Thirty-seven years old Mariatu Mansaray, a fish vendor for the past twenty-five years at the Tombo Community is among several women fish vendors adversely affected by COVID-19.
According to her, selling fish has been her only source of livelihood.
” I am a widow and have four children, two boys and two girls, the first child is 20 years and the youngest is 7 years old and they all depend on me to take care of them, which I now find extremely difficult to do,” she said.
She further disclosed that for decades she has been going to the harbour to buy fish and sell at the local market and use the proceed to run her home, pay school fees for all her children and attend to other basic needs.
“Before the outbreak of COVID-19 in the country, sales were very encouraging, because lots of customers used to patronize with us even though fish was, at the time expensive.
From the total sales I always saved at least 20%, 50% invested back into the business and the remaining 30% used to run the home,” she added
Narrating her ordeal further, she said that the current situation has gotten tougher as things have drastically changed and getting worst day by day, noting that the fish business is no longer profitable.
“Sales are very slow now, customers are not buying as much as they use to before as it takes two to three days to sell one bowl of fish. Before COVID-19 I use to sell all within couple of hours daily, but now even to get fish at the harbour is difficult, most of the fishermen have moved over to Guinea to fish.
As a result of the current situation, I have been forced to use my savings to take care of my children’s education.
I am no longer saving a dime, because I no longer make profit. There are days I have to sell the fish the same price as bought from the fisherman.
I normally leave home around 7:30 am in order to get to the harbour before 8:00 am to buy fish, wash the sand out and then ice them, before going to the market to sell. But because the catch has drastically reduced now, I have to go very early by 6 :00 am, as it is on first come, first served basis and it also depends on affordability,” she disclosed.
She further stated that at a time when they were badly hit by the economic situation in the country they expected Government to have intervened to salvage the situation by way of providing them stimulus package, but they never benefited from it.
She added that some of her colleagues who could not cope with the situation have stopped selling as they have gone bankrupt.
Tombo is predominantly a fishing community and .most of the women there are fish vendors who share similar stories. They lamented the adverse effect the Coronavirus pandemic has negatively affected their livelihoods.
The Public Relation Officer for the Consortium of the Fishers Union, WudiBaki Koroma stated that the union is aware of the plight of the women but can do little or nothing as it stands.
One of the fishermen attributed the low catch to the hike in fuel price as according to him, the longer you stay in the water, the more fuel you consume and if there is no handsome catch, you run at loss.
According to the Food and Agricultural Organization assessment report, self-isolation and restriction of mobility reduce demand for fish and fish products, which has negative economic impacts on women’s livelihoods and income immediately (harvesting, processing and trading), and in the future. In addition to lack of economic opportunities, women fish vendors may be exposed to a greater risk of infection, since markets are places of close contact and have limited sanitation and hygiene facilities, the report states.
This story was put together with support from Journalists for Human Rights (JHR) and the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ) Human Rights Fellowship.
As he fulfills a previous declaration made to cease from continuing to be the Chancellor of the Universities in Sierra Leone, President Julius Maada Bio,on the 23rd October, 2021 inaugurated the Eastern Technical University Court in Kenema and decorated Dr Julius Fofana Sandi as its first Chancellor.
PC Sadiq Mattoe Kapuwa IV, Paramount Chief of Nongowa Chiefdom, welcomed the President and his entourage expressing happiness for the privilege to upgrade the Eastern Polytechnic College to a Technical University. He said that would make the learning environment in Kenema fit for purpose, adding that it would also bring development to the township and by extension the region.
“On behalf of the Council of Paramount Chiefs and the people of the eastern region, particularly the people of Kenema, I say thank you and God bless you all,” he concluded.
Vice Chancellor and Principal of the Eastern Technical University, Professor Mohamed Konneh, said the establishment of the institution was a distinguished milestone in the region’s history and for the indigenes of Kenema and its environs. He added that access to higher learning institutions would brighten the future of students and assure of the development of the country.
Professor Konneh further noted that the actualization of the technical university resonated very well with President Julius Maada Bio’s quest to improve on the country’s Human Capital Development.
“On behalf of the staff, students and people of this town, we say thank you His Excellency and God bless the Eastern Technical University,” he concluded.
