the United Nations Human Development Index (HDI).

The 2019 HDI open data suggests that only 16 percent of Sierra Leoneans use improved sanitation facilities and majority die before their 54th birthday. Incidence of diseases such as Malaria and Tuberculosis is still high. Moreover, the infant and under-five mortality rate is 81 deaths per 1,000 live births and 110 deaths per 1,000 live births respectively. Sierra Leone suffers from one of the world’s highest maternal mortality ratio of 1,360 deaths per 100,000 live births.

“Data can help us understand the causes of these unnecessary deaths and how to prevent them,” says the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data (GPSDD). GPSDD gives an example where satellite and cell phone data has supported the elimination of malaria in Namibia.

Namibia has identified 80,000 people most critical to slowing malaria transmission. The identification allows interventions like “bed net distribution to be optimally targeted to disrupt the infection cycle, reducing the cost of reaching to the whole population” in the Southern African country.

Sierra Leone now collects data for 24 indicators of the Sustainable Development Goal number 3 (SDG3) out of the 27 indicators meant to measure progress in achieving good health and wellbeing by 2030, according to Mr. Salieu Mansaray, a senior Statistician at Stats SL. Moreover, Stats SL says it uses modern technology to collect data on 19 of the SDG3 indicators.

Stats SL, with the support of development partners such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and World Bank, have conducted series of surveys to collect data that measures the health and wellbeing of the population. According to its 2019 Demographic and Health Survey (DHS), 68 percent of households have at least one insecticide-treated net (ITN). However, the malaria incident rate in Sierra Leone is 379 per 1,000 people at risk, the HDI shows for 2019.

Moreover, the 2019 DHS findings suggest that 30 percent of children are stunted and only 54 percent of infants under age 6 months were found to be exclusively breastfed. Overall, 2 percent of children under age 5 showed symptoms of acute respiratory infection, 17 percent had a fever, and 7 percent experienced diarrhea.

Sierra Leone scores poorly not only in SDG3 indicators but also in all the 17 SDGS including quality education and no poverty. The expected schooling is 10 years and government expenditure on education is only 4.6 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) while 57.9 percent of the population is in multidimensional poverty in 2019, according to HDI.

Stats SL always complains that widespread poverty and low level of education among the general public makes it difficult or sometimes impossible for them to collect accurate data even when they employ sophisticated technologies such as computer aided personal interview.

As the coronavirus continues to ravage various countries in the world researchers are busy to find ways and means as to how to combat it. Presently, antidotes are being tested to prove their efficacy in terms of treating the disease. It is in this light that an institute in Germany has created a special app which can be used on smartphones, smartwatches or fitness trackers specially designed to follow-up data on COVID-19

The personal data transmitted to the system contains information on a user’s gender, age, weight, height, physical activity and heart rate. The app would also recognise symptoms of rapid heart rate and sleep-wake disorders.

The Robert Koch Institute said that the app would also recognise symptoms of rapid heart rate and sleep-wake disorders. The institute added that the collected data would be used “exclusively for scientific purposes,” and that the app could not replace a diagnostic test for COVID-19.

According to the institute’s data, Germany has confirmed 99,225 COVID-19 cases, including 1,607 deaths. (ANI)

FCC Mayor Comes Under Pressure to Go for Covid-19 Testing

April 9, 2020

By Esther Wright

The Mayor of Freetown, Yvonne Aki Sawyerr, is presently under immense pressure for her to be tested for the deadly coronavirus – COVID-19. This came in the wake as a result of the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases rising to 7 after the people of Sierra Leone end their three days lockdown.

It could the Mayor was in London several weeks ago, where she met and shook hands with two people who have since tested positive for the virus – His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales and Prince Albert of Monaco.

Mayor Aki Sawyerr met the two Princes in London on 10^th of March 2020, whilst attending a WaterAid conference where she received an award as Water Champion.

On March 19th Prince Albert announced that he had tested positive for the virus. HRH The Prince of Wales (Prince Charles) announced he had tested positive on March 25th.

