President of the Republic of Sierra Leone Dr. Julius Maada Bio
By Amin Kef Sesay
Looking around us, we see a lot of public goods and facilities, including public buildings, public taps, schools and clinics that have either gone into disuse or become hopelessly dilapidated simply because funds and care are not used to keep them in proper working order. This greatly affects sustainable development.
Sustainability is defined as providing goods and services for current and future generations.
Achieving a sustainable development needs strategic and continuous efforts involving the entire organization, where maintenance efforts play an important role.
The MDAs need to understand and develop an appropriate strategic approach to understand the challenges involved and preparing all involved groups and personnel to achieve the sustainable development through application of maintenance performance measurement.
Maintenance performance needs to be measured for managing and achieving the country’s national development objectives within a sustainable development framework.
In terms of saving the Government money, maintenance plays a vital role in managing safety, energy saving, plant and machineries failure and productivity amongst others.
To manage these activities, appropriate policy and planning is required to be developed enveloping the entire Government machinery and necessary performance indicators are required to be identified to meet the unique requirements.
Energy savings and sustainability will be the major challenges for maintenance teams in the near future.
Developing asset sustainability is an integrated approach for creating long term stakeholders value through managing maintenance excellence. Managing asset sustainability effectively can support the Government to save huge amounts of money in replacement and in creating additional value.
As such, in all MDAs, asset sustainability is a critical issue for today’s capital investment and productivity assessment.
Maintenance produces higher value by avoiding expenditure.
The value potential lies mainly in controlling costs and the smarter deployment of people and resources so sustainability factor becomes more and more important with the growing role of the regulating authorities.
Once the value potential has been identified, the maintenance function must be organized accordingly.
Indeed, sustainability should be considered as part of good management. Hence, indicators requested to manage maintenance-sustainability need to be identified as part of the country’s development planning strategy.
Principal Legal Consultant in the office of the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Lahai Momoh Farmah
By Foday Moriba Conteh
The Principal Legal Consultant in the office of the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Lahai Momoh Farmah, on Thursday 11th March 2021, updated the media on the status of implementation of the Government White Paper at the weekly Government press briefing in the Conference Room of the Ministry of Information and Communications.
Farmah recalled mentioning in his last presentation that they were on the verge of taking 20 of such properties to court for judicial processing, adding that since then they have added another eleven, bringing the total of confiscated properties to thirty-one.
He said that they will be publishing all the thirty-one properties as promised, pointing out that publication cannot be done without writing notices required for each of the properties involved.
All the stages, according to him, have been completed with the process reaching the point where the Attorney General’s office will revert to the Ministry of Information and Communications to facilitate the printing of the document through the Government Printing Department.
He entreated media practitioners to be updating the public on the process because the COI (Commissions of Inquiry) belong to the people and also the monies Government is trying to retrieve are public funds.
Speaking on the appeals process, Farmah stated that there have been filings for stay of execution, saying after all these stages would have been completed his office will require the public to be sensitized on their interest particularly orders relating to eviction including what branch of the court that will be used in the process, security needed to execute the orders and how to control the properties in question at the end of it all.
On monies to be refunded to the State, he stressed that the right to pay debt does not include the right to publish the names of persons paying the debt. “However if anybody decides to pay and publish his/her payment, the office has no problem with that,” he clarified.
He said he could not precisely give the total amount of monies paid so far by persons of interest because it does not fall under their purview as an institution, noting that the recovery account was not opened in the Ministry’s name but the Ministry of Finance at the Bank of Sierra Leone.
He further disclosed that the High Court has received up to one hundred and ten appeals on matters regarding the COI, successfully concluding seven which are now reserved for judgment.
The Principal Legal Consultant urged journalists to go and witness the processes in court to enable them accurately inform the public.
In a ceremony held on Friday 11th March, 2020 at the Miatta Conference Hall in Freetown, Q-Cell, one of the fastest growing telecoms companies in Sierra Leone, has launched a new communication service known as the 4G-LTE product. Q-Cell Sierra Leone’s values and mission are revealed in its tagline ‘SALONE PRIDE’ and its slogan ‘We INNOVATE AND INPSIRE OTHERS TO FOLLOW.’
The symbolic launching of the new product was done by Ambassador Joe Blell, and demonstration of the use of the service was undertaken by Q-cell’s technical staff. The demonstration which lasted for about ten minutes provided an opportunity for the stakeholders and the public to be educated on how the new service could be used. The product ensures the highest speed in the use of internet and other communication services.