Minister of Higher and Technical Education, Professor Alpha Tejan Wurie, said that it was a joyous and happy day for theacademia and the people of the East, whom he said were the bastion and brain basket of the nation through the Bunumbu Teachers College, which started operations as a union college in 1922.
He noted that technical instructions had always aided the solving of societal problems, and, therefore, urged the university to consider ICT, mining engineering, solar engineering and water engineering that would help solve the many difficult challenges in the region and by extension the country.
“In academia, you have to create the enabling environment for students to do things on their own through innovation, and all forms of education where everyone’s creativity is harnessed and honoured to create their own job,” he noted.
In his statement, President Julius Maada Bio said that he couldn’t be more honoured to be at the new university because as the Sierra Leone Peoples’ Party and as a Government, they had thought it fitting, rationalized it, promised it and eventually delivered on it.
“But we have delivered several promises. In the People’s Manifesto, I promised to establish a Ministry of Technical and Higher Education that superintends tertiary and technical education in this country. We have delivered.
“We also promised to ‘establish a university system that employs its own leadership as chancellors’ – persons ‘with distinguished and proven records of higher education leadership, significant international clout and contacts (funding and research networks), and who are reform-minded.’ I promised to cease being a Chancellor of the Universities. That is a promise delivered,” he said.
He said going forward and as per the Universities Act of 2021, he had no desire to intervene in the general governance of those institutions but would support them to develop and produce the highest quality of graduates the country needed for sustainable and inclusive development.
“At this new university, I am informed that there will be a Faculty of Business Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Studies; a Faculty of Vocational and Skills Development Studies; a Faculty of Pure and Applied Sciences; a Faculty of Engineering and Innovation; a Faculty of Development Agriculture and Natural Resource Management, a Faculty of Health Sciences and Disaster Management Studies, and last and definitely not least, a Faculty of Education.
“The scope covers translational sciences and innovation, healthcare service training and delivery, engineering, agriculture and agribusiness, natural resource management, disaster management, entrepreneurship, and teacher training and development.
“This is education that develops human capital, creates and drives a new kind of knowledge-based economy, and nurtures opportunity and creates private sector jobs. Ours is a growing economy with great potential and only well-trained people can drive that development. In a week, I will be at COP26 to discuss how we can contend with climate change, build resilience, and create a green economy. That new economy requires new skill sets. Those skillsets can be quickly developed within a technical university,” he said.
In a Press Statement, one of the prominent rights based organizations that have been constructively advocating for the advancement and protection of fundamental human rights in the country, Legal Link, with Lawyer Rashid Dumbuya Esq as its Executive Director, has stated that since charged to court for sexual related offences, Mohamed Kamarainba Mansaray has taken almost 16 months in detention at the Pa Demba Road Prisons.
The institution continued by stating that even though bail had been granted to him lately by the presiding Judge on the 7th September,2021, the Master and Registrar has however incessantly refused to approve his bail despite all reasonable efforts by Kamarainba and his legal team to meet the conditions.
As an organization that defends the rights of vulnerable groups and advocate for fair trial rights of accused persons, the rule of law and democratic good governance in Sierra Leone, Legal Link says it feels enthused on the 25th day of October 2021, the birthday of Mohamed Kamarainba, to hold a Press Conference and openly communicate to the Judiciary and the wider public 15 REASONS as to why the actions of the Master and Registrar and by extension the Chief Justice in refusing to approve the bail of Kamarainba is wrong, unjust and dangerous.
Lawyer Rashid argued that while it is true that approval of bail in the High court is the exclusive function of the Master Registrar, it is important to however emphasize that the Chief Justice directly supervises the Master and Registrar within the administrative hierarchy of the Judiciary.
According to Legal Link, in that direction the Chief Justice can be held vicariously liable for the sins and / or omissions of his subordinate (Master and Registrar) where she errs in the performance of her duties within the Judiciary of Sierra Leone.
Legal Link furthered that it is within such a context that they have extended culpability on the part of the Chief Justice for being complicit over the errors of the Master and Registrar in the matter.