Critics say that although the Mayor claims that she went into self-isolation at home immediately upon her arrival in Freetown after meeting and shaking hands with the Princes in London, she should have shown good leadership and transparency by taking the COVID-19 test to give confidence to the people of Sierra Leone that she is not carrying the virus without showing symptoms.

Writing on social media, Dr Sylvia Olayinka Blyden, former Minister of Social Welfare said this: “Freetown Mayor, Yvonne Aki Sawyerr, is another official who is going to be deeply blamed. After her ill-advised trip to Corona-ravaged London during which she vainly announced that she had discussions with Prince of Monaco and Prince of Britain (who both later tested positively for Corona Virus), the Freetown Mayor returned to Sierra Leone and did “self-isolation”.

“However, she, as the First Citizen of Freetown, has not been ethical enough to announce to Freetown residents whether she has done the test and reassure Freetown that she is not one of up to 25% of asymptomatic carriers of the Corona Virus.

“Instead, Mayor Aki-Sawyerr was all over the place including, most annoyingly, in my own neighbourhood mingling with my neighbours whilst refusing to practice social distancing! She was not even wearing a mask when she refused to practice social distancing.

“Mayor Aki Sawyerr is a candidate for either asymptomatic or symptomatic carriage and she should have tested herself and publicly announced her status before she came out to mingle with us. Now she may have infected other Freetown residents during the time the Virus was still in her system like the Italian gentleman was doing.”

Speaking on a live TV broadcast in Freetown, Mayor Aki Sawyerr was adamant she will not be taking the test. She said she was advised by the Chief Medical Officer that there is no need to take the test after isolating herself for 7 days and showing no symptoms:

Raising questions about several expatriates and Sierra Leoneans who may have arrived in the country in March with the possibility of carrying the virus without showing any symptoms, Dr Blyden said: “But we cannot blame the Freetown Mayor alone. The main blame goes to the policy makers of the Central Government of President Bio, who are executing policies that are not transparent – enhancing the possible rate of transmission of this deadly virus via undisclosed contacts and asymptomatic virus carriers.

It has been learnt from unconfirmed sources, after several days of rumours and speculation, that the Italian expatriate who is believed to be the sixth confirmed case in Sierra Leone is Riccardo Bunson, who is said to be the Director of Sierra Leone’s Emergency Ambulance Service.

It is understood that Mr Bunson whose identity had been kept secret by the authorities arrived in Freetown via Lungi international airport last month, and was not tested at the time for COVID-19 to ensure that all contacts will be traced and isolated. This failure, many in the country now believe, has placed the lives of hundreds of people at risk of transmitting the virus.

And there are speculations that Mr Bunson may have infected the second confirmed case – Dr Bell, who is now believed to be recovering very well.

So, as pressure mounts on Freetown Mayor – Yvonne Aki Sawyerr to get herself tested for the virus, the country recorded its 7^th confirmed case. He is believed to be a Sierra Leonean who arrived in the country last month and had been in quarantine.

The Government is now considering placing the country in a further fourteen days lockdown. But with several public beatings meted out by the police and military on poor citizens in various parts of Freetown, there are calls for the security forces to avoid violation of human rights, while going about the business of enforcing the lockdown to save lives.

Paolo & Two Others to Appear in Court Today

April 9, 2020

By Fatmata Jengbe

Alfred Paolo Conteh and two others who are standing trial for treason will re-appear today 9^th April 2020 in Court before Magistrate Hannah Bonnie who is conducting Preliminary Investigation into the matter. Today’s trial is going to be very decisive for the three accused persons as the Magistrate is expected to deliver a ruling on the production of CCTV footage in court. This ruling, it is expected, will set the pace for the continuation of the treason trial.

Ady Macauley is the lead defence counsel for the 1st accused while Adrian Fisher prosecutes for the State.
The controversial issue of CCTV footage was raised by the Defence Counsel during last Monday’s testimony of Detective Sergeant Alhaji Gima attached to the Presidential Guard at State House.
The lead counsel had invoked the powers of the court to compel the production of the CCTV footage for the court to know what transpired between the 1st accused and the Presidential Guards at State House.

