Two score cards assessing this New Direction Government came out respectively this year, the first on the 7th October 2019 by Economist Prince Jacob Macauley of Trust Alliance-Sierra Leone Limited and the second recently by the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC). Both, it has been concluded, have brought hope to the people of this country.
The assessments by the two separate entities show a Government that is on the right track to put this country on a better footing in order to attain great heights.
As we go to Press there is a new Ministerial Integrity Score Card in the pipeline which will be made public soon but which this Press has been privy to, according to Jacob.
He said though the various MDAs assessed are found to be working towards better things for this nation, the impending integrity scorecard tells a different story especially about those who are heading them.
If what is contained in the Scorecard is anything to go by then President Bio will have his work cut out for him in his handling of those he entrusted authority in.
That Integrity Score Card, according to Jacob, will hit at the bedrock of Government so much so that President Bio will be left with no other alternative but to undertake a shake-up in all MDAs concerned.
“Many things are going to be exposed which definitely could trigger investigations by the Anti-Corruption Commission,” Jacob assured.
In a bid to complement Government’s effort to provide free health services to the less privileged in the country, Choithram Memorial Hospital is poised to undertake a two day free Diabetes screening and treatment on the 7th and 8th November, 2019 at the Choithram Memorial Hospital on Hill Station in Freetown.
Speaking to this medium in an interview, Dr. Gowrinath M. George, Medical Superintendent of Choithram Memorial Hospital said the offer of the free treatment is part of their Corporate Social Responsibility as an institution, adding that the free screening and treatment from the 7th to the 8th November, 2019 is geared towards providing qualitative and free treatment for people with diabetes across the country. He went on to say that during the process of Diabetes screening and treatment, medicines will be also offered to patients free of cost.
He maintained that consultation is free and that the time the free service starts is 9:00am and ends at 3:00pm each day, adding that for registration purpose and any other enquiry with regard this free service, the general public can call +232 76 98 00 00.
He further disclosed that Choithram was a great philanthropist who believed in returning a large portion of his earnings to the society through education and medical services; and had the desire to provide an ultra-modern hospital in Freetown to serve the local populace as an affordable referral hospital.
He noted that this is not the first time the hospital is engaging in such humanitarian gesture, adding that in February 2018 a team of international cardiologists comprising Professor Thomas Crawford from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor from the USA and Professor Zaheer Youssef from Cardiff University alongside the Choithram team comprising Dr. James Russell and the hospital staff successfully implanted several Intra-cardiac pacemakers for the very first time in Sierra Leone.
He also said that a team of German paediatric surgeons in collaboration with the Choithram Memorial Hospital have been conducting free surgeries in Sierra Leone for poor and needy patients below 18 years of age, adding that these surgeries were done under the umbrella of the Bintumani-German Sierra Leone Society, which started on 8th February, 2019 and ran up to the 23rd of February.
He urged Sierra Leoneans to make use of this latest opportunity as it is mainly to help people who cannot afford to pay their medical bills. He disclosed that people who want to benefit from the free diabetes screening and treatment should register either at the hospital on Hill Station in Freetown or contact +232 76 98 00 00.
The country’s premier brewer of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, Sierra Leone Brewery Limited (SLBL) canned Maltina drinks are found all over the place and going at an affordable price of four thousand Leones (Le4,000). From gauging the perceptions of consumers in buses, the sidewalks and in other social gatherings many unanimously confessed that they are truly enjoying Can Maltina drinks with many of them candidly saying that it is really refreshing making them feel energetic.
It was also realized that SLBL’s other beverages manufactured in cans are also doing well in bars and restaurants although not seen going faster as Maltina is doing although that is understandable simply because they are traded on the streets. One thing which has been confirmed by Management of the company is that as we slowly approach the festive season when there is going to be a lot of social activities SLBL will endeavour to do its level best to ensure there is no shortage so that people will enjoy having fun.
To demonstrate determination that it means business and is here to satisfy its numerous customers the Sierra Leone Brewery Limited (SLBL) in collaboration with Krones, a German firm that specializes in the supply and modernization of production plants, together with a large team of SLBL’s locally trained engineers and technicians in the recent past successfully installed and started operating a new production line.
The project costs over Le 278 billion and is one of the most expensive the Brewery has ever embarked on to expand and upgrade its facilities. It is another large investment of the company to grow the economy and contribute largely to the manufacturing sector of Sierra Leone. This major step will improve the facilities of the Sierra Leone Brewery Limited in their journey to reach state-of-the-art status.