The 15 REASONS stated begins with the argument that the presiding Judge that granted bail to Kamarainba was not definitive, compulsive and insistent on submission of international traveling documents at all cost but was rather flexible and conditional.
A cursory look at the bail conditions as set out by the presiding Judge in the Kamarainba trial, according to Legal Link, would reveal that the Judge himself was not firm, mandatory and compulsory for the production of international traveling documents but was rather flexible and conditional upon their availability.
The question that the organization demands an answer for therefore remains: why is the Master and Registrar becoming so insistent that the accused produce his international passport even when the accused has stated in an affidavit that it has been burnt down in a fire accident? Based on the estimation of the organization such is certainly an overstretch and a travesty on the part of the Master and Registrar.
The second reason given is that Kamarainba’s sworn affidavit indicating that his international passport is missing is enough and compelling evidence to have the Master & Registrar makes a positive decision.
It was furthered that without any gainsaying, the sworn affidavit given to the Master and Registrar by the accused regarding the missing international passport certainly meets the legal threshold regarding confirming or denying whether a document is available or not.
Legal Link stated that a sworn affidavit can be admissible in court and used against the deponent where he deposed to things that are untrue in the affidavit adding how he could in fact be charged with perjury.So why the fuss? Why can’t the Master and Registrar approve bail on the facts as deposed on the affidavit and where her investigation later reveals otherwise, bring criminal charges against Kamarainba?
The organization also stated that the obligation to investigate the veracity or otherwise of the issues deposed to in the affidavit rests on the Judiciary (Master & Registrar) and not on Kamarainba or his legal counsel.
“It is disheartening and unfathomable to hear from the lawyers defending Kamarainba that they were required by the Master and Registrar to bring a Police report showcasing that the claim made by Kamarainba that he lost his passport in a fire accident was indeed true,” Legal Link lamented furthering how it is certainly an abdication on the duty of the Master and Registrar.
Encompassed in the Press Statement is that they at Legal Link holds the view that the obligation to investigate the veracity or otherwise of the facts as deposed in the affidavit rests on the Master and Registrar and not the other way round.
Giving an example, the organization stated that it is the Master and Registrar that should have requested from the Police the fire accident report as claimed by Kamarainba and not the Counsels of Kamarainba. It also furthered that if the Master and Registrar wants to know about whether the accused holds a dual citizenship, she could have simply written to the US Embassy to ascertain that fact.
“That the Master and Registrar is refusing to request the report from the Police shows outright complicity on her part and a violation of the rights of an accused person that has been granted bail,” the organization lambasted.
Legal Link postulated that it is not Kamarainba’s duty or his counsel to secure from the Police the fire report maintaining that the Judiciary has subpoena powers to compel same from the Police where challenges exist.
The organization maintains that it is important to also emphasize that where there is resistance or un-cooperation regarding access to evidence or documents, the Judiciary, through the Master and Registrar can subpoena any person or institution to come to it with any document that is of interest to the court. Such should have been done for the Police report by the Master and Registrar which is currently been held on by the Police.
Legal Link is of the view that not facilitating a speedy approval process especially where an accused has been granted bail puts the Judiciary in a bad light in the face of the public.
Certainly, this incessant delay by the Master and Registrar to approve bail to Kamarainba over trivial issues that could be resolved undermine public trust and confidence and further puts the Judiciary in a bad light in the eyes of the wider public, according to the rights based organization.
After refusing bail to Kamarainba for about 14 months over a bailable offense, Legal Link said it is certainly unfair and unjust to now see the Master and Registrar refusing to approve bail when bail has been granted by the Judge.
“The length of time that the accused has spent in detention over a bailable offense coupled with the fact that he is currently unwell makes the action of the Master and Registrar not only unjust but also a travesty,” Legal Link maintained.
It continued that Kamarainba’s sworn affidavit over his missing international passport could be used against him to proffer criminal (perjury) charges should it turn out that he did in fact lie under oath about the international passport.
Legal Link said the sworn affidavit provided by the accused should have actually excited the Master and Registrar to approve bail.
It argues such is the case because if it turns out that Kamarainba lied in his sworn affidavit, such could warrant further criminal charges levied against him by the State.