The service can now be accessed by customers in Freetown and the northern town of Lungi which hosts the country’s international airport. It is hoped that within few months, the service would be extended to other parts of the country. The newly launched product could be accessed by the use of star 335 and the hash tag.
The same charges one pays for the 3-GLite also applies for the use of the new product. In the initial period following the launch of the new product, Q-Cell customers would enjoy a discount rate. Speaking at the ceremony via audio recording, the Group Chairman for Q-Cell, Mohamed Jah, an alumnus of Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone said the service was launched to ensure speed in the use of internet. Apart from his investment in the telecoms industry, Jah also invests in several sectors of the economy especially banking and the entertainment.
Jah told the audience that the people of Sierra Leone, whose interest has always been at the heart of the company’s operations, deserve the best technology.
Since its commencement of operations in 2019, he went on, the company had the objective of building the best network within Freetown and in the provinces.
“When you look at the Q-Cell network there is no difference between Freetown and the provinces,” he said.
The Group Chairman also informed the audience that in less than two years, Q-Cell Company has spread throughout the country. He referred to the telecoms company as one to reckon with as it continues to record tremendous successes in the telecoms industry. Unlike other telecoms companies, he went on, which he said were here to maximise profits, Q-Cell Sierra Leone is here to seek the interest of Sierra Leoneans.
“We are here to give back to the country and not to make money,” Chairman Jah emphasised. He promised the people of Sierra Leone that in as much as the people are poised to have a sound network in Sierra Leone; it is also equally ambitious to have an affordable network system.
“We are determined to see the best and the fastest growing network in Sierra Leone,” the Chairman assured.
In his contribution, Chief Executive Officer for Q-Cell, Karthik Jayamani assured Sierra Leoneans that the launch of the new product marked a new dawn in the telecoms industry.
The launch, he went on, would also change the people’s way of using their smart phones. Since the telecoms company rolled out its services in January, 2019,he said, it had been offering the cheapest network services in Sierra Leone.
The company’s move, he went on, is to ensure that Q-Cell services are brought to the door steps of the ordinary man at affordable costs.
The CEO also spoke about the rapidity in how the company is spreading in the country.
“With the launching of the 4-GLte, the sky is your limit in the use of your smart phones. The aim of Q-cell is making sure that Sierra Leoneans get the highest speed in internet use at an affordable cost,” he said. With the use of the new product, he underscored, one can go to Amazon, download videos and access other services.
The aim is about building a digital economy for Sierra Leone. The CEO also intimated that it was not easy to come up with the innovation adding that the initiative was made possible because the company is here to stay and win the game. The CEO also used the launching ceremony as an opportunity to announce the new Q-Cell Code number ‘032.’
“Q-Cell will leave no stone unturned to provide the fastest network for Sierra Leoneans,” the CEO assured.
He also told the audience that the 4-GLte service was built using state of the art technology adding that the people of Sierra Leone would now have access to broadband technologies.
Deputy Director-General of the National Telecommunications Commission, Amara Brewah told the audience that President Julius Maada Bio is a tech-oriented person that wants to see digitalisation in whatever activity the country embarks on.
He also reiterated the call for the people of Sierra Leone to sign up with the new product. The donation of thousands of face masks to different Ministries, Departments and Agencies of Government also formed an important part of the occasion.
Ministries of Health, Education, the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces and the Sierra Leone Police benefitted from Q-Cell’s gesture. A local artist who is widely acclaimed to have shown deep commitment to music over the years entertained the audience for close to ten minutes with melodious musical hits.
In a Media Release by the Anti-Corruption Commission dated 12th March, 2021 it was stated that the public may recall that on Thursday 21st and Friday 22nd November 2019, Honourable Ibrahim Tawa Conteh of Constituency 132, on the “Good Morning show” at Radio Democracy 98.1 made wide ranging corruption allegations against Umarr Paran Tarawallie, the Clerk of Parliament, and, in return, Umarr Paran Tarawallie, on the same program, made similar allegations against Hon. Ibrahim Tawa Conteh.
Further to this, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) on Thursday 30th April 2020, commenced and expanded investigations into allegations of Misappropriation of Public Funds and other related accountability issues concerning Members of Parliament (MPs) and the Parliamentary leadership.
