21.3 C
Sierra Leone
Sunday, September 29, 2024
Facebook Instagram Linkedin Twitter
Facebook Instagram Linkedin Twitter
Home Blog Page 891

President Bio meets new IMF Rep.

By Alim Jalloh

The new IMF Resident Representative to Sierra Leone, Dr. Newiak has informed President Bio that it is an honour for her to meet him and noted that she had wanted to be in Sierra Leone because she had heard so many good things, including reforms underway. She added that she is in the country to support the Government in its reforms through partnership and collaboration.

The new Mission Chief of the International Monetary Fund, IMF, to Sierra Leone, Ms. Karen Ongley, and its Resident Representative, Dr. Monique Newiak, on Monday 4th November 2019 met with President Dr. Julius Maada Bio at State House to discuss further ways of partnership.

Presenting the IMF team at State House, Minister of Finance, Jacob Jusu Saffa, thanked the President for making time to see them, adding that as protocol demanded it was proper that they met.

The IMF Chief said that she was delighted to be in the country, adding that the measures and progress made so far had been very good. She noted that more important was the fact that Sierra Leone and the IMF had a really good partnership. She said she was impressed with the Government’s strategy around innovation and digitalisation.

In his response, President Bio said Sierra Leone is genuinely committed to making progress economically and socially. He said his Government is making efforts to surmount the challenges and for which he needs genuine partners. He assured the duo that his Government is willing and ready to partner and collaborate with the Fund to help achieve its goals.

The new IMF Mission Chief joined the IMF in 1998, bringing a wealth of experience to her role. She was previously Mission Chief for West Bank and Gaza and has worked on a range of low and middle-income countries, including Afghanistan, Albania, Egypt, Jordan, Nigeria and Yemen.

Death by Dirty Cooking

Author: Kandeh K. Yumkella

By Kandeh K. Yumkella

It would cost an estimated $4.4 billion annually to meet the world’s residential clean-cooking needs – far more than what is currently available. While that figure is not small, it is dwarfed by the costs of inaction.

Each year, exposure to household air pollution (HAP) kills 4.3 million people – more than HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis combined. HAP is produced when households use antiquated fuels – such as firewood, coal, crop waste, and kerosene – for cooking and heating, so ending HAP-related deaths is as straightforward as delivering clean-cooking solutions.

Yet the world hasn’t done it. Across Africa, for example, over 80% of people still rely on biomass as their primary source of energy.

In my home country, Sierra Leone (one of the five most vulnerable countries to climate change), less than 20% of the population has electricity, while over 90% rely on charcoal and firewood for cooking. If current trends hold, Africans will still be using such fuels to cook in 2050.

It would cost an estimated $4.4 billion annually to meet the world’s residential clean-cooking needs – far more than what is currently available. While that figure is not small, it is dwarfed by the costs of inaction. Beyond its devastating effects on human health – HAP is the second-largest risk factor for death and disability in Sub-Saharan Africa – reliance on non-renewable wood fuels for cooking contributes up to one gigaton of CO2 emissions annually, or about 2% of total emissions.

Moreover, such cooking methods are a major source of black carbon, the second-biggest driver of climate change after CO2: solid-fuel cooking in Sub-Saharan Africa alone accounts for some 6% of global black carbon emissions. Compounding the effect on climate, up to 34% of wood fuel in Sub-Saharan Africa is harvested unsustainably, contributing to deforestation.

The persistence of outmoded cooking and heating methods amounts to a major drain on economies. In Sub-Saharan Africa, about 3% of GDP is lost annually as a result of increased mortality and morbidity from HAP, avoidable spending on solid fuels, time wasted collecting firewood, and environmental damage. Women and children suffer the most.

Failure to address the problem does not reflect inadequate technology or even insufficient resources, but a lack of political will. While governments and international actors have worked to expand access to electricity, they have often left clean-cooking solutions – using, say, electricity derived from renewable energy – on the back burner. Efforts to promote clean cooking have been largely uncoordinated, narrow, and piecemeal, with limited consumer buy-in.

