Sierra Leone needs Drastic Structural Reforms to turn Economy Around

August 9, 2019

By Prince Jacob Macauley – 9^th August 2019

People of Sierra Leone have come to realize that we cannot keep on the same thing and hope to get different results. The economic policies that have been followed are not helping and we have an ongoing economic crisis that we are facing as a nation; the cost of fuel, the rise in foreign exchange rate and the lack of private sector investment are all part of the problem.

The sad reality is that we are looking for foreign investments to rescue us, but we have never seen anywhere in the world where foreign investment leads and domestic investment follows. It is always domestic investment that leads and foreign investment follows. As a country we have to build confidence in our own economy and the way to do that is to provide an economic stimulus and a strong plan to progressively transform our economy as we still remain a commodity dependent economy.

In my view I think the government is getting advised from the usual suspects like the IMF, for some reasons and for some years, since the global financial crisis, IMF was wrong in the issue of capital controls; they were wrong in the issue of inflation targets and they were also wrong in the issue of trade unions and labor market, and so as a nation, we all should know that there is a shift that has taken place internationally including recognition of austerity policies in Europe which is absolutely disastrous.

But it seems as if our treasury and key elements of government and I am not saying the entire government of President Bio, but there are key powerful members in the Bio government that are linked to this element because they testify to this rating institutions and agencies, they testify of global financial institutions, and it is high time they stop looking to the institutions for directions and is time we take responsibility and our sovereignty for our own economic direction.

Ordinary people are suffering in the country, there are no jobs for the youth, bread and butter is more difficult for everyone now; not only for the average man alone. What the international experience shows since the financial global crisis in particular countries that has taken responsibility to implement a large scale public investment program for example; to implement a degree of capital control etc.

Doing all these things that are aimed to protect the population and to boost the economy and these are the countries that are managed to weather the global financial crisis in the world, those that follow the advice of the deregulations and regularization as we are, we are facing the worst now. Also the central bank long ago should have done better to salvage the country’s economy by cutting down on interest rates.

The problem that is there for reserve in the bank in order to attract inflows through the maintenance of high interest rate to attract short term inflows to maintain the high interest rate policies and the problem of high inflation rate in Sierra Leone cannot be dealt with through the blank instrument of interest rate is like you stifle economical activities.

One important point the government should take into consideration is that there official policies where the economy in contracting now and where we are and have been for a number of years. They need to introduce a counter-cyclical fiscal monitoring policies, but what they are doing now is the opposite by tightening our monitoring and fiscal policies and large cut backs in other words, public investments suffer and as a result the cost of capital is too expensive for small businesses and manufacturers to invest in the productivity sector and that is what we need urgently and critically to help boost the country’s economy.

Sierra Leone’s Tourism Industry attracting Big Investors

August 9, 2019

By Amin Kef Sesay – 9^th August 2019

A revitalised and vibrant Sierra Leone is hoping to entice visitors with a responsible tourism focus.

Cradled feet away in the arms of Mama P, his surrogate human mother, Caesar the baby chimp toys his tufty hair before casting me a stare so cute and innocently wide-eyed that my heart squeaks.

This being Sierra Leone’s Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary, though, home to 89 orphaned chimps, such arresting interactions come served with a healthy dollop of education.

“We have a moral obligation to protect the chimps – they may be extinct in 10 years,” warns my host Aram Kazandjian, Tacugama’s manager. His team is working tirelessly to protect the critically endangered western chimpanzee, from establishing new reserves and “wildlife corridors” to tackling bush-meat poaching. To help raise funds, the sanctuary offers packages in its homely onsite lodges, backed by activities such as yoga weekends and film nights. It’s all rather inspiring.

Tacugama is at the vanguard of the West African country’s attempts to develop responsible tourism in the wake of the crushing Ebola epidemic of 2014 and its earlier civil war. The government is acknowledging and backing the move, recently using the visit by renowned chimp expert Dr Jane Goodall to announce it had adopted the chimp as the new symbol for tourism.

Now, backed by its cuddly new symbol, recently appointed representation agency Kamageo and a catchy “Sierra-ously Surprising” tag line, it has UK visitors firmly in its sights.

Natural treasures feature highly in my April visit, not least the birdlife. Salone, as the country is nicknamed, is home to 640 recorded species, including the great blue turaco. Top spots include Gola Rainforest national park – where I keep an eye out for sooty mangabey monkeys, forest elephants and birds including white-necked picathartes – and meet the team aiming to raise the park’s profile through ventures such as chocolate production tours and a new hiking and biking trail.