It was highlighted that in order to ensure a fair and thorough investigation, statements were taken from the Speaker, the Parliamentary Leadership, several Members of Parliament, the Clerk of Parliament and Financial and Administrative staff of Parliament. A forensic examination of the budget and financial records of Parliament was undertaken. Also, key activities were probed, including: Constituency Development Fund (CDF), Leadership Imprest (LI), Office Imprest (OI), Donor Funds (DF), Sitting Fees for MPs (SFs), Procurement of Goods and Services (PG&S), Travel and Air tickets, Oversight Funds, etc. The issues were carefully, comprehensively and dispassionately investigated and our findings, conclusions and recommendations are as follows:
CONSTITUENCY DEVELOPMENT FUND
Constituency Development Fund of Sixty-Nine Million Leones (Le.69, 000,000.00) was given to each Member of Parliament (MP), for 2019. Considering the number and our limited resources, a random selection of well-balanced pool of Constituencies were sampled for investigation from across the country and Eighty-Four (84) constituencies out of One Hundred and Forty-Six (146) constituencies country-wide formed part of the investigation. That out of the Eighty-Four (84) Constituencies, a total of Seventeen (17) offices were rented or constructed by MPs, six (6) Constituency offices are still under construction and Sixty-One (61) Constituencies did not have an office space either rented or constructed.
GENERAL IMPREST
In 2018 and 2019, the sum of Le23, 871,787,606.00 and Le27, 407,496,167.00 respectively was credited into Parliament’s imprest account at the Bank of Sierra Leone (BSL) by the Accountant-General’s Department (AGD). From the documents received by the Commission and analysed, it was clear that returns made by Parliament to the AGD after utilization of such funds showed that the monies were expended. This means imprest for both years were expended and appropriate returns were made for same.
LEADERSHIP IMPREST
With respect to the Leadership Imprest, investigation revealed that Leadership imprest was not static as it varied from time to time and it is determined by the Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC). On a monthly basis, the Personal Assistants (PAs) of the various Leaders received Leadership imprest on behalf of their Leaders and signed on a Cash Transfer Form prepared by the Finance Department.
The amounts were paid to the Leadership of Parliament (the Speaker, the Deputy Speaker, the Leader of Government Business, the Leader of Opposition, the Office of the Clerk, the Leader of Coalition for Change (C4C), the Leader of the National Grand Coalition (NGC), the Leader of Paramount Chiefs and Legislative Services as Leadership imprest.
CONSTITUENCY FACILITATION FEE/ALLOWANCE
In 2019, Constituency Facilitation Fee (CFF) was credited on a quarterly basis into each MPs personal accounts as Constituency Facilitation Fee/Allowance, in order for MPs to meet assessed needs of their respective Constituencies. No supporting document was produced and submitted to the Commission on how the said money was expended by the respective MPs. Again, there is no system in place for retirement by MPs in this regard.
Other areas looked into involve: Procurement, United Nations Children’s Fund Support for Oversight, Parliamentary Oversight 2018 MP Seating fees etc.
After due consideration of the statements recorded in the matter and documents obtained from the Finance Department of Parliament and the Accountant General’s Department, after reviewing all factors relevant to the investigation, the Commission concluded that though the actions of some MPs and members of the Finance Department are not in accordance with prudent financial management systems, the necessary evidential threshold required to proceed with criminal prosecution under the Anti-Corruption Act (ACA) 2008 (as amended in 2019), has not been attained. The issue, it was said, therefore will be dealt with using the prevention approach within their mandate.
The ACC said that , however, what emerged from perusal of statements and documents is the absence or serious lack of systemic and appropriate monitoring and accountability regimes; thereby encouraging risky practices in the management of public funds by the administrative architecture of Parliament, the Members of Parliament, and in some instances, its leadership.
In reaction to the ACC’s stance Parliament says it is an accountable institution that is willing to fully cooperate with the conclusion and recommendations on the findings of alleged corruption by the Anti-Corruption Commission.
The Sierra Leone Netherlands Business and Culture Council (SLNBCC), in partnership with the Institute of Public Administration and Management (IPAM), University of Sierra Leone (USL), on Tuesday 9th March 2021 commenced a 5-day Intensive Training for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Sierra Leone with key focus on Business Management.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Ms. Binta Jalloh, Project Manager of SLNBCC disclosed that the process is part of activities to foster business relations between Sierra Leone and the Netherlands in order to promote a mutually beneficial state of affairs between the two countries.