A new initiative aims to change this. The World Bank’s Clean Cooking Fund, launched at September’s United Nations climate action summit in New York, will mobilize $500 million to help ensure universal access to clean cooking by 2030. This includes scaling up the production of clean-cooking fuels, developing well-functioning supply chains to deliver them to billions of people, and encouraging innovation and diffusion of relevant technologies.

To this end, the CCF will leverage World Bank and other development-bank resources to attract private investment, including by creating new revenue streams and incentives across value chains. It will also develop an impact bond market for the clean-cooking sector.

Moreover, the CCF will support a global platform for knowledge and innovation, including the Health and Energy Platform of Action, convened by the World Health Organization, the UN Development Programme, and the World Bank in collaboration with the civil-society organizations Hivos and ENERGIA. All of this should help to produce verifiable results at the outcome level (number of households with access to clean cooking) and the impact level (benefiting health, gender equality, and the environment).

But, as promising as the CCF is, achieving its goals will require coherent policy strategies, underpinned by a strong and sustained commitment at the national, regional, and global levels. India is one country that has shown such a commitment.

According to the World Bank’s Energy Progress Report 2019 – which tracks progress toward Sustainable Development Goal 7 (to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all) – the country has raised its electrification rate considerably, from 50% in 1994 to 93% in 2017. Its clean-cooking access rate remains much lower – 45% in 2017 – but still represents significant progress, having more than doubled since 2000. And the share of the population using biomass for cooking fell from 64% in 2010 to 59% in 2015.

This shift has been driven partly by expanded access to liquefied petroleum gas. In 2016, India became the world’s third-largest LPG importer, behind China and Japan. That year, the government also launched the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana program, with the goal of providing LPG access to 50 million households living in poverty by 2019. Last year, it surpassed that target, and expanded the scheme to cover 80 million families. Other countries, such as Cambodia and Indonesia, have also made significant progress in expanding access to LPG and other clean-cooking fuels.

The imperative now is to continue building on these gains, while adapting the strategies that powered them to different contexts, especially in Africa. To this end, the UN should lead the way in advancing a multi-stakeholder approach driven by strong public-private partnerships. Such an approach has worked before, mobilizing billions of dollars in investment in renewables and energy efficiency. It can work again – and save millions of lives in the process.

NPPA to Roll-Out Standard Procurement Curriculum

Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Ibrahim Brima Swaray

By Amin Kef Sesay

The National Public Procurement Authority (NPPA) in collaboration with the Public Financial Management and Integrated Consolidation Project (PFMICP) in the Ministry of Finance supported by the World Bank on Wednesday 30th October, 2019 held a one day stakeholders’ consultative workshop on the draft Public Procurement Curriculum at CATCO International Complex, Wilkinson Road, Freetown.

This move by NPPA is geared towards the development of a detailed curriculum for training institutions in public procurement as the Authority is on rapid transformation under the leadership of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Ibrahim Brima Swaray.

Speaking at the one day stakeholders’ consultative workshop, representative of NPPA CEO, the Director of Administration and Human Resources of the institution, Sylvester Hinga Demby, disclosed that the design of the curriculum has its mandate from the Public Procurement Act 2016 which requires NPPA to “ensure capacity building and human resource development for public procurement, including development, promoting and supporting training and professional development of persons engaged in public procurement”.

In a desire to adhere to this demand, he said NPPA aims to upgrade the capacity of not only its staff members but also that of public procurement practitioners engaged in the procurement system in Sierra Leone and maintain an efficient and effective team of procurement officers that will serve as the driving force for achieving the aims and objectives of the institution.

He said that the objective of the exercise consists of: to raise the level of professionalism in public procurement; greater respect for public procurement institutions; improved social sector service, among others.

According to him, the expected outcome of the exercise is production of a comprehensive curriculum document that will meet international standard in line with the legal framework with the institution able to use the document, among others.

CSOs representative, William Sao Lamin, acknowledged the effort of both past and present NPPA leadership in transforming the institution to international standard.

He recounted series of issues in the national budget that has to do with public procurement.

He urged the institution to continue collaboration with CSOs and the media if they are to succeed.