In the same vein, the SLBL collaborated with the Freetown City Council to support sanitation projects in Ward 406 that was worth over 400 million Leones through Heineken Africa Foundation (HAF), and provided a Toyota Dyna van to collect and dispose waste.
It could be recalled that the SLBL has been playing a key role in maintaining sanitation in its local community since its establishment. As part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) the Sierra Leone Brewery has done much for Wellington, where its factory is located in the East of Freetown, by developing the community and its surroundings including Peacock Farm. Such interventions add value to the lives of the people, especially women and children.
The SLBL provides safe drinking water and encourages women’s participation in agriculture and other economic activities that have been the main thrust of their livelihood over the years. This is to ensure that the SLBL helps the people they serve through small scale enterprises that provide safe and affordable drinking water to the communities in need.
The company, with the objective maximizing production, embarked on both human and capital resources in order to continue its dominance in the market and meeting the needs of its customers. Now, it is boasting of increased fermentation tanks; an upgraded waste water treatment plant, mash filter equipment and cooling plants that enable it to produce qualitative and safe beverages that are of high standards.
In addition to the many noble things done by the SLBL for the people of Sierra Leone, the company is ensuring that farmers who grow sorghum in the provinces are technically and financially empowered through trainings and inputs. These sorghum farmers, who are over 25,000 in number, are steadily supplying Brewery with raw materials or ingredients used by the company in manufacturing their products. The effect is that it makes farmers financially independent.
In terms of taxation compliance, the Sierra Leone Brewery Limited is a leader that defines the true meaning of taxation. The SLBL pays enormous taxes to the government and helps it mobilise domestic revenue collection through the National Revenue Authority.
Albert Ojo Collier is the Corporate Affairs Manager at SLBL. He disclosed to this press that in the last three years they have invested over 278 billion Leones as part of their expansion project to meet international standards and the growing demands of customers.
He made this disclosure during a recent press tour conducted at the SLBL head office, Wellington Industrial Estate, East of Freetown.
During the tour, Mr. Collier said ‘in order to upgrade our Brew House, we recently overhauled our packaging bottling line costing 3.5 billion Leones. Since 1962, we pride ourselves with that rich heritage tied to the history of the country, with a vision of growing with Sierra Leone to further improve the efficiency of our bottling operations and to ensure our service to our revered customers and consumers.’
In a related development, the company’s popular brands: Star Beer, Salone Beer, King Leone Beer, Guinness Stout, Maltina, Mutzig etc. continue to see high business returns in the market according to trade reports.
The importance of ‘Made in Sierra Leone’ products was emphasized by Albert Ojo Collier as a major milestone in enhancing the Local Content Policy. “As a responsible company that is taking the satisfaction of our numerous customers a priority, we have invested a lot to ensure that we expand and in the process create job opportunities in line with the Local Content Policy,” Mr. Collier noted.
The implementation of the Local Content Policy has empowered 25, 000 local farmers, producing Sorghum used to produce beer and stout. According to Mr. Collier, this contributes to employment and revenue collection as it puts money into the pockets of ordinary people.
Indirectly, there are tens of thousands of Sierra Leoneans employed today as transporters, wholesalers and retailers. Consumers today maintain that SLBL products are up to international standards and are affordable more than the imported varieties.
As it continues to invest in and increase its production line, SLBL’s can drinks becoming viral, planning well for the festive season as well as through other interventions the company is meaningfully contributing to the socio-economic development of the nation in different fronts and to crown it all serving as an entity worthy of emulation.
The Independent Media Commission (IMC) Commissioner representing the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ), Dr. Francis Sowa has taken a swipe at the proposed repeal of the Criminal Libel Law bill titled: ‘The Public Order (Amendment) Act, 2019’.
The media expert argues that repealing the Act will change Part 5 of the rules in the Public Order Act, 1965 (Act No. 46 of 1965).
This part of the Act deals with defamatory and seditious libel and other related matters. This is what the current Cabinet of Sierra Leone has approved to be repealed by Parliament.
It would be recalled that the Public Order Bill was introduced in Parliament in 1965 by Sir Albert Margai, the second Prime Minister of Sierra Leone and greatly influenced parliament to enact the sledge hammer law to silent critics and members of the opposition against him.