She stated further that they are set to promote increased exports, imports, business services, tourism and investments between business and professional persons in Sierra Leone and the Netherlands.
Madam Jalloh enlightened that SLNBCC has been serving as a networking company that ensures the integrity and quality of its members so that new businesses can be conducted in a trusted environment noting that the five-day event is funded by the Netherlands Enterprise Agency to capacitate registered SMEs with the council in Sierra Leone.
Giving details of the five-day intensive training, Mustapha Kemoh Fofanah, the Project Officer of SLNBCC revealed that the training was meant to capacitate SMEs in Sierra Leone in case they want to partner with other international businesses across the globe so as to help them know what they need to have and do when they want to partner with other international businesses.
He also underscored that the training content focused on Financial Reporting and Book Keeping, Online Presence Management, Communication Strategy, Access to Finance, Professional Pitching, Presentation, Packaging and Design of Products, Branding, Import and Export Requirements, Corporate Social Responsibility (CRS) etc.
The Project Officer disclosed that the training targeted 15 SMEs within the health, agriculture and WASH Sectors across Sierra Leone from the field of production, export and supplies.
The course content included key skill areas such as Financial Reporting and Book Keeping, Online Presence Management, Communication Strategy, Professional Pitching, Presentation, Access to Finance, Packaging and Design of Products, Branding, Corporate Social Responsibility, Import and Export Requirements, etc. The cost of the training for each participant and all the logistics concerned were taken care of by SLNBCC and a certified short-course certificate issued to all participants by the Institute of Public Administration and Management (IPAM).
Aminata Bailor Jalloh from the Nexuz Logistics revealed how happy she is to have been part of the intensive SLNBCC training, pointing out, “I must state that I had little or no idea about pitching in business but with resourceful lecturers I am now well-grounded on professional pitching and presentation of company in all platforms.”
Leonard Sesay from Marish Training Company said before attending the training he was thinking of establishing a business but lacked the funds but that after the training he learnt that one can still start a business as long as one has the idea and determination to do so and called on the SLNBCC to replicate same to the general public to help change the dynamics of business in Sierra Leone.
James Kollie, one of the lecturers at the Short Course and Consultancy Department of IPAM told this Press that all expert lecturers in the various areas gave their best as that is the core principle of IPAM.
To commemorate the International Women’s Day in the country laced with their objective of teaching, inspiring and training girls on public speaking in order to build in them the sound confidence to be able to voice out issues that are affecting them, The Patriotic Advocacy Network, Sierra Leone (PAN SL) has Monday 8th March 2021 staged the first ever Public Speaking for Girls competition in the country on the theme: “Empower Girls to Speak Up against Teenage Pregnancy, Rape and Gender Based Violence”. The event took place at the Methodist Girls High School Hall, Congo Cross in Freetown.
The first-ever Public Speaking Competition for Girls featured twenty (20) girls from different schools with eight (8) judges.
In her opening remarks, a member of the Board of Directors of PAN SL, Ms. Theriyeh Koroma applauded the leadership of PAN for coming up with such a panache initiative which she described as not only important but a timely intervention geared towards empowering young girls.
She stated that there are a lot of issues affecting girls across the country which these young girls should speak about.
Delivering her statement, Guest Speaker for the event, Precious Amabel Lebby-Smith also expressed appreciation to PAN-SL for organizing such an event which will provide the platform for pupils to speak up on issues affecting them in their societies, adding that public speaking is an essential tool to curb gender based violence in the country.
She noted that women and girls have rich potentials to do better than boys if only they are given the equal opportunity, adding that as the twenty schools battle on the theme: “Empower Girls to speak up against Teenage Pregnancy, Rape and Gender Based Violence” such will surely address some of the issues faced by girls across the country.
At the end of the event, the Head Girl of the Methodist Girls High School, Dolcie Matu Kalie emerged as the first winner, followed by Augustina Oyagha from CALEB Modern High School who took the second position and Esther Tholley from the Freetown Secondary School for Girls taking the third position.
All the 20 participants were issued Certificates of Participation, and special awards were given to the top ten schools and Awards as well as cash prizes were also given to pupils who took the 1st, 2nd and 3rd positions as an appreciation for participating in the said competition.