NPPA Board Chairman, Alfred H. Kandeh said public procurement is very important as expenditure control by government would help to minimize wastage of state.

Ada Yang gives 10 Acre of Land to Deserving Children

…In celebrating Prince Yang Birthday

By Foday Moriba Conteh

With the avowed objective to empower and support the development of children in the country, Ada Yang one of Sierra Leone’s finest female singers residing in   United States of America, a philanthropist, an iconic figure in China and Chief Executive Officer of QueenNak Foundation, on Saturday 2nd November 2019 offered a 10 acre piece of land to 10 deserving children who won the “Nak Kids Got Talent 2019” at Bintumani Hotel Freetown.

In his address to participants, Mahawa Kallon disclosed that the Nak Kids Got Talent is geared towards identifying the talents and potentials of children in the country, adding that the competition started with an audition when 17 kids made it to the final red carpet event of which 10 kids will win 10 acre of land which is the star prize for the competition plus few building materials and learning materials. She added that the remaining 7 kids will be given consolation prizes of learning materials from Sierra Leone’s best female actress in the Diaspora, Winstina Taylor Princess Manoh Sesay residing in Boston.

She added that the Foundation is poised to empower more children across the country with different activities that will add value to them.

She called on the children to make good use of this opportunity as such will benefit them and their family members.

Aminata Foday Kamra, one of the beneficiaries applauded the Foundation for the gesture which she said is not only important to them but really timely as owning a land in Sierra Leone is a big challenge.

She said winning the Nak Kids Got Talent was not a surprise to her as she has a God-given talent which she has been so passionate about stating that participating in the competition was really her dream to showcase her talent to the world.

The event was climaxed by the distribution of certificate to deserving personalities who have served the QueenNak Foundation and making the said event a success.

Lands Ministry Frustrates Late Tamba Sam’s Niece

Minister of Lands, Dr. Dennis Sandy

By Cycil Showers

A distressed Josephine Adama Mangu, who happens to be the niece of one time National Publicity secretary of the ruling SLPP Government, Hon. Tamba Sam, of blessed memory, is passionately calling on President Julius Maada Bio and the Ministry of Lands to come to her aid as land mafias have taken the late man’s properties from her at Goderich in the west end of Freetown.

As an industrious and hardworking woman, she invested in land that she legally bought and paid for as an investment in preparation for her children and grandchildren abroad, whom she believes one day would leave the ‘white man’s land’, and return home to develop the pieces of land.

This is echoed in the vision of the New Direction Government. Recently, the Minister of Tourism and Cultural Affairs was in the diaspora calling and urging Sierra Leoneans to come to Sierra Leone and invest for a better country.

Sadly, certain unscrupulous land officials are leading a band of hired thugs and armed military personnel to distribute the private land of Madam Josephine Mangu.

According to the confused and disturbed pensioner, she had zinc dwelling on the site in question and a care taker on site. Madam Mangu furthered said that some of these authorities from the Ministry of Lands are undermining President Bio’s plea to Sierra Leoneans in the diaspora to come home and participate in the development of the country.

“It appears that there are individuals in authority bent on tarnishing the image of the Sierra Leone Peoples Party Government and make it appear to be a preconceived scam to attract local and foreign investors into Sierra Leone and then unlawfully seize their lands and sell it to a criminal network,” she lamented.

“This is not a good image for our beloved Sierra Leone and these rogue officials must be exposed and brought to book; in the same way rogue teachers were exposed and brought to book,” she maintained.

However, the children of Madam Josephine Margu are calling on President Bio and the First Lady to come to the rescue of their mother for justice to prevail and open floodgate for other families in the diaspora to come back home and help in nation’s building.

The said land was about 26.7232acres, but out of humanitarian feeling and gestures she has allocated 19acres to some of her children and traded some other plots to close relatives.

The remaining acres, according to the owner,is now being sold by Morie Saffa who allegedly is intimidating the caretaker.

Morie Saffa was also caught in the early hours of past Saturday defying the monthly cleaning exercise as he was desperately heading to Madam Josephine’s land with thugs releasing all sort of threatening remarks stressing how he will continue to demarcate portions of the lands to unknown people for sale saying it is a State land.