Based on his influence as he was able to convince Government at the time and also MPs, Parliament enacted the Bill against mounting opposition. The bill itself was extracted from the U.K Libel Act 1843 which was widely considered to be draconian and out of tune with the tenets of fundamental human rights, thus finally expunged in UK law books.
In Sierra Leone, rather than it becomes a deterrence to bad press, it became a fact that journalists were more often still faced with the threats of incarceration for publishing defamatory matters and this makes the POA archaic and ill-motivated, calling for it to be expunge, according to Jamiru, 2016.
On September, 2016 at the Miatta Conference Hall, Youyi Building in Freetown, attempts to reform Part V of the Public Order Act of 1965 were made and the stakeholders including the Law Reform Commission, Sierra Leone Police and civil society organisations discussed and agreed that the criminal libel law should be repealed.
The issue is that some people still hold the view that the criminal libel law should not be repealed in Sierra Leone because first it has not been alternatively replaced and secondly it will make journalists practice their profession unethically if the law was repealed. Others, however, maintained that in addition to the violation of freedom of expression principles, the retention and use of the law undermines the country’s democratic credentials.
The question is: how to deal with the ‘vacuum argument’ that exists. According to Journalist Sowa, some people argue that Part V of the Act should be repealed. This in essence means that there was no vacuum, he stated. And it is not a question of replacement; rather a human rights issue because democracies around the world Sierra Leone is copying from have decriminalised libel, and it is not an international best practice any longer except in Sierra Leone.
The response to the Second Cycle of the Universal Periodic Review Recommendations for In Sierra Leone at the 32nd Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, in Switzerland held in June, 2016, revealed that “Sierra Leone continues to address concerns relating to the protection of Freedom of Expression. The Attorney General and Minister of Justice is engaging stakeholders with a view to review, repeal or amend legislation such as the Public Order Act (1965) that tend to compromise the enjoyment of freedoms”, according to Dr. Mohamed Gibril Sesay, former Minister of State, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. Sowa sadly noted that after three years ago, the Government took no action to ‘review, repeal or amend the legislation’.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) Report also recommended amendment of laws that create seditious and libellous offences to be repealed. In its submission, the TRC Report said that “Restrictions on the freedom of expression represent a fearful State”. As a result, the Human Rights Commission of Sierra Leone called out for the repeal of the law in its annual reports.
According to Sowa, the law of civil defamation has its roots in the Law of Tort, which is essentially civil law. In Sierra Leone Act No. 32 of 1961 titled the ‘Defamation Ordinance, 1961’ amends the law relating to Libel and Slander and other Malicious Falsehoods.
This means that there was still no vacuum for criminal libel to be repealed because there is already a civil defamation law in existence and this can be used against anybody; especially media institutions found wanting because they guarantee the right of people to go to court under the civil libel law provisions.
From the look of the law on libel, he said the protection of people’s reputation is what all seek to achieve.
Borrowing from Emmanuel Saffa Abdulai Esq.’s presentation at the launch of the Society for Democratic Initiative 2016 State of the Media Report he reiterated that “a Journalist should not go to jail for writing and publishing stories…. The practice of Journalism could only be enhanced through a civil libel law….”
However, the IMC Act and Media Code of Practice have been created by the Independent Media Commission (IMC) which regulates the media in the country to use the Media Code of Practice in order to default from libel. This to a large extent has brought some sanity in the media landscape. This further means that there must be no replacement, rather strengthening the IMC and providing the necessary resources. In a way, the IMC is better to regulate the media if it is given full powers to enforce its decisions and rulings, secure the appropriate monitoring devices and organise mobile complaints hearing sessions across the country, Sowa pointed out.
In doing so, the former leaders of Sierra Leone Association of Journalists including Hon. Ibrahim Ben Kargbo, Philip Neville, Umaru Fofana, Kelvin Lewis and now Ahmed Sahid Nasralla have staged the repeal campaigns far and wide. Backed by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) through the Media Reform Coordinating Group (MRCG), SLAJ and its affiliate bodies such as Guild of Newspaper Editors, Women In the Media Sierra Leone, Sierra Leone Reporters Union, etc all have come up with series of initiatives, programmes and activities on legislative and regulatory reforms of the media which have culminated into the review of the IMC Act and the Media Code of Practice as well as the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists Code of Ethics.