Nearby Tiwai island, set in the Moa River and part of the same ecosystem as Gola, lays claim to the highest concentration of primates in the world, its habituated Diana monkeys being the undisputed stars. Despite overnighting on the island, they’re a no-show on my guided dawn walk, although a galago and some red colobus monkeys are among those making an appearance. My hunt for an elusive pygmy hippo on a dugout canoe trip down the Moa proves similarly fruitless, although one canoe in the convoy thinks they see a tell-tale rump melt into the forest so we claim it, feebly.

Smarter: Suggest clients grab an Africell mobile sim card at Freetown airport and load it with data – it’ll prove invaluable in-country (africell.sl).

Better: Cap a tour with some beachfront luxury at The Place, a fabulous property in Tokeh, with rooms that face either the beach or the mountains.

Fairer: Money spent at attractions such as Tacugama, Tiwai and Gola helps fund eco-tourism initiatives, while community visits and stays generate direct revenue for villages such as Kambama.

Salone’s dreamy coastline is another of its chief selling points, even in frenetic capital Freetown where, come evening, I retreat to tourist-friendly Lumley Beach, a heated hub of football on the weekend and a great spot to grab a sundowner at one of the beachside bar restaurants.

Touring the coastline, however, throws up constant reminders of Sierra Leone’s dark days as a base for the slave trade, and I gain my first glimpses of its legacy offshore on the Banana islands, a tour of Dublin taking in sites such as its infamous slave pit. Nowhere evokes the country’s blighted past more than Bunce island, the former British-operated slavery outpost near Freetown. Touring the ruins of its diabolic slave fortress, where tens of thousands of Africans were sold and sailed to slave owners in the Americas before its 1808 closure, is a sobering experience.

Unsurprisingly, the subject of slavery is never far from my guided tour of Freetown either, the city owing its very foundation to Britain shipping freed slaves here from the colonies. I trace those early arrivals through landmarks such as the surviving wooden houses of the ethnic Krio population; historic stone churches; and the aged Cotton Tree by the National Museum, an early gathering point.

Currency: The Leone. At the time of going to press, £1 was equivalent to 11.15 Leone. Visas: £109, available on entry.

Climate: Tropical year-round with two main seasons – rainy (May to October) and dry (November to April).

Best time to visit: September to February. Flights: Brussels Airlines flies from Heathrow to Freetown via Brussels. Other indirect options include Air France and Royal Air Maroc.
Vaccinations: Clients must have a yellow fever certificate.

Many memorable moments come courtesy of local interactions, from joking with market traders in Makeni to chatting with locals in Kona.

Arriving at Kambama village to take a boat to Tiwai I’m engulfed by laughing, fist-bumping and high-fiving local kids before the community puts on a show of traditional music and dancing.

Later, I stumble in to the town square in Kabala where I’d gone to attend a ceremony with some elders to gain the principal chief’s blessing and to hike up Wara Wara. Here, I’m swept up in a mesmerising melee of musicians, acrobats and witch doctor illusionists.

I come away loving the place. That said, it won’t suit everyone, not least first-time Africa visitors set on easy wildlife viewing or ticking off the Big Five. Similarly, luxury-lovers are unlikely to be impressed by the accommodation in remote areas such as Tiwai. But for nature and culture-loving clients seeking authentic experiences and meaningful local interactions in the real Africa, it could well be time to get Sierra-ous.

BOOK IT: Rainbow Tours’ new 10-day Sierra Leone Made Simple tour costs from £2,795pp, including Brussels Airlines flights to Freetown and sights such as Tacugama, Bunce and Tiwai.

Heavy Flooding leaves Hundreds Homeless in Tombo, Sierra Leone

August 9, 2019

By Amin Kef Sesay – 9^th August 2019

Torrential rains starting from 2nd August, 2019 have led to flooding in many parts of the Western Area of Sierra Leone including rural Tombo.

At around 23:00 GMT, the Tombo Community was overwhelmed with flooding leaving properties washing away and mud houses submerged. Hundreds of families were also left homeless and sheltered in schools and community centres.

At least 7 people were officially reported dead, although the death toll could be hire and some 5,000 people were believed to have lost their shelter in the aftermaths of the flooding in the capital. Informal settlements, including impoverished slum communities, scattered around the city and mostly built in flood or landslide prone areas, are likely the most affected and at risk of further flooding, considering the forecast rains in the coming days.