Apparently, for the Master and Registrar to show outright disregard for the efficacy of a sworn affidavit, based on Legal Link, shows disrespect for due process and compelling evidence tendered in a Judicial process.
Legal Link says it believes that the two sureties standing in Kamarainba’s recognisance as well as the house property tendered; coupled with the reporting conditions imposed are enough securities to incentivize approval from the Master & Registrar.
As a matter of fact, Legal Link says it expects the Judiciary to show the highest level of independence and impartiality in the trial in a bid to dissuade the bias already held by the public that such political leader will never get a fair trial.
The prolonged trial of the Kamarainba’s case, the entity stated, coupled with the incessant refusal by the Judiciary (Master & Registrar) to ensure his temporal release violates several international human rights treaties to which Sierra Leone is a party.
It says no doubt, the prolonged detention and incessant refusal by the Judiciary to approve the bail of Kamarainba violates a plethora of international treaties and conventions that Sierra Leone has signed and ratified such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Convenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Convenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights etc to name but a few. This ongoing infraction, says Legal Link, will certainly continue to undermine the human rights credentials of the country at the international level.
The overt complicity displayed by the Judiciary in the face of such inhumane treatment meted on Kamarainba sets a dangerous precedent that may be referenced tomorrow by politicians to justify assault on critics,opposition members and dissenting voices. according to Legal Link
No doubt, this overt complicity that has been displayed by the Judiciary over this trial, the organization stated, provides a dangerous precedent that will come back to hunt many in the political landscape in the future if not speedily addressed.
The rights based organization maintains that keeping Kamarainba, a leader of a whole political party behind bars even when he had been granted bail, imputes political interference in the justice system and further undermines the fight against sexual penetration, rape and gender based violence in the country.
Legal Link stated that while they commend the Government over its stance to address the scourge of rape and sexual violence and penetration on young children in the country, it is equally important that the fight against SGBV is fought within the due process of the law and never politicized.
It says by all indication, and from all the injustices that have been meted out against the accused during the trial, it may be difficult to divorce political interference from the Kamarainba case before the courts. The organization maintains that it is certainly not a good state of affairs for the fight against rape and sexual violence in the country.
Legal Link added that the prolonged detention and incessant refusal to approve bail to Kamarainba will make it harder for not only the accused but also the public to see the trial as just or accept an indictable outcome.
According to the organization, given the evidences of unfair trial and bias already perceived against Kamarainba in the trial, many Sierra Leoneans have opined that it would be surprising if the Judiciary were to acquit Kamarainba at the end of the trial.
That is the case because, in their view, Kamarainba has already been found guilty by the courts even before the conclusion of the trial.
The organization concluded by stating that while they continue to complement the efforts of Government in its fight against rape and sexual violence in the country, they at LEGAL LINK are deeply and equally concerned about upholding the fair trial rights of accused persons that are charged before the Sexual Offences Model Court.
Legal Link stated that it is against such a backdrop that they are humbly appealing that the bail granted to Kamarainba by the presiding Judge be approved forthwith by the Master and Registrar as well as the Chief Justice of the Republic of Sierra Leone.
The National Petroleum Limited, NP (SL-Ltd) deserves praise as a resilient business entity that had been rated as the country’s foremost importer and dealer in petroleum products, which includes petrol, diesel, gas as well as lubricants of various types and is always poised to give its ubiquitous and esteemed customers the best in terms of giving them value in return for money.
The company’s competent and result-oriented Managerial think tank, currently headed by its indefatigable Chief Executive Officer, Kobi Walker, in tandem with the Board of Directors, have always endeavored to be at the pinnacle of affairs within the petroleum landscape in this country, looking at best options, in order for effective service delivery to be executed timely, excellently, all geared towards enhancing good business relationships. If there is any outstanding feature for which the company is identified with then it is giving customers satisfaction to the fullest which is why it has earned the enviable reputation of ‘1st for Customer Care’.
Prioritizing customer care is considered very paramount out of the strong conviction that the company will be nowhere without its cherished customers.
It is along that line that the company has a customer care unit that primarily interfaces with members of the public. Concerns and recommendations channeled through it are raised in certain management meetings, discussed and the way forward mapped out.