Other organisations like Sierra Leone Bar Association, etc. have supported the call for the repeal and organised and/or supported training sessions that have promoted a free and responsible press. Editors and Station Managers who are the gate keepers of the law now pay court fines when they cross the lines, thus dismissing the old age argument that media practitioners are poor and cannot pay fines. The goal of such training of editors over the time is to ensure that they avoid any breach of the law and would apply ethically sound standards in their practice.
Those who will fail to abide by amendment procedures are eventually found liable and fined to pay. The point here is that the media fraternity understands the processes and knows exactly how to perform in the post repeal period. In countless occasions, media practitioners and institutions have been told by SLAJ that the Association is advocating for the need for a free and responsible press.
However, in comparison to her neighbour Liberia, which had repealed criminal libel law through ‘The Table Mountain Declaration’ in 2007 by the World Association of Newspapers and Newspapers Publishers during the 60th World Newspapers Congress and the 14th World Editors Forum in Cape Town, South Africa, and ‘The Kamara Abdullah Kamara Act of Press Freedom’, it urges governments and authorities in Africa to repeal criminal defamation law.
While Sierra Leone boasts of an IMC that regulates, Liberia doesn’t have any media code of practice; and interestingly the heavens have not fallen down after the repeal. Media complaints are still being handled by the Grievance and Ethics Committee which has been transformed into the National Media Council (promoting self-regulation) set up by their own national journalists association, the Press Union of Liberia, the equivalent of SLAJ. In Sierra Leone, the IMC is a statutory body and yet people are asking for alternatives.
Meanwhile, the outcome is that the repeal would open up the space for the growth of the media industry in the country. Many institutions and individuals would invest in the media industry. There will be a more professional and responsible media. There will still be systems of media regulation anyway; the court will be there to interpret and enforce civil libel law provisions, the IMC will enforce the Media Code of Practice while the SLAJ Disciplinary Committee will reign in on errant members. Media houses will be encouraged to abide by their editorial guidelines/code of ethics.
“History will be kind to those who would make this repeal process happen; they would have unshackled the media from the shackles of criminal libel law. We cannot continue to operate within the ‘what if’ conundrum; what if the media performs badly in the post repeal period? I strongly believe that the heavens would not fall. To the media, this is a challenge. Let us prove our critics wrong. At any rate, this is not ‘power without responsibility’; rather it is freedom that goes with responsibility. Let’s do this for God and country,” Sowa ended.
A man reads headlines of a daily newspaper in Freetown. – Sierra Leone
The National Petroleum Sierra Leone Limited, NP (SL-Ltd) is working round the clock to give its numerous customers the best of products as well as taking stock of them in what has been dubbed “Know Your Customer Better” while it continues engaging oil producing companies to ensure adequate supply of petroleum products is readily available in the country. The pro-active stance of the company has made stocks available and lasting over periods of time thereby averting shortages.
Unlike a Government entity or being owned by a politician with shares, the company’s shareholders are ordinary Sierra Leoneans who started with 35 men and women of repute that bought it from the Government of Sierra Leone out of their end of service benefits to establish what today is known as NP-SL.
Contrary to propaganda accusations in the past that the company was owned by politicians with vested interests, investigations have proven otherwise that NP-SL is 100% indigenously-owned company.
Of importance is the fact that the company has weathered various storms that could have dwarfed it or left it liquidated if it were not for the therapeutic suave of intermittent managements that injected sanity which has kept it upright and on the right course.
As a true Sierra Leonean company that has maintained strict adherence to the Local Content Policy in ensuring maximum of its staff are indigenes. What it actually means is that it is reducing poverty levels of our own brothers and sisters through access to employment opportunities.
Today, many members of the company are benefiting from various trainings with requisite skills useful to carry out certain tasks in delivering value. NP-SL stands aloft amongst a number of companies upholding the Local Content Policy. This has created no doubt that NP-SL is seen at the top.
Its intrinsic national posture runs through and it is a sine qua-non to overall national development. With such compliance rate, it behooves other stakeholders to follow NP’s good example to impact on the employment rate in the country.
Know Your Customer (KYC) policy of NP stands No. 1 because of confirmation by many customers who have made it clear that the way and manner they are being offered services by NP ranks with no other in the country.
For a very long time now NP-SL is No. 1 on the KYC and this has earned them accolades because of its drive to optimize customer satisfaction. Its modern calibrated pumping machines installed at various stations have brought a new technological revolution in the energy sector. Many users say there is no more cheating or complaints of half pumping bottles.