Since the application for the production of CCTV footage was made, Counsel Adrian Fisher has been quite critical of the Defence’s application citing the public interest.
However, Fisher applied for an adjournment date with no clear promise that the CCTV footage would be produced in court.
The same issue also dominated last Friday’s proceedings where Counsel Fisher made it clear that the CCTV footage could not be produced in court reiterating the public interest.
Counsel Fisher argued that the question of producing CCTV footages requires the witness to answer under Section 36 of the National Security and Intelligence Act of 2002.
“The witness in this case is a Police Officer who is subject to the instruction of the Inspector General of Police by virtue of Section 155 of the Sierra Leone Constitution Act No 6 of 1991,” he argued.

Counsel Fisher also submitted that the security arrangement at State House is a matter integral to the Security Council and that the Police Witness could not be compelled to answer such question.
“The Court is performing its function under Part 3 of the Criminal Procedure Act of 1965 and the question of security apparatus at State House is not relevant to the issue that the court has to determine,” he submitted.
Fisher rounded up his argument that the witness had testified “clearly” on what he saw on that day at State House.
“Several witnesses have to testify as to what transpired that day and the Court will see the totality of the evidence,” Counsel Fisher ended.
In his response, Counsel Macauley argued that the fact before the Court was the existence of a CCTV footage at State House and that the argument of State Counsel did not admit the said act.

Counsel Macauley made reference to Detective Gima’s testimony which touched on a scanning machine and CCTV footage at State House.
He reminded the Court that the first accused was standing trial on a “very serious” offence that attracted capital punishment if found guilty.
“Justice must not only be done, but it must be seen to be done,” he argued.
Counsel Macauley maintained that the CCTV footage was vital to the court noting that the State Prosecutor did not want to disclose it in Court.
“It is a documentary evidence that should be brought to Court and the Prosecutor should be able to print that area of the footage and present it in court,” Counsel Macauley submitted.

Having heard submissions from the State and Defence Counsels, Magistrate Hannah Bonnie adjourned the matter to 9th April to deliver ruling regarding the production of CCTV footage in court.
It could be recalled that the accused persons, Alfred Paolo Conteh, Sahr Anthony Sinnah and Prince George Hughes were arraigned on Sixteen (16) Counts Charges including treason.
The Court details indicate that the accused persons, on Thursday 19th March 2020, at State House, Tower Hill in Freetown endeavoured to carry out by force an assassination of President Julius Maada Bio by evading the security system at State House. The 1st accused, Alfred Paolo Conteh is a former Minister of Defence in the past administration.

ACC Receives Donated Vehicle & Motorbikes from World Bank

April 9, 2020

By Theresa Kef Sesay

On Friday 3rd April 2020, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) o received one (1) vehicle and seven (7) motorbikes from the World Bank through the National Commission for Social Action (NaCSA) in a bid to support the Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM) component of the Social Safety Net (SSN) Project, which ACC is handling.

The Deputy Commissioner (DC) of ACC, Augustine Foday-Ngobie while welcoming the World Bank and NaCSA teams at a symbolic handing over ceremony in the Conference Room of the ACC said the donation could not have come at a better time, as the Commission is in dire need of a fleet. He assured the donors that the fleet will be dispatched to various ACC offices in the regions to enhance the work of the Commission. DC Ngobie concluded by adding that the ACC’s policy for fleet management is such that it does not leave room for abuse, adding that they will use the donation for the intended purpose.

Dr. Abu Kargbo, Social Protection Specialist at the World Bank Country Office, said the Bank is pleased to work with NaCSA and the ACC, and that the donation was made to support the work of the Commission. He added that the World Bank will continue to render its support to the ACC in order to achieve their goal of combating corruption in the country.

The Commissioner of NACSA, Mr. Abu Kokofele, thanked the ACC for their effective handling of the GRM. He said working with the Commission since the SSN Project commenced has yielded many results and therefore, the donation was a way of showing their gratitude to the Commission. He assured all present that the relationship between the three institutions will continue to expand.