More heavy rainfall is forecast to continue across Sierra Leone during the weeks of August. This would lead to severe impact on people and damage to infrastructure, particularly in the densely populated northern area of Freetown. Madongo Town and New England are prone to localised flooding; Susan’s Bay, Lumley and Kroo Bay are prone to coastal flooding due to their location in low-lying areas and are likely to report a higher human impact as a consequence of poor shelters and dense population. Risk of mudslide is high for areas such as Regent, Leicester, Gloucester and Kissy.

Despite a current lack of information, based on previous similar disasters, it is very likely that access is constrained due to flooded roads and bridges, debris blocking roads, and poor communication networks.

The overall number of people affected and in need remain unclear until floodwaters recede, which might take few days as rains are still ongoing. There is a lack of specific information on sectoral needs at the time of writing. Because of disruption of communication lines and electricity, the full extent of the damage is still unknown.

‘We are not driving Investors Away’ -Sierra Leone Mines Minister

August 9, 2019

By Amin Kef Sesay – 9^th August 2019

Hon. Foday Rado Yokie, Minister of Mines and Mineral Resources has said that reports of “cancelations or suspensions of several mining licenses” by the local media and the London Financial Times and Reuters is simply fictitious.

Hon. Yokie who was appointed minister on May 9, 2019 made the pronouncement during an interview with this medium on social media.

It could be recalled that immediately after his appointment, Minister Yokie vowed to review all mining contracts in the country and assured the people of Sierra Leone, whom he said have endured protracted suffering that under his watch mining activities would be safeguarded and ultimately revamped so as to be beneficial to all Sierra Leoneans.

Preceding his appointment, Minister Yokie represented Constituency 068 (Bo District) from 2007– 2017 in Sierra Leone Parliament where he served in many committees including Mines and Mineral Resources Oversight Committee. He was also the Government of Sierra Leone Special Trade Envoy

In the interview Hon. Yokie said he has cancelled Shandong Iron and Steel Group for not paying their dues to the government and people of Sierra Leone. We need serious investors and not ones that can hold onto our mineral wealth and starve us from our dues as a nation. We inherited a challenging economy. So we need every cent to make lives better for the people of Sierra Leone. I have suspended exportation only but operations are ongoing with Sierra Leone Mining

He added that Shandong’s cancelation took effect since June 4th 2019, but that one cancelation and one suspension to export while the Mining License Agreement is renegotiated and that the cancelations and suspension of several mining licenses and all other things reported in the news is fictional.

Meanwhile, Shandong Iron and Steel, owner of the Tonkolili project is pursuing litigation in Sierra Leone’s High Court arguing that the licenses cancelations are invalid or illegal after paying all its fees and royalties.

He denied that legal actions by Shandon are not to his knowledge

Some economic observers say President Bio’s move to cancel mining licenses will impede foreign investors and investments that the country badly needs,

To this Hon. Yokie said we are not scaring investors away but we are only revisiting some Mining Licenses Agreements. In my view the people of Sierra Leone are not benefiting as expected from their mineral wealth. So, we need to change that narrative by renegotiating a better deal for our people, that is our sacred obligation, we owe it to the people of Sierra Leone.

On the issue of the Government Transition Team (GTT) 2018 which shows the previous APC administration signed two agreements with the management of Sierra Rutile Ltd., which also spoke of amends to the Sale and Purchase Agreement of Government Shares in the company, and that the report concludes that former President Koroma and his nephew John Sisay subsequently sold the government’s 30 shares, Hon. Rado maintained that Sierra Rutile is under investigation by the Commission of Inquiry (COI). They will furnish the Government with their findings and recommendations.

Sierra Leone Youths to cultivate 6000 Acres Farmland

August 9, 2019

By Elkas Sannoh – 9^th August 2019

At least 6000 acres of land have been acquired in various areas in the provinces for youth to engage in agricultural activities, thus provide employment for them.

The Deputy Minister of Youth Affairs, Hon. Lusine Kallon, has led a delegation to champion President Julius Maada Bio’s New Direction priority in using agriculture as the backbone for the country’s economy.

As a policy directive, the Deputy Minister is currently on a nationwide tour in Kenema, Kono, Magburuka, and Kabala to establish Youth Farms.