Consequently, a new sense of confidence is building up and customers are of the view that this is making the company more transparent. Payments are also delivered promptly to customers including Ministries, Departments and Agencies of government for fuel and lubricant supplies. This new method has helped to ease institutional shortfalls in fuel supply because of intermittent budgetary allocations.
Some of its best products like NP Gas used by many homes have proven an environmentally friendlier service than others. It is designed in various sizes and sold at NP Filling Stations across the country. The NP Smart Card too is good. It has helped reduce queues. Customers talk highly about it.
On taxation, NP has proven that if the National Revenue Authority (NRA) is to reach its target then it needs a partner like NP. The company remains undoubtedly one of the biggest tax compliance institutions in the country.
The Rokel Commercial Bank has had an enviable growth trajectory in the last three years and 2019 is another fruitful year in the life of one of Sierra Leone’s biggest indigenous banks.
Despite an unfavourable global economic climate, the RCB’s management has utilized every available opportunity to change the narrative of a bank known for a tumultuous past.
In 2018, the bank made Le66 billion profit after tax – which accounts for 30% increase from Le52 billion profit after tax in 2017. Profit before tax was Le79 billion – a significant leap from the Le62 billion profit in 2017. Customer deposits increased from Le770 billion in 2017 to 873 billion in 2018. The 2019 Balance Sheet will be available next year and there are signs the bank will significantly increase its profits.
Rokel Commercial Bank is a champion for financial inclusion in Sierra Leone and revolutionary mobile based products like the Rokel Sim Korpor has taken banking to virtually every corner of the country. Targeting schools through sponsored national debating competitions on financial literacy has invariably helped broaden the knowledge base of a critical mass of young people on financial issues.
Perhaps, the bank’s recognition as the most adhering to corporate social responsibility is indeed a validation of its vision to change lives making a big difference in society. Incredibly, there has been no financial institution that has surpassed the Rokel Commercial Bank in both local and international recognition over the last two years with the RCB receiving over 20 awards from very reputable indigenous and international organizations.
In the words of Managing Director, Dr. Dayoh Gilpin, “We are setting our footprints on the sands of time…we know exactly where we want to go as a bank and we believe our passion to succeed is not fuelled by the desire to make profits, it is our desire to complement government’s economic development policies. This is of existential relevance to whatever we do to attain middle income status by 2035…”
The bold step taken by Orange Sierra Leone in collaborating with the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary School Education to dish out sanitary pads to secondary school going pupils came to an end on the 4th November, 2019 after rolling out two thousand 2000 menstrual hygiene packs to twenty identified schools across the Western Urban and Rural and Districts.
The menstrual hygiene kits consist of five menstrual pads, a detergent soap, menstrual calendar and a towel and they were offered to one hundred pupils each in twenty secondary schools and is considered to be part of the first phase of a total distribution of 10,000 menstrual hygiene packs to one hundred schools over a period of five years across the country.
The distribution process started at the Government Technical Secondary School in the West through to Vine Memorial, Rokel, Model, Tombo, Peninsula, Municipal, Ahmadiyya, St. Helena, Independence, FAWE Waterloo, Laura Dove, Murray Town Army and Services Juba Secondary schools, amongst others. Each of the twenty schools visited received one hundred packs and the items were handed over to the school authorities.
Desmond Spaine, Manager, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Orange Sierra Leone and his team went through the twenty (20) schools and explained the purpose for the donation to all the pupils and school authorities which, according to Mr. Spaine, was consistent with their support to the Free Quality Education scheme which was launched by President Julius Maada Bio on 20th August, 2018 in Freetown.
He reiterated the point that during the launching of the scheme by the President at the Miatta Conference Centre in Freetown, their organization, Orange Sierra Leone committed 1.5 USD million material support to the scheme.
Mr. Spaine told the various schools visited that the company and the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary School Education had designed five projects out of the USD1.5 million material support and that the distribution of 10,000 menstrual hygiene packs to one hundred schools across the country, was just one of such five projects.
The CSR Manager told school authorities that they at Orange Sierra Leone are concerned that school girls are increasingly challenged to stay in school when they are experiencing their menstrual periods.
He added that the accessibility to menstrual hygiene packs while in school is also a challenge for the girls mainly due to the economic status of their homes.
The CSR Manager recounted that this was what informed the designing of such a project in collaboration with the MBSSE.