DC Ngobie on behalf of the ACC received the keys of the fleet which he later handed over to the Director of Administration, Madam Koloneh Sankoh, who supervises the Transport Office at the Commission.

The SSN project, which is supported by the World Bank and UNICEF, provides direct cash transfers to extremely impoverished households in the country. The project is being implemented by NaCSA, whilst the ACC handles the GRM component which aims at maintaining transparency and accountability in the project. It also provides channels for beneficiaries to report all grievances arising from the administration and management of the project.

NP-SL Has Been Widely Commended as a Progressive Company

April 9, 2020

By Amin Kef Sesay

The National Petroleum Sierra Leone Limited (NP-SL Ltd) is a very progressive company that has survived many trials and tribulations as a result of the thick skin resolve of its shareholders and various Managerial teams over the years, who injected sound business policies as well as strategies. Through selflessness, meticulously venturing into certain agreements and introducing new platforms, the company succeeded in surmounting most of the challenges it has encumbered along the way. Today it is one of the most successful indigenous companies within the business landscape of this country.

Indisputably, NP-SL Ltd stands tall as the leading petroleum marketing company in the country, well renowned for its customer care posture. The Shareholders and Management of the company do place high premium on customer care as they are very mindful of the fact that with a large customer base the company will not survive very challenging times. It was against this backdrop that the owners of the company decided to invest hugely in importing state of the art calibrated pumping machines which are installed at its various Filling Stations highly capable of pumping the exact amount of fuel, petrol or diesel, and at the same time display the prices.

What this means is that the company’s esteemed customers derive utmost satisfaction as they know they are getting back their money’s worth. In other words, these machines are helping in dispelling the presumption that customers are being cheated whenever they purchase fuel by getting less for what they are paying for.

To again give its customers the best device for cooking purposes, the shareholders and Management thought it fit to introduce NP Gas which is manufactured in different cylinder sizes and powered by gas which is marketed by the company. According to a thorough investigation mounted by this medium it was uncovered that NP Gas is environmentally friendly, very portable and safe for domestic use. They could be secured at the company’s different Filling Stations right across the country.

Along the same line of giving their customers utmost satisfaction and make life somehow comfortable for them, the company also introduced NP Smart Card which is also a memory chip that could be used to purchase fuel. As long as the card is loaded with money, a customer could easily procure the amount of fuel required. It is indeed a latest way of transacting business, preventing a customer from the hassle of having to rush to the bank to withdraw funds especially on a Friday evening just for the purpose of securing fuel to last over the weekend. This has been described as the most convenient way of purchasing fuel as it saves time and is very secure.

When it comes to the full implementation of the country’s Local Content Policy NP-SL has been well commended for honoring it to the fullest. The company is strictly adhering to an internal policy of giving employment preference to Sierra Leoneans except otherwise. This 100% indigenous company considers Sierra Leoneans first when it comes to offering jobs and that has considerably contributed towards poverty reduction and in helping to boost the morale and profile of the company.

It can be stated with all amount of certainty that NP-SL is one of the few indigenous companies that has successfully opened branches in Guinea, Liberia, Ivory Coast and The Gambia and all of these branches are doing extremely well within the same ambit of its modus operandi. In all these countries the company is timely paying huge taxes to the Governments and such is putting those political entities at vantage positions to fund certain development projects.

It can be safely concluded that NP-SL is indeed greatly contributing towards the socio-economic development of the various countries where it is soundly operating.

Sierra Leone counts losses on illicit timber trade

April 9, 2020

By Abu Bakarr Kargbo

Illicit Timber Trade in Sierra Leone not only has adverse effects on the environment, but it is also reportedly causing an economic burden on the government and people of the West African nation, according to Abdul Karim Dumbuya, Communications Officer of the Conservation Society of Sierra Leone (CSSL). Despite years of laws and restrictions, Dumbuya said added that Sierra Leone’s precious timber is still being exported abroad and unless something is done, the country’s woodlands will have been destroyed within decades.

He said it was clear that some companies and individuals embarking on illicit timber trade do not want to pay tax to the government. This is the reason why they normally use illegal routes in the borders of Sierras Leone to transport their commodities, Dumbuya added.