In Kenema District over the weekend, the Deputy Minister and his team from the Ministry of Youth Affairs launched the Youth In Agriculture Project. The ceremony was graced by the Mayor of the Kenema City, His Worship Thomas Mbayo, the Deputy Minister of Lands, Housing and Country Planning-Rex Bhonapha, SLARI and Solidaridad representatives, the District Agriculture Officer and over fifty youth groups in the District.

In his short address, the Deputy Minister of Lands, Hon. Rex Bhonapha said using Kenema was deliberate because of the youthful population and harnessing those potentials required a strong political will which has been demonstrated today.

The Mayor thanked the Youth Ministry for using agriculture as a key strategy to discourage idleness among young people. He promised his unflinching support to the project in the entire District.

In Kono District, the Youth In Agriculture Project had secured 250 (two hundred and fifty) acres of land and 5000 (five thousand) acres of land in Tonkolili District.

In Kabala, the Deputy Minister and his team engaged stakeholders to establish 250 (two hundred and fifty) acres of land to kick-start the project.

Addressing journalists, the Field Manager, Frank Amadu Bio said they are impressed with the development in Masalia village, Masiaka town where the land has been cleared, harrowed and ploughed. He said Masalia will not only become a demonstration site but a place where different agricultural products will be harvested and made available in the market.

Njala Student bags NATCOM Sierra Leone Award for Innovation

August 9, 2019

By Dauda Bangura – 9^th August 2019

Njala University is now in top gear as one of its students recently defeated three participants from other Universities that took part in the pitching of innovative ideas based on Information, Communication and Technology (ICT).

The event took place on August 2, 2019, the final day, of the Commonwealth ICT conference which took place at the Bintumani Hotel from the 31^st July to 2^nd August 2019.

The well attended conference was hosted by the National Telecommunications Commission (NATCOM) with the Theme: “Broadband for Inclusive Digital Transformation”.

Rural connectivity, Analogue to Digital, Broadcasting transformation, Enhancing local innovation, Emerging technologies, Big data, Youth and ICTs, Data protection, Broadband infrastructure sharing and OTTs were all thematic areas that were widely deliberated by all the participants comprising representatives from within and without the country.

Giving a background of the competition Dr. David Moinina Sengeh, the Chief Innovator of DSTI said, “The Directorate of Science, Technology, & Innovation in partnership with the National Telecommunications Commission (NATCOM), and the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation (CTO) invited the general public to submit ideas to its connectivity challenge during its annual Commonwealth ICT Forum.” He furthered that the response was somehow a bit encouraging but expressed disappointment for not having a female participant.

He disclosed how the Connectivity Innovation Idea /Challenge is about making a positive impact by providing or making use of increased quality connectivity in Sierra Leone. Dr. Sengeh pointed out that for someone who is participating in the challenge an individual stands a chance of winning Le 5,000,000 to make his or her idea become a reality, adding that those with good winning ideas will also be given an opportunity to develop a prototype in partnership with DSTI.

The young Dr. Moinina Sengeh said the panel of judges were able to select 4 finalists who were invited to pitch their ideas live on stage at the end of the Commonwealth ICT Forum 2019.

It was a highly competitive and tense moment when the Chairman of the event, Mr. Daniel Kaitibi, who doubles as Deputy Director General of NATCOM, allocated 3 minutes each to the finalists to pitch their ideas.

Mahmoud Gbesssay: Pitched on Educational Television-

Dilating on his idea, he highlighted how the SLPP Maada Bio led Government places premium on enhancing quality education and such is evident in introducing the flagship free quality education that is now benefitting pupils from nursery school up to senior secondary school level. He also mentioned how the idea of encouraging female students pursuing courses in the sciences at the university is a laudable one.

Mahmoud argued that through making use of educational television programs, which he designed, such could greatly help in terms of enhancing and taking education to another level. He underscored that education is the engine for development stressing that efforts need to be made by State and Non-State actors to ensure that everything is humanely done to make education worthwhile. “True individual and national development can highly become possible through educational empowerment,” Mahmoud told the attentive audience, emphasizing how educational television could broaden connectivity and go widely.

He successfully thrilled the judges as well as the audience by the way he marketed his idea and ultimately emerged as the winner.

Dishing out the award to the deserving winner, the Director General of NATCOM, Maxwell Massaquoi, thanked all the participants for showing interest and taking part in the competition. “To develop a proposal within a short-given period of time is really not easy but you guys have proven that with commitment and dedication the impossible can become the possible,” he posited followed by a warm round of applause from the audience.