He also pointed out that for the effective implementation of the project, they contracted a Girl Child Organization, Girl Child Network Sierra Leone, to help with the production of reusable and eco-friendly hygiene packs for the girls and also to deliver a short talk to the girls and school authorities in all the schools visited on the management of their menstruation periods.
Madam Anita Koroma or her representatives were also present across all the twenty schools visited and they delivered short talks on what menstruation means to the girls; how they should properly manage themselves during this period and other do’s and don’ts while in school.
They underscored the point that the issue of menstruation which used to be a ‘no go area’ should no longer be a taboo and that girls should open up the conversation to all that are concerned including their teachers and parents.
They also informed the girls on how to use the pads and also intimating them that proper use of their menstrual calendar will not require them to take contraceptives while in school.
The school authorities at all the twenty schools visited lauded Orange Sierra Leone for the gesture. Some noted that they were already spending huge sums of money in providing disposable menstrual hygiene packs for school girls whenever they witness their menstrual periods in school, especially for the first time.
They noted that with the intervention of Orange Sierra Leone they have been relieved of such a burden. They assured the company that they will use the items for their intended purpose.
Other school authorities also drew the attention of Orange Sierra Leone and other partners to consider the un-availability of WASH facilities in most of their schools and noted that effective management of menstrual hygiene packs would not take place without adequate WASH facilities in schools.
Representatives of schools girls in most of the schools visited thanked Orange Sierra Leone for contributing to their menstrual welfare while in school.
They acknowledged the fact that they were challenged when undergoing their menstrual periods in school especially for the first time.
They thanked President Bio for rolling out the Free Quality Education which, according to them, is now drawing the attention of various private sector organizations to provide various services for them to stay in school.
“This institute will help to impart different skills to the women of this country in line with our agenda for human capital development, thereby empowering them for financial stability in their homes. We are here to celebrate the work of women and to encourage them to increase the scope of what they want to do. We are going into a digital world that requires everyone to be skilled and competitive.’
These were the words of President Dr Julius Maada Bio on Monday 4 October 2019 while officially commissioning a newly-constructed Technical and Vocation Education and Training (TVET) institute and administrative building constructed by the Sierra Leone Police Wives Association at Kingtom Barracks in Freetown.
In her presentation, President of the Police Wives Association, Mrs. Olga Moigbe, said the project was designed to meet the needs of police wives across the country. She said she made use of a holistic approach to make the project a reality – a very fascinating idea geared towards empowering police wives to be self-sustainable and self-reliable.
She said the project was fully funded by Sierra Leoneans and expressed her appreciation to President Bio and other Sierra Leoneans who in diverse ways supported the project, adding that it is indicative of the fact that Sierra Leoneans are capable of doing things and improving the country by themselves. She stated that the project is of great significance to the country because it is in line with President Bio’s free quality education and First Lady Mrs. Fatima Bio’s empowerment drive for women.
Inspector-General of Police, Dr. Richard Moigbe, said the commissioning of the institute is a laudable venture that will help build the capacity of police wives and daughters, other women and girls to empower themselves to be self-reliant. He added that it would also strengthen women to support their families and contribute to President Bio’s agenda for human capital development.
Minister of Internal Affairs, Edward Suluku, congratulated the Police Wives Association on the completion of a project that will cater for the welfare of police wives across the country. He assured that he would work with the Association to replicate similar projects to other regions across the country.
First Lady Mrs. Fatima Maada Bio said she is excited that the project was completed within a very short time. She added that President Bio had demonstrated his belief in women when he gave them the right vision and inspiration. She added that women are an integral part of the development of the country and commended the President for providing the space for women to participate in nation-building.
In his keynote address, President Julius Maada Bio said the completion of the project is a show of quality leadership and commitment, saying that when people work together they can achieve better results. He commended Mrs. Olga Moigbe and the First Lady for their commitment to the successful completion of the project.
“We are investing billions of Leones into education which is the future of our nation. Our students should make use of the free quality education programme because it is about shaping a brighter future for them. Parents should always encourage their kids to pay more attention to their schoolwork and discourage them against all sorts of examination malpractice,” the President said.
The vocational and training institute, which was completed within fourteen months, is equipped with modern facilities and would offer courses in information technology, tailoring and dressmaking – both theoretical and practical, hairdressing, adult literacy programmes, catering, arts and craft and other practical courses.