Madam Josephine has times without number openly challenged Morie Saffa that she acquired the land legitimately with all documents in her possession, but the defiant and boisterous Morie Saffa continues to prevail on the hapless woman.

“I need justice to prevail,” she cried.

 

 

Dennis Sandy Orders Re-Arrest of Land Owner

Minister of Lands, Dr. Dennis Sandy

On the pretext to pay compensation to illegal squatters…

By Fatmata Jengbe

It will be recalled that on the 30th September 2019 a Court Order of eviction was executed by military and police personnel at Bathurst, Soja Tong, in order to reclaim a piece of land belonging to Abdulai Bademba Barrie that was purportedly encroached upon by individuals who had no business to be there, including some military personnel.

The land in question, before Abdulai bought it, was a private property and not a State Land as some may want to imagine. Alleged illicit structures were bulldozed on the piece of land, leaving the so-called squatters out in the open.

The Minister of Lands, Dr. Dennis Sandy, on the 7th October 2019 personally ordered the arrest of a peaceful businessman by the name of Abdulai Bademba Barrie, for no clear or justifiable reason and later drove him in his official vehicle to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) in Freetown where Abdulai was detained and was refused granting him bail. This was his first arrest and detention.

Speaking to the Head of Police Media, Superintendent Brima Kamara at the time of Abdulai’s arrest, he intimated that the Police were looking at three issues relating to the volatile matter saying first the Minister of Lands made a claim against the Abdulai Barrie, that there was malicious damage of structures on a piece of land and thirdly to authenticate the legality of the Court Order. He stressed that they were looking at those three issues and at the end of the day if Abdulai has a case to answer then the matter will be charged to court and if not it will be thrown out after keeping Abdulai he was released on bail. The matter was never charged to court.

While many were thinking that the matter has been laid to rest with legality prevailing over illegality; with the rightful owner Abdulai re-possessing his bona fide property, the Minister of Lands, Dr. Denis Sandy, has decided to let hell loose break with the avowed objective of making life unbearable for Abdulai Barrie.

This time round Dr. Dennis Sandy has,  allegedly, ordered the re-arrest of Abdulai on the pretext that he should bear the financial burden of compensating the affected squatters who were legally evicted by both police and military personnel from the piece of land at Bathurst.

It must be borne in mind that because of stiff resistance to adhere to the Court Order the police and military personnel had no option at that time  but to demolish the illegal structures that were built on the piece of land that do not belong to them.

As it was indicated during the first arrest of Abdulai the former failed to inform the Lands Ministry that they will be undertaking an execution of the Court Order. To this, a retired Civil Servant, who was a former employee of the Ministry of Lands stated: “The demolition was carried out by the Bailiff Office. What the Minister is doing presently is undermining the Judiciary. Thus, for the Lands Minister and officials of CID to act on the contrary by arresting the landowner constitutes a Travesty of Justice.

Incidentally, it also erodes the authority of the Inspector General of Police who approved for Police assistance as a backup in the event of any resistance put up by the squatters and trespassers.”

With this new development many whose views were captured by this medium expressed indignation over the Minister’s stance some averring that it appears as if he has a personal interest in the aforementioned piece of land. Besides, some have argued that he has clearly manifested that he is deliberately bent on financially extortion and wildly day-dreaming that Abdulai Barrie will bring him the money he is lusting for.

But the question that begs for an answer is this: Where in the world has a Court Order been executed for the eviction of squatters on a piece of land requiring the executor to compensate the illegal occupants? The Lands Minister must honestly answer this important question.

Many Sierra Leoneans keep wondering why with all the illegal ‘bulldozing’ and untoward behavior that have been exhibited by the Minister of Lands, all giving the Maada Bio SLPP-led administration a very bad name, the Government is still continues  maintain him as  Minister of Lands. It has been agreed that indeed there are certain lands belonging to the State that should be reclaimed but the haphazard manner in which the Ministry is going about it, with him always at the forefront perpetrating violence against hapless Sierra Leoneans has become very reprehensible to say the least.