Regarding their customers as priceless jewels, NP-SL Ltd always ensures that to give them optimal satisfaction, value must be derived from their monies spent. It was thinking along that line that prompted the shareholders of the company to replace their old fashioned pumping machines to calibrated pumping machines of high standard which transparently pump the requisite quantity of petrol or diesel demanded for. Confidence is now high among its customers that they are getting exactly what they are paying for.
Still within the domain of 1st for Customer Care, the company is always in position to enter into payment plans with its reliable and dependable customers including Ministries, Departments and Agencies for fuel and lubricants supplies as long as all the necessary modalities have been put in place. When cognizance is taken of the fact that some of these institutions receive intermittent budgetary allocations then such an arrangement is very significant. Its significance in real terms borders on functional continuity of those institutions as they will be assured of supplies of petroleum products in as much as they keep honouring their obligations.
In this country today, for one to see a successful business entity that is owned mainly by Sierra Leoneans and having a maximum number of indigenes as members of staff is like trying to find a lost needle on the beach, although there are some that could be identified.
For NP-SL Ltd this has been a big achievement as the company is strongly adhering to the country’s Local Content Policy. Making use of local brains has been identified as one of the conduits through which developing countries like Sierra Leone could attain economic empowerment. Correspondingly, if there is a continuation of the colonial mentality that it is only by importing foreign ideas and skills that we will get there then such could be a very sad mistake.
By providing job opportunities for hitherto jobless Sierra Leoneans, NP-SL Ltd continues to help in alleviating poverty by putting monies into pockets which could be utilized to take care of responsibilities.
For those who have not tried NP Gas for the first time it is now time to give it a try. Designed in sizable varying cylinders and sold at various NP Filling Stations, this cooking device has been rated as one of the best that is on offer for sale. NP Gas is safe, user friendly and portable. Trying it will spur you to recommend it to others.
NP Smart Card is now in vogue and is one of the latest technological devices used to purchase petroleum products. Using it has attendant advantages as evident in procuring fuel at any time of the day even during times when monies could not be accessed from banks. It is secured, easy to use and very quick. It is now trending.
To crystallize proposed projects into tangible realities on the ground, Government needs the requisite financial resources to effectively do so and one sure way is from the collection of taxes which is the mandate of the National Revenue Authority (NRA). NP is indeed one of the big time tax payers in the country and it is very compliant in that direction.
From all indications, it is crystal clear that NP-SL Ltd is here to stay in order to give the best and contribute tremendously to the socio-economic development of the country. Indeed the company is passionate and committed towards attaining those objectives.
One of the legacies of colonialism, which was maintained by neo-colonialism, is the reduction of most African States, Sierra Leone inclusive, into producers of raw materials which were in turn taken to Europe for the production of manufactured goods, most of which are demanded for and bought by Africans.
This economic imbalance deepened Africa’s dependency on European countries for the majority of goods that the population consumes and has been identified as one of the potent forces militating against the economic development of the continent.
That narrative seems to be changing in contemporary times as certain African countries have put premium on the processing of raw materials into finished products.
In Sierra Leone, President Dr Julius Maada Bio recently commissioned a cocoa processing factory established by Capitol Foods in Tissor Village, making it the first in the country and creating employment for the local people of that community.
Capitol Foods is a fruit and food processing company, currently developing the first natural fruit processing and bottling company in the country with a mission, according to its leadership, to become the leading firm in the agri-industrial sector in the country.
Co-founder and CEO at Capitol Foods Limited, Hamza Hashim, said his company is one of the earliest post-war cocoa traders and exporters that is still playing a crucial role in reviving the flagging cocoa and coffee sector in the country.
He added that with support from the Ministry of Agriculture and through the Sierra Leone Agribusiness Development Fund (SLADF) Project, they had conducted training for 2,831 farmers on several topics like best agricultural practices, integrated pest control and disease management technics.
“In 2018, Capitol secured a $600,000 grant from SLADF towards financing and improving yields and quality standards. The project aims at working with rural farmers to improve their yields, in addition to establishing a Cocoa Mass Processing Line which will improve the value of products and improve prices for the farmers,” he noted.