The Auditor-General of Sierra Leone has released a new report to the general public known as the Performance Audit Report on Assessment and Issuance of Building Permits by the Ministry of Lands, Housing and the Environment (MLHE) which was tabled in Parliament on Tuesday 29th October, 2019. Below is the full report:
Section 11(2) (c) of The Audit Service Act, 2014 confers on the Audit Service the authority to conduct value-for-money and other audits in a bid to ensure that efficiency and effectiveness are achieved in the use of public funds.
Section 16(1) (d) of the Public Financial Management Act, 2016 states that the Auditor-General, in accordance with the Constitution of Sierra Leone and the Audit Service Act, 2014 may at any time review or examine any aspect of the operations of the entities referred to in paragraph (a) of the Public Financial Management Act, 2016.
In addition to the financial and regularity audits undertaken by the institution, performance audit is one of the tools employed by the ASSL to measure the economy, efficiency and effectiveness with which state institutions expend public resources in the discharge of their various mandates.
Considering the above, and in compliance with the Auditor-General’s mandate, as detailed in section 119 (2) of the 1991 Constitution of Sierra Leone, the Audit Service Sierra Leone (ASSL) conducted a performance audit on the assessment and issuance of building permits..
The audit was motivated by several risk factors that were identified during the sector analysis phase. Key among these factors was the fact that construction projects were carried out in Sierra Leone without consulting the housing division that has been responsible for the assessment and issuance of building permits.
In August 2017, an incident occurred on a hilltop at Regent where developers had encroached into protected forest areas on the hills overlooking the city, thereby causing a mudslide that killed more than 400 people. 11 years ago, the government attempted to prevent people from erecting houses in those areas. This was because building permits were not obtained, and the areas were considered dangerous for habitation. However, people were defiant, and construction progressed until that fatal incident.
The audit covered the period between 2015 and 2018 with the main objective of assessing whether the housing division in the assessment and issuance of building permit effectively followed procedures.
The report reveals that in the north and southern regions, building permits were not issued for construction projects in 9 of 11 districts. According to the officers in charge of those regions, the low manpower, lack of mobility and logistical constraints made it impossible for them to cover those districts.
Building fees were calculated in contravention with the guiding Building Fee Act of 1993. The funds lost to government due to wrong calculations amounted to Le178,560,579. There were also instances in which payments amounting to Le65,470,000 were made for building permits as evidenced in the register of the housing division but were not recorded in the cash book of the National Revenue Authority (NRA).
The housing division of the MLHE has not been effective in the discharge of its roles and responsibilities across the board. Its efforts in ensuring that assessment and issuance of building permits are absorbed in all building projects have been faced with several huge challenges but not limited to the following:
• Out-dated legislations in respect of the assessment and issuance of building permits.
• Lack of basic equipment and logistics to carry out housing activities.
• MLHE’s failure to prioritise resources for the housing division.
• Lack of staff capacity.
In consonance with the Auditor-General’s mandate and as a guardian Sierra Leone’s economic security, the ASSL undertook this performance audit in compliance with best practice of the International Standards of Supreme Auditing Institutions (ISSAI) and the Performance Audit Guidelines.
A delegation from the Embassy of China to Sierra Leone has handed over 20 solar-street lights and several smaller indoor and outdoor solar lights to Freetown City Council (FCC).
The items were presented on 4th November, 2019 to the Mayor Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr at the Mayor’s Parlour in the presence of the Chief Administrator, councillors and staff of FCC.
The donation comes as a result of a promise by the Ambassador of China to Sierra Leone, Hu Zhangliang, to the Mayor of Freetown in August this year, when he paid her a courtesy call. Impressed with the concept of the Cleanest Zone Competition – rewarding communities that make significant improvement in sanitation with infrastructure development – Ambassador Hu Zhangliang promised that he would support in any way he could.
FCC is grateful for the donation as the 20 solar street lights will last the next two cycles of the Cleanest Zone Competition. The smaller solar lights will go towards lighting of green public spaces.
The FCC looks forward to continued collaboration with the people of China and its representatives at the Embassy of China in Sierra Leone.
The Cleanest Zone Competition is currently underway. FCC is assessing the reduction of garbage and increase in vegetation in public spaces amongst other things. The winner of the competition will receive 250 metres of paved road made from recycled plastic, a 10,000 liter water tank, scholarships for 10 children and 10 of the solar-street lights donated by the Embassy of China. Residents are urged to keep their surroundings clean for their communities to stand a chance to win the Cleanest Zone Competition.