A  clear recent case in point is the one making the round on social media with regards to a piece of land at Levuma , within the Western Rural District, for which there is an ongoing negotiation between the community residents and the Ministry of Tourism to develop that area in order to transform it become a very attractive tourist site. As a matter of fact there is already in existence a signed Memorandum of Understanding between the community residents and the Ministry of Tourism on the understanding of a proposed transformation.

All of a sudden the Minister of Lands, Dennis Sandy, in the company of some rag-tag youth descended on the piece of land in a militant style leaving some people running helter-skelter looking for safety. As the alighted from vehicles they started molesting people. The Minister then ordered that a signpost bearing the insignia STATE LAND was erected on the piece of land. According to an eyewitness the Minister became so furious when people began asking questions and even had the effrontery to soundly slap a woman leaving her almost unconscious. “How are we treated as foreigners on our own land,” the affected occupants were bemoaning.

Well-meaning individuals who contacted this medium have called for President Bio to be very mindful of the pain and agony that the overzealous actions of the Minister of Lands is causing to innocent people and see how best he can intervene as the Father of the Nation to bring to a halt all the dastardly acts perpetrated by Minister Sandy and his henchmen.

“If the Minister is ignorant then let someone educate him that compensation cannot be paid to any squatter or illegal occupant for damages caused in the execution of a Court Order of Eviction,” a Social Commentator recommended adding that the Minister should just leave the peaceful Abdulai Barrie on an issue that has been legally proven straightforward instead of embarking on the incessant harassment of that peaceful and law abiding citizen who has the constitutional right to own a piece of land which should not bother anyone including an illegal squatter.

Africell-Sierra Leone Launches “Mi RIDE KEKE” Transportation Service

By Amin Kef Sesay

A new product called “Mi Ride Keke” has been officially launched by Africell Mobile Company on Friday 1st November, 2019 at their Wilberforce headquarters in Freetown.

The launch of this product is in the bid to support women empowerment through job creation in Sierra Leone which the leading GSM mobile operator in terms of customer connectivity has entered into partnership with A Call To Business Mi Ride (SL), Don Bosco Fambul and Sierra Leone Tricycle Association.

Addressing members of the media, Afri-Radio Station Manager John Konteh who spoke on behalf of the Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Joe Abass Bangura, said that Africell was happy as a Management to Launch “Mi Ride Keke”, a transportation service being that is being rolled out in partnership with Mi Ride (SL), ACTB Savings and Loans, Don Bosco Fambul and Sierra Leone Tricycle Association.

The reason why the Keke was being launched is that it is the most common means of transportation in Sierra Leone and it is a unique piece of machinery that is being used by companies and individuals to transport goods and passengers across the country.

He disclosed that the Keke conveys commuters to distances and locations in comfort and style and some are even fitted with additional sound system to make passengers comfortable through the journey.

He said that they have realized there are fewer women than men riding Kekes across Sierra Leone. Most of these Keke riders are men, and noted that the service will create an avenue for women to access livelihood support to women with 100 Kekes to 100 women to ply the streets of Freetown as a means of job creation and revenue generation.

John Konteh added that these 100 Kekes will all have designated Africell number assigned to each with a short code 5353 and once passengers access the assigned Keke with the unique Africell branding they will pay the normal point to point fare and will also get Le 1 ,000 talk time from Africell at free cost.

Upon disembarkation, the rider will send the Africell number of the passenger to the Africell short code 5353 and the passenger will get a message confirming the transfer of Le I ,000-taIk time to their number, adding that passengers will be at liberty to join as many “Mi Ride Keke” per day and enjoy the Le 1,000 talk time.

“However, passengers will not be eligible e to receive more than Le 1,000-talk time per day from the same rider. A rider can only send an Africell number to the short code 5353 once. A commuter will have access to the allocated talk time but cannot have to look for another Mi Ride Keke to be able to access it”, he maintained.

John Konteh applauded Africell’s partners for the bold initiative to give access to livelihood and dignity to women, noting that the company will continue to be at the cutting edge of innovative technology-based solutions to deliver products and services in Sierra Leone.