Mahmoud was declared the winner of not only five million Leones but was also offered an eligibility status to attend the next Commonwealth conference scheduled to take place in London next year. Being absent but participated via telephone his award was received on his behalf by a lecturer cum Director of Information Technology at Njala University.

The other three participants were given consolation prizes of two million Leones each and offered the opportunity to undergo further training to improve on their existing knowledge.

China, MMCET Sierra Leone sign Practical Arts MoU

August 9, 2019

By Sumner Kangbap – 9^th August 2019

The Milton Margai College of Education and Technology (MMCET) polytechnic on Wednesday 7^th August 2019 at the conference room of the Ministry of Technical and Higher Education, New England Ville in Freetown signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Chinese Embassy in Freetown to support the Practical Arts Department of the college headed by Mr. Marco Conteh.

According to the MoU, the Chinese Embassy will provide the equipment, vehicles and expertise to train 45 students in the Practical Arts Department to make pottery items as the representative of the Chinese Embassy underscored that the short term course would create jobs and appealed to Government, through the Ministry, to provide waiver for some of the equipment.

As the Embassy cannot ship the raw materials from China, MMCET will provide the space and conducive learning environment for the training of the 45 students, provide the raw materials like clay, oven (s), water and firewood, the MoU further highlights.

The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Technical and Higher Education, Mr. Gilbert Cooper, who represented the Ministry, asserted that the MoU is a “fair deal.”

The Ministry of Technical and Higher Education is expected to provide the leave application, coordinate the entire process as well as the duty waiver for the shipment of the equipment.

The ceremony was witnessed by the college’s Acting Vice Principal, Dr. Mohamed Alie Jalloh, who signed on behalf of the college, the Senior Registrar, Mr. Jeff Momoh, the Dean of the Brookfields campus, Mrs. Alima Jumu, the Public Relations Officer, Elizabeth Sesay and the head of the Practical Arts Department, Mr. Marco Conteh.

The course starts on 25^th September this year.

To Overcome Development Challenges in Sierra Leone: NGOs Need To Align Strongly with Govt.

August 9, 2019

A Commentary By Amin Kef Sesay – 9^th August 2019

Too few NGOs seek to leverage their resources to achieve durable social change. In fact, evidence abounds that NGOs often try to bypass government for a variety of reasons. However, those NGOs that endeavor to find and collaborate with committed government officials make big development gains.

Large-scale social change rarely occurs without government playing a key role in policy change, policy implementation, or both. If NGOs, especially those that receive huge international funding, utilize those funds well for their intended purposes of alleviating poverty, in line with outlined government policies and programs, they can make a big difference in the fight against grassroots poverty.

Consider China’s rural legal reforms in the late ‘70s and ‘80s, which helped hundreds of millions of farmers lift themselves from poverty; the 19th amendment in the United States, which allowed women to vote and fueled wider gains for women’s rights; or India’s launch of a unique digital identification system, which has allowed tens of millions of families to access government poverty alleviation programs and services. As such, successful partnership begins with both NGOs and local governments becoming firmly committed to collaboration and convinced of its value.

Consider many of the most impactful NGOs working today; they almost uniformly recognize the potential of working with the public sector; seek out committed government officials, and partner — deeply and over the long term. BRAC, the largest development agency in the world, One Acre Fund, and Partners in Health are three great examples of organizations maximizing their impact through partnerships with the public sector.

There is little reason why NGOs that seek to advance large-scale social change through partnering with government on effective policy change or implementation are still outliers, not the norm. The following tips can help organizations more effectively identify potential opportunities for collaboration with the public sector and seize such opportunities as a path to promoting changes to policy or large-scale implementation that accelerate social change.

Begin with the end in mind: What is the large-scale change you want to help accomplish and what is the ideal role of government in achieving that large-scale change? Is it changing policy? Implementing a solution? Improving an institution? Providing resources? NGOs must plan from the beginning to engage the government to achieve that end.
Walk in their shoes: Understand the perspectives, priorities, and incentives of government representatives. Seek to understand before seeking to be understood. If you do not align your objectives with your government champions’ objectives, you will not succeed.

For instance, Last Mile Health works closely with Liberia’s Ministry of Health to advance the government’s goals on universal health coverage. When asked to provide advice to NGOs on effective engagement with government, a senior official within the ministry recently offered this advice: “You come with your idea. I share my priorities. We integrate the two. And together we achieve stronger results.”