Executive Chairman of the country’s Producing Marketing Board, SLPMB, Dr James Vibbi, said he was happy to witness progress at the first cocoa processing factory in the country, adding that the factory would add more value to cocoa production for the international market. He further noted that the Government had planned to have one factory in each of the districts of the country.
“Your Excellency, this factory can produce an annual capacity of 4,000 metric tons that can serve both the local and export market. It will provide employment opportunities and bring further development to the local community,” he stated.
In a brief statement, His Excellency President Dr Julius Maada Bio said the construction of the factory is a part of the Human Capital Development drive of the nation where cocoa is now being processed. He, therefore, called on other private sector actors to begin to think of processing local products in the country.
President Bio further stated that he is happy to see that such development is happening during his tenure as leader, and expressed hope that those efforts would lead to the transfer of skills, develop the locality, and above all, generate more revenue for the country.
“This factory will add value to the cocoa business. It is good for our country and economy. I thank you for taking this giant step. God bless you,” he concluded.
According to our correspondent in Monrovia Liberia. The Vice President of Sierra Leone, Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh, delivered a very moving and incisive statement on good governance at the Young Political Leadership School Africa Cohort 8 program that was held in Monrovia, Liberia starting from Friday the 22nd October 2021 and will last till the 27th October 2021. The Vice President in summary told the attentive audience, which he held captive, that the only way out of the myriad of challenges militating against development is by embracing good governance and upholding the rule of law.
The Young Political Leadership School Africa (YPLS Africa) is a program that contributes to the formation of a new generation of character-driven, politically and socially active leaders that would be accountable, responsive, and accessible to the needs and interests of their citizens and also help to shape the future of their respective countries in the positive direction.
The event is part of Naymote Partners for Democratic Development’s political governance program.
Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh delivered the keynote address at the opening ceremony on October 25 2021 and went ahead to facilitate the first session on the elements of good governance.
While in Liberia, Vice President Juldeh Jalloh is expected to meet with Liberian President Dr. George Manneh Weah and his Vice, interact with the Liberian media and engage Sierra Leoneans resident in Liberia.
The Vice President’s delegation includes the Ministers of Internal Affairs and Youth Affairs, among other Government officials.
Meanwhile, organizers of the Young Political Leadership School Africa program have expressed gratitude to the Sierra Leone Embassy in Liberia and the Government of Liberia for their support.
The Alumni and Convener presented an outstanding Leadership Award to the Hon. Vice President of the Republic of Sierra Leone, Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh.
The event is being supported by the Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA).
A shiny example of corporate uprightness since its establishment in 2014 as a leading alcohol based beverages manufacturer, MR Distilleries based at the Industrial Complex in Wellington, East End of Freetown, has succeeded to win the hearts and minds of the people within the Wellington and Calaba Town communities as well as that of the nearly 150 Sierra Leoneans, most of whom are employed from the community.
According to the appreciative community people and the workers, MR Distilleries has brought them immense lasting benefits for which they will forever continue to express gratitude to the company’s Management.
MR Distilleries’ contributions to the socio-economic development of the community that it operates in and the nation at large were vividly visible to the Parliamentary Oversight Committee that visited their huge production facility in February this year.
After observing their work ethics and their working environment, the Committee unreservedly praised MR Distilleries for respecting and obeying the country’s labor laws in ensuring that their workers are all properly documented and well paid and work in a conducive environment.
They were also impressed by the company’s bias for female employment, maintaining proper sanitation in the factory and observing the Ministry of Health’s and its partners COVID 19 prevention and spread protocols in their work spaces.
So impressed was the Committee Chairman, Hon. Veronica Sesay, with what she saw that she encouraged other investors to emulate MR Distilleries.
As a decent, law-abiding corporate citizen, MR Distilleries continues to contribute to the socio-economic development of Sierra Leone through employing our nationals, paying them well, paying taxes to NRA and carrying out their Corporate Social Responsibility to the community that they operate in.
As part of this responsibility, in April 2015, MR Distilleries presented food and non-food items worth millions of Leones to the Ministry of Social Welfare, Gender and Children’s Affairs in complementing Government’s efforts to cater for child survivors affected by the Ebola outbreak.