Chief Executive Office Mi Ride-SL Ltd David Ngaujah disclosed that having been in the transportation and automotive industry for over a decade now with the urge to contribute towards nation-building; his aim was to empower vulnerable women and girls through entrepreneurship.

“Achieving this great dream, cannot be done alone but to stand shoulder to shoulder with other cooperate entities who have similar dreams and vision, no doubt I have to hook up with Africell the best and most flexible telecommunication company in S/L, ACTB, one of the most outstanding banking institution in the country who came to my aid by financing this project and Don Bosco Fambul” he noted.

He added that the launching of the 100 commercial tricycles commonly in Freetown will help to ease the transportation crisis in the municipality greatly.

The model is designed in such a way that the riders will be managed by Mi Ride SL Ltd for a period of 18 months and will owned the kekehs after the end of period which is commonly called “wok en pay”

In addition, and consequently, the riders will automatically become agents of Africell whereby they will be able to sell Africell money, top up, Sim Cards etc and Africell will provide them instant commission for every sales/transaction made to the kekeh riders. Of particular importance was that all passengers onboard the Mi Ride Kekes will instantly regain 50% on net on whatever amount they pay to the kekeh riders who will also not incur repairs and maintenance rather Mi Ride Keke.

Warm appreciation was given to Africell-SL, ACTB Savings and Loans, Don Bosco Fambul, Cerra automotive and Sierra Leone Tricycle Association for their tremendous support in making the project a success.

Assistance Country Director Don Bosco Fambul Samuel Thomas Bojoh disclosed that Don Bosco Fambul has been long standing partnership with Africell for over nine years with the establishment of the Child Line 116 in 2010, which is now metamorphose to 323. He added that launching the Mi Ride Keke was another partnership with Africell in concert with Mi Ride SL Ltd and this has endorsed their long standing deepened relations.

He noted that there was a deferred Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to be signed on media Advocacy of Sexual Abuse Cases between Africell and Don Bosco Fambul and that Don Bosco carefully selected recipients of’ the tripartite project based on integrity, prudency and moral grounds. “It is our hope that these fortunate group of keke riders would be of difference according”, said the Don Bosco chief.

The riders were admonished to see themselves as fortunate choices of the project; therefore they should be different among others in discharging their duties.

They were also advised that they cannot just ply the streets of Freetown for money but to service the people well with repute, courteousness, good manners etc.

Don Bosco Fambul further assured the gathering that 50% of the total cost for the training and the licenses for all beneficiaries of the keke project was be remitted before the commencement of the training

In conclusion, Thomas Bojoh said “Don Bosco would conclusively register their enormous gratitude to Africell and Mi-ride for making Don Bosco Fambul the pool for selection of this enviable project”.

Sierra Leone Disability Rights Movement Talks Tough on Corruption and Disability

By Foday Moriba Conteh

The effects of corruption on the disability community were being discussed by the disable group – Disability Rights Movement (DRIM). The DRIM last week held a seminar at the Ministry of Social Welfare Gender and Children Affairs Conference Room New England Ville Freetown. It brought together the Anti- Corruption Commission (ACC), Ministry of Social Welfare Gender and Children Affairs, National Commission for Persons with Disability and other Organizations on Thursday 31st October, 2019 to discuss the effects of corruption on Disability in Sierra Leone.

“The Effect of Corruption on Disability in Sierra Leone” was adopted as a theme of discussion and participants appreciated the topic as it was familiar with their understanding of the subject matter.

Executive Director of Disability Rights Movement (DRIM), Dr. Vandy Konneh said that the Disability Rights Movement (DRIM) was established in 1998 as a National Non-Governmental Organization and is working for the socio-economic, cultural and political transformation of Persons with Disability (PWDs) and other vulnerable populations in society.

He added that the DRIM and other PDOs strongly thrive on the fervent conviction of equal rights for all and disables including those that are psychologically affected in order to enable them galvanize resources that address their needs.

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability (UNCRPD) and the Persons with Disability Act 2011 have laid foundations for this community of persons to thrive yet many of the existing laws in the country have to protect the rights of people with disabilities.