The impact of tax evasion, according to Abu Bakarr Kamara, Coordinator of Budget Advocacy Network, is that “The huge financial loss accrued in the sector could have been used to finance some government flagship programs like the Free Quality Education and the Free Healthcare for children under five, pregnant women and lactating mothers.”

Meanwhile, the government of Sierra Leone stated in a press release dated 20th February 2020 that a total of US$ 37,050,000 (thirty-seven million and fifty thousand United States Dollars) has been realized from the levies on the legal export of 13,000 containers of timber since the restrictions were temporarily lifted in June 2018.

“Out of this amount, US$4,640,000 (four million, six hundred and forty thousand United States Dollars) has been dedicated to reforestation and US $32,500,000 (thirty-two million, five hundred thousand United States Dollars) transferred to the Consolidated Revenue Fund. The US$32,500,000 has been part of the budgetary resources used to finance Government programs,” the release noted.

What the government referred to as a major success scored on timber trade led to a further announcement of another 7,000-container franchise for export by Leedway Trading Company, the company responsible for the legal exports since 2018, following the exhaustion of the initial 13,000 containers.

The above figures quoted are not, however, equivalent to the major loss realized in the timber trade especially in porous border communities where there is a report of rampant illicit transportation of timber logs to mostly neighboring Guinea for onward shipment to China. US$120 million of economic value is lost annually as a result of illicit timber trade, according to a research done by the Civil Society Movement in Kambia District, Northwest of Sierra Leone.

Recently, seven trucks loaded with timber logs were arrested by the Police following intelligence from local communities that some Guinean registered trailer vehicles loaded full with thousands of pieces of domestic timbers were alleged en route to neighboring Guinea with the use of fake evidence of tax payment. In February this year, Sierra Leone’s Resident Minister Northwest, Haja Isata Abdulai Kamara, together with some Police and Revenue

Authorities at the scene of the crime told Standard Times that they had discovered some documents tendered by the smugglers for inspection to prove the legitimacy of the exportation deal between Sierra Leone’s Trade Ministry on one hand and a local company, Piltu Clearing and Forwarding Agency on the other and these include an export authorization document issued by the Ministry of Trade.

Earth Sierra Leone, an Environment protection local organization, stated recently that it has discovered a significant number of loaded trucks of timber that had been smuggled through porous border communities to neighboring Guinea, noting that some Revenue Officers are allegedly conniving with the smugglers to bypass the legal trade network.

Although Revenue Authorities in Kambia District, Northwest of Sierra Leone, have denied having illegal dealings with the illegal timber traders, Earth Sierra Leone says the trade is mostly allowed to go through Guinea for onward shipment to China.

The Organization revealed that illegal timber trade in Sierra Leone are often in large volume and involve loggers, transporters, some government authorities, banks where financial transactions are done, and some major companies that have amassed wealth through the illegal business over the years; and all these are done at the detriment of mostly poor Sierra Leoneans and their communities.

Earth Sierra Leone is another local organization that produced a report on the issue in mid-2019, stating that the smugglers prefer paying US$2, 000 and below per long trailer vehicle instead of the normal US$4, 000 per forty feet container charged at Sierra Leone’s main port. “This is a huge financial loss to the state,” says Abu Bakarr Daramy, Executive Director of Earth Sierra Leone. Joseph Rahal, Director of a local Nongovernmental Organization, Green Scenery said his organization has been calling for a permanent ban on timber logging and exportation to save the country’s green environment and economic sector. “Sierra Leone has lost so much of its natural endowments that the government must put measures in place to ensure it benefits greatly now and in the future,” Rahal said.

This story was produced by Standard Times Newspaper. It was written as part of Wealth of Nations, a media skills development programme run by the Thomson Reuters Foundation in partnership with the Institute for the Advancement of Journalism. More information at www.wealth-of-nations.org. The content is the sole responsibility of the author and the publisher.

One of the Guinean vehicles arrested with smuggled timber logs

A vehicle carrying timber at one of the illegal routes to Guinea

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