MR Distilleries was part of a group of Indian owned companies in Sierra Leone that together in April 2020 contributed to donate over Le15 million worth of hand washing items through the Member of Parliament in that part of the country as a way of complementing Government’s effort in eradicating and preventing the rapid transmission of the COVID-19 disease in their operational community.
During the donation exercise the opportunity was used was to undertake a robust awareness raising and house-to-house sensitization on the disease and how to prevent contracting it.
Management of the company noted that they provided the support as a way of showing their love and passion for residents of Wellington in honoring their CSR.
Under MR Distilleries Community Development and Action Plan, the 2020/2021 schedule was directed towards complementing the Government’s efforts in providing free quality education in the Wellington Community. Thus, Management has provided furniture (2 in 1 chairs and desks) to 11 needy primary schools across Constituency 115 in the Wellington community
What is unique about MR Distilleries is that it is a deep rooted ethical minded company whose products do no harm to consumers and the environment, as the country’s Standards Bureau certifies all their products before they are put into the market.
MR Distilleries does not engage in crooked business practices such as falsely reporting their transactions and sales to NRA or the quantity that they produce and sell.
Thus, not unsurprisingly, MR Distilleries is successful because it applies proper conduct and ethical human values at all levels of its structure and operations.
MR Distilleries do not exploit their workers or use child labor. Casual laborers earn minus overtime Le200,000 per week, Le800, 000 per month which is Le200,00 above the country’s monthly minimum wage. Workers have access to medical facilities and loan facilities.
As seen from the pursuance of their CSR, MK Distilleries does not ignore the best interest of its employees, customers, the Government and the environment in a bid to earn more money.
The proposed feeder road Project from Sembehun 17 to Tallu in the Bongor Chiefdom in the Bo District estimated at costing Le 1,739,875, 200 (One Billion, Seven Hundred and Thirty-Nine Million, Eight Hundred and Seventy-Five Thousand, Two Hundred Leones) to be implemented by the Bo District Council has been cancelled by the Road Maintenance Fund Administration (RMFA).
A document dated 17th June, 2021 from the RMFA to the Bo District Council gave the Council the go ahead to proceed with the necessary procurement and send a copy of the contract documents when the procurement process is completed and the National Public Procurement Authority (NPPA) endorsed the process.
According to sources from the Bo District Council the bidding was a National Competitive Bidding and it was won by ASSIL Trading Company in Kenema.
However, the RMFA decided to cancel the project though the company that won the bid has prepared to go ahead with the implementation.
It has been deduced in certain quarters that the Chief Executive Officer of RMFA has a person of interest among the bidders who was unfortunate to meet the requirements of the contract.
RMFA Chief Executive Officer, Mohamed Kallon ,denied the allegation stating how he has no person of interest in relation to the implementation of the said project as the Sierra Leone Roads Authority (SLRA) provides 70 percent and RMFA provides 20 percent funding in all road project nationwide, noting, “there are some priority roads like the Bo-Mattru that need over Le 40 billion, so RMFA is not part of any bidding process just to approve projects and has no interest in any bidder”.
Mohamed Kallon disclosed that the Bo District Council sent the request in May 2021 and it was approved in June 2021 and the Council sent the completed bidding documents in October, 2021, adding “so there were lapses as there were other feeder roads that needed funding”.
Students of the Institute of Management and Public Administration (IPAM), who are members of the Applied Accounting Prayer Group, on the 19th October, 2021 donated 87 mini bags of food items to the less privileged and disable persons, at the centre of Freetown, to be precise the famous Cotton Tree.
According to the Founder of the IPAM Applied Accounting Prayer Group, Sylvanus Saidu Kanu, the donation is just their own way of helping the poor and the needy especially during this time of the 3rd Wave of Corona Virus.
The group is made up of about 50 students of the Applied Accounting Department with the purpose of preaching the Gospel of Jesus to the “lost” and to also to help the poor and needy.
What this medium learnt was that the money used for purchasing the donated items came from individual membership contributions.