Worse still, through legislation, some barriers that were created to prevent people with disabilities from accessing equal opportunities have now failed. Since the enactment of the Disability Act 2011 he noted that people with disabilities in mainstream political activities have only made a few attempts to eliminate discrimination against the disability community.

According to Dr. Vandy Konneh, corruption permeates the political, economic and social spheres of communities and countries, and this is affecting the stability and security of persons with disability that are being threatened their development and prosperity.

Emphasis was specifically made to corruption which hinders efforts of disables to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It was also noted that this undermines democracy and the rule of law, leads to human rights violations, erodes quality of life and allows organized crime, terrorism etc.

Evidence abound that corruption hurts the disables more than any other category of people, and further stated that the ACC in collaboration with DRIM will acts as a catalyst for change for disable people to raise voices and win arguments to implement the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability, the Sierra Leone Disability Act 2011, and ACC Act 2008, all in a bid to providing practical assistance and building the technical capacity needed to develop effective Anti-Corruption policies and institutions.

Participants were assured that DRIM will follow up with the expected recommendations coming from the seminar and there was appeal for supporting to cascade the mission of the organisation to reach the remotest places in Sierra Leone where disables are in order to educate them about their rights against corruption, poverty and discrimination.

Deputy Minister of Social Welfare Gender and Children Affairs Mohamed Haji Kella applauded the Anti-Corruption Commission for the tremendous efforts in the fight against corruption and their support towards the Disability Rights Movement. He added that they liked the seminar because of its focus on two major issues: Corruption and Disability.

“Disable people are more than ten times victims of corruption compared to the able persons”, disclosed the deputy minister. In that regard, Mr. Kella called on everybody to support in eradicating corruption in Sierra Leone.

The minister also urged the people to stop the discrimination against disable people, and reminded about the President’s maiden address to parliament when he made it very clear that he was voted to rule all Sierra Leoneans including the disable, under his New Direction.

It would be recalled that in the health centers disable people cannot access free health care due to corruption and this was highlighted to get the attention of the participants that they were being deprived contrary to the laws which guarantee them free health care.

In conclusion, Sierra Leoneans were being called upon to enhance the welfare of persons with disability in the society.

Sierra Leone MCC Score Card Puts Bio in Smiles

By Amin Kef Sesay                   

They know him to hardly smile, reasons unaccounted. However, one thing that has happened on Friday 1st November 2019 in Freetown has put smiles of Sierra Leone’s President. President Dr Julius Maada Bio has told a meeting at State Lodge that he is excited about Sierra Leone’s performance in the Millennium Challenge Corporation, MCC, Fiscal Year 2020 scorecard. The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) through a press release said that they were happy to inform the country that Sierra Leone has increased its ‘Control of Corruption’ to 8%. This is culled from a report by the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) which pegs countries scorecards each year. For 2018-2019, the MCC said Sierra Leone has moved from 71 percent in 2018, and now to 79 percent in 2019, making it 8 percent upwards.  That is, it is 30 percent upwards from 22 percent last year, and moving from 49 percent in 2017 to 71 percent in 2018.

According to the report, published on Friday 1st November 2019, and presented to the President by Maria Brewer, the American Ambassador to Sierra Leone, the country did very well in control of corruption, ruling justly and investing in people with pass marks in guaranteeing democratic rights, civil liberties, the rule of law, health and primary education expenditures. The country also made great progress in economic freedom with pass marks in trade policy, gender in the economy and business start-up.

In his response, President Bio said that he was pleased that Sierra Leone was able to meet certain requirements and standard benchmarks and promised that his government would do more to meet the other indicators on the scorecard.

He also used the opportunity to applaud the Honourable Vice President Dr Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh, who supervises the work of the MCC, and commended the entire membership of the Millennium Challenge Coordinating Unit in Sierra Leone, for the achievement.

During the presentation, Ambassador Brewer said that she was very happy and proud to be able to share with the President that the Government of Sierra Leone had passed the MCC Scorecard 2019.

In a statement released earlier on behalf of the Government of Sierra Leone, the Ministry of Information and Communications said that the Government had received with great delight the publication by the MCC scorecard showing significant improvement and was now eligible for the MCC Compact consideration.