Agree on the problem: Define and get aligned on the problem. If you are not aligned on the nature of the problem, it is challenging to get aligned on a solution. Harvard’s Building State Capability’s Problem-Driven Iterative Adaption approach can be helpful here.
Understand ground realities: Conduct research to deeply understand local challenges and share these insights to add value to your partnerships with government. Better yet, ask government to partner on this research to develop a deep, joint understanding of the problem.

Landesa’s successful partnership with China’s government over decades has included collaborative field research to ensure that ground realities inform the government’s land policy reform. Proximity Design leverages its experience with Myanmar’s farmers’ needs to constructively engage with the government on agricultural policy setting.

Co-create solutions with government: Involve government partners in developing solutions that address the challenges you’ve jointly identified. If you come to your government partners with a solution that is already baked, you are likely missing opportunities to engage more deeply with government, gain their buy-in, and identify more culturally and politically appropriate and impactful solutions.
Changing government policy or advancing government implementation will likely require cooperation from policymakers in different ministries with different interests and agendas; and these likely differ from the incentives of those who are responsible for implementing policy. All will require engagement to meet the goals of your cause.

IOM, MSWGCA CONDUCT TRAINING FOR GOVERNMENT & CIVIL SOCIETY OFFICIALS ON HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN SIERRA LEONE

August 9, 2019

By Alfred Forna – 9^th August 2019

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) in collaboration with the Ministry of Social welfare Gender and children’s Affairs recently concluded a five day training for Government Officials and Civil Society Organizations on protection of victims of Human Trafficking. The training was held at Dohas Hotel in Bo City.

Speaking at the event, Mr Mangeh sesay, National Project Officer and Trafficking in Persons (TiPs) Focal Point IOM, highlighted the importance of bringing these set of participants to this training. “The fight against human trafficking would not be won without the active involvement and support of these organizations” he noted. He said the training is being funded by the United States Department of State Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM). He admonished participants to cascade knowledge acquired from this training to their colleagues.

Mr Dehunge Shiaka, Director of Planning and Coordinator of TiPs Task Force Secretariat MSWGCA on behalf of the government of Sierra Leone thanked IOM and the United States Government for their continuous support towards the fight against human trafficking. He said that the government is also demonstrating strong commitment in the fight against human trafficking.

Recently, he added the National TiPs Task Force Secretariat which is based in the Ministry of Social welfare Gender and Children’s Affairs worked with the millennium challenge Coordination Unit (MCCU) under the office of the vice president, to put together a medium- term trafficking in persons budget for the attention of the Ministry of Finance. He stated that the Task Force is in the process of reviewing the Anti-Human Trafficking Act which over the years proved to be inadequate to serve as deterrent against trafficking and smuggling of migrants.

Since March this year, IOM and MSWGCA have organized several trainings on TiPs including workshops for Journalists, TiPs Task Force, and also law enforcement personnel among others.

Bollore Sierra Leone rescues Flood Victims with over Le 50m worth of Food Items

August 9, 2019

By Abdul-Rahman Sinneh Koroma – 9^th August 2019

Bollore Freetown Terminal has, on 6th August, 2019, rescued victims of the recent flooding due to torrential rains at Kanikay, Akram and Blackhall road in Freetown with over 50 million Leones worth of food items.

The donation came after the three communities were affected by the flood disaster that hit Sierra Leone’s capital, Freetown on 2nd August, 2019.

The donated items include bags of rice, rubbers, cooking oil, bags of onion, cubes of maggie, bundles of water, used clothing, bags of sugar, cartons of tea leaf bags, cartons of sardine, tins of milk, cartons of soap etc.

The said donations were handed over to Honorable Abdul Muniru Lansana, of Constituency 121 for distribution among the affected victims in the various communities.

In his statement, Bertrand Kerguelen, General Manager of the Bollore Freetown Terminal stated that even though the company was also affected by the rains, they are more concerned about the welfare of the communities where they operate.

“That is why we are reaching out to help the people in need at this time of emergency,” he said, adding that the company remains committed to lending helping hands in trying times like this.

Honorable Lansana after receiving the donations expressed profound appreciation to Bollore for their swift response to help the affected victims in his communities.

“I must say I am very grateful and appreciative of this gesture and it will go a long way to soften the suffering of affected people in my constituency,” he maintained.

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