The Founder of the Group, Sylvanus Saidu Kanu, intimated this medium that: “According to Jesus, we should not forget the poor and the needy. People who are poor or disabled should not be abandoned because of their condition. So we thought it fit to be a blessing to them and to share the love of Jesus to them in this difficult persons time.’’
There are many less privileged and disables wandering on the streets of Freetown, some are seen begging for alms around the National Cotton Tree. You will see them chasing after cars and stopping people to beg for alms just to get their sources of livelihood.
This charitable act of these IPAM students is something every patriotic citizen should emulate. They did not only donated food items, but they also preached Jesus and offered prayers to God for them. These are students who are not working but with the little they gathered, they were able to undertake such venture. We are calling on organizations, individuals who are in better capacity than these students to also do the same.
Sierra Leone joined the rest of Africa on the 21st October, 2021 to commemorate African Human Rights Day. The Chairperson of the Human Rights Commission of Sierra Leone (HRCSL), Patricia Ndanema, in her statement highlighted that Africa Human Rights Day is commemorated every year on 21st October, a commemoration which marks the adoption in October 1981 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights, which is the founding treaty of the African Human Rights System.
She pointed out that its coming into existence was a solemn undertaking by member States of the African Union to promote and safeguard freedom, justice, equality and fundamental human rights in the continent adding how the Africa Charter sets standards and establishes the groundwork for the promotion and protection of human rights in Africa.
According to her, since the adoption of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights 40 years ago, it has formed the basis for people to claim rights in a regional forum via the African Court of Human and Peoples Rights maintaining how it further emphasizes that human rights violations could no longer be swept under the carpet.
“This year’s event is celebrated under the theme: “Africa Human Rights 40 Years after the Adoption of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights”, she intimated.
She said Sierra Leone, as a State Party to the Charter, should use the theme for self-evaluation and subsequently use the occasion to raise human rights awareness, reflect and recommit to the solemn undertaking by the African leaders and African peoples to respect, promote and protect human rights in the country and the continent at large.
“The Human Rights Commission of Sierra Leone (HRCSL) as the national Institution mandated by HRCSL Act No. 9 of 2004 to promote and protect the human rights of all in Sierra Leone wishes to use this day to re-echo the obligation of all State Actors to apply rights-based approach in executing state functions and subsequently ensuring that the rights of citizens are protected,” she admonished stating that Sierra Leone has made many gains in improving the enjoyments of human rights since the end of the brutal civil war.
Based on what she stated many laws that are geared towards the protection of the rights of vulnerable and special groups such as women, children and persons with disabilities have been enacted; democratic independent institutions have been established; a lot of resources have been invested in the Police and Judicial systems; bad laws have be reviewed and quite recently H.E. the President Julius Maada Bio amongst others endorsed the Abolition of the Death Penalty by signing the Abolition of the Death Penalty Act, 2021 in fulfillment of several recommendations proffered at national, regional and international levels.
The HRCSL Chairperson reminds Government to fulfill its obligation under Article 62 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights which stipulates that Each State Party shall undertake to submit every two years, from the date the present Charter comes into force, a report on the legislative or other measures taken with a view to give effect to the rights and freedoms recognized and guaranteed by the present Charter.
She said while the Commission acknowledges some of the existing economic, social, civil and political human rights challenges, let us unite in continuing with this trend of human rights development and build upon the gains made so far, as many yearn to see as per the Commission’s vision, “A Sierra Leone where a culture of human rights prevails and the people respect the rule of law and live in peace and dignity”.
The Human Rights Commission of Sierra Leone, according to her, therefore calls on Sierra Leoneans to take their human rights alongside with their responsibilities as good citizens clearly stated in Section 13 a -of the Sierra Leone Constitution, 1991 and also in Chapter 2, Articles 27-29 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights.
She specially touched on Article 7, which encourages all Africans to preserve and strengthen positive African cultural values in relation with other members of the society, in the spirit of tolerance, dialogue and consultation and, in general, to contribute to the promotion of the moral wellbeing of society.
Patricia Ndanema expressed the view that the Commission will continue performing its statutory mandate by making investigations into incidents of human rights violations, monitoring detention areas, awareness raising and to use all available avenues to ensure the protection and promotion of rights and freedoms in the country.