The MCC is an independent bilateral United States foreign aid agency that uses key competitive indicators to assess the degree to which the political and economic conditions in a country serve to promote broad-based sustainable economic growth and reduction of poverty and thus provide a sound environment for the use of MCC funds.

This has virtually put Sierra Leone amongst the top ten performers in the MCC income category this year’s report, and making her number two in Africa; and number one in the Mano River Union. The country passed more than 10 of the 20 indicators, including the mandatory “Control of Corruption” indicator in the 2019 MCC Report. Therefore, Sierra Leone is now “Compact Eligible”, meaning that she is eligible to benefit from the US Government around Six Hundred Million United States Dollars (US$600M).

The MCC is an initiative United States Government to provide aid to developing countries to fight widespread poverty through economic growth. Its scorecard consists of 20 indicators under three broad categories: “Economic Freedom,” “Ruling Justly,” and “Investing in People.” The ‘Control of Corruption’ Indicator falls under “Ruling Justly” category.

Similarly, Sierra Leone has also scored high in other global and regional anti-corruption rankings. In the Global Corruption Barometer, she ranked 3rd out of 35 African Countries surveyed on “Government’s Effectiveness in the Fight against Corruption.” A happy president smiled while being presented the report card by American ambassador to Sierra Leone Maria Brewer. And the ACC followed saying in a press release saying that they were reassuring the public of their determination to continue to inject integrity and transparency into State governance.

Sierra Leone Anti-Corruption Amended Act 2019 Passed into Law

By Amin Kef Sesay

For the first time a divided House of Parliament spoke in unison to amend and pass a bill that has not suffered any set back while deliberating it in Parliament.  The response came due to the crusade against graft which was being boosted on Thursday 31st October 2019 when the amended Anti-Corruption Act was passed into law.

The Anti-Corruption Amendment Act 2019″ which will replace the Anti-Corruption Act of 2008, when accented to by the President, seeks to increase the powers of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) in the fight against graft which campaigners say is at an endemic proportion in the country.

Among other things, the amended documents have streamlined the category of public officials covered under the asset declaration law. Until now, every government official – both civil and public servants were required to declare their assets.

This has made the Commission’s work in the past very difficult thus requiring extra powers to target specific officials in the civil service from Grade Nine and above.

The amended law also seeks to increase penalties for offences under the Act and related matters, and strengthens protection of witnesses who assist the Commission. Alternatives are also made in the new law foe the Commission to use phrases that indicate that the accused ‘offered’, ‘solicited’, ‘obtained’ or ‘received’ corruption advantage to prosecute offenders, in addition to ‘gave’ and accepted’ an advantage.

The happy anti-graft boss Francis Ben Kaifala, who championed the amendment, hailed the development on social media as an achievement. In a tweet following news of the parliamentary decision, he noted that the law will make corruption expensive. “The People’s Anti-Corruption Amendment Bill 2019 … fully empowers the ACC to make corruption very expensive and more efficiently confront corruption at all levels; including preventing the signing of contracts that are NOT in the national interest!” he tweeted.

The passing of the law comes after a long process that was characterized by partisan political exchanges between the governing Sierra Leone People’s Party and the main opposition All People’s Congress in the House. APC legal experts and some lawmakers were apprehensive about some aspects of the amendment proposed by the current ACC head.

After Thursday’s amendment by the House of Parliament it is expected that the new law will come into effect immediately.  The Bill, which was first tabled in Parliament some seven months ago, was passed after going through the legislative stages and committees in Parliament, including a vote by Members of Parliament specifically on the “contracts clause”; and thereafter the entire bill, following a vibrant bi-partisan debate.

The Bill now awaits assent by the President of the Republic of Sierra Leone, His Excellency, Brig. (Rtd.) Julius Maada Bio to become Law.

It would be recalled that the first Anti-graft law was passed under the SLPP-government led by President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah in 2000, towards the end of the civil war. Kabbah’s successor, Ernest Bai Koroma, amended it in 2008.

1...890891892...1,048Page 891 of 1,048

© Copyright - The Calabash Newspaper