The Head Girl of the Methodist Girls High School, Dolcie Matu Kalie who took the first position expressed appreciation to PAN-SL for organizing such an important competition which she described as a move in the right direction.
She maintained that the competition has empowered her to build the sound confidence to be able to voice out issues that are affecting her and other girls.
On the 11th March 2021 the Parliament of Sierra Leone commenced intensive debate on the Bill entitled: “The Cyber Crime Act, 2020”; aimed at protecting critical national information infrastructure in the country.
The Bill is seeking to provide for the prevention of the abusive use of computer systems; to provide for the timely and effective collection of electronic evidence for investigation and prosecution of cyber-crime; to provide for the protection of Critical National Information Infrastructure; to provide for facilitation of international cooperation in dealing with cyber-crime matters and to provide for other related matters.
Introducing the Bill prior to the suspension of debate, Minister of Information and Communication, Mohamed Rahman Swaray said the object of the Bill is to make provision for the prevention of the abusive use of computer systems; underscoring the point that, the world is going digital. He also noted that 75% of Sierra Leoneans are using the digital space thus the need for improving and protecting citizens’ rights. He said if this Bill is enacted, it will help Sierra Leone to benefit from international cooperation through the Budapest Convention.
Hon. Boston Munda, Chairman Information and Communication Committee in Parliament said cyber-crime is a global issue that is also affecting Sierra Leoneans; whilst speaking on financial and data loss from African countries through cyber-crime. He said many African counties have domesticated cyber-crime through adherence to the Budapest Convention.
Hon. Abdul Karim Kamara said the Bill is critical and it needs more education. Considering the composition of the regulatory committee proposed in the Bill, he observed one would tend to believe that the cyber-crime act is targeting opposition politicians. He pleaded for serious national sensitization on the Bill considering its critical nature.
Hon. Joseph Williams Lamin said the Bill is very significant to the people of Sierra Leone; adding that for far too long Sierra Leoneans have been waiting for this Bill. He appreciated the Ministry for the efforts they have put so far on the Bill.
Hon. PC Bai Kurr Kanagbaro Sanka III said cyber-crime is an international issue and highlighted its negative effects on many countries around the world. He called for expert training on areas related to cyber-crime for the security of the State.
Hon. Mohamed Bangura requested attendance of the Sierra Leone Police, Office of National Security and the general public relating to the sensitivity of the Bill.
Leader of C4C, Hon. Saa Emerson Lamina said justice needs to be done to the Bill; believing that its enactment will save lives, address e-market and curb cyber-crime. He called on Sierra Leone to do same as most of the member countries belonging to ACP-EU have enacted laws geared toward combating cyber-crime.
Opposition Leader, Hon. Chernor Bah called for massive sensitization on the Bill for it to stand a test of time.
Acting Leader of Government Business, Hon. Bashiru Silikie applauded the debate and also called for the Office of National Security and Police to be in attendance on the next adjourned date in light of the said Bill.
In light of existing rules of procedure, the Acting Leader of Government Business, Hon. Bashiru Silikie has moved a dilatory motion; seconded by Hon. Daniel Koroma suspending debate on the said Bill until further notice pending determination and consultations by Parliament before furthering the process of passage into law.
Following that, the Leadership of Parliament is seeking public inputs in the form of presentation of position papers or otherwise from the General Public before the said Bill will be enacted by Parliament.
Therefore, the general public is encouraged to rise to the occasion by following the process to its logical end and present their position papers to the Office of the Clerk of Parliament.
The Alliance Democratic Party (ADP) has disclosed that the party will be holding its national delegate conference in July this year after the mandated period of the Caretaker Committee. This disclosure was made on Wednesday 10th March 2021 during a press conference held at the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists Hall on Campbell Street in Freetown.
In his address, Acting Head of the Alliance Democratic Party (ADP) Caretaker Committee, George A Macaulay, said the occasion will be a remarkable one that will mark a turning point in the history of the Alliance Democratic Party (ADP) furthering that the theme for the occasion is “Repositioning the Alliance Democratic Party for Unification, Reformation and Progress”.
He said in that regard they would like to assure all and sundry that, they are not converging to antagonize, victimize or intrigue but to put the record straight and restore the lost confidence of the Honourable members and supporters of the Alliance Democratic Party (ADP), adding that society does not go bad because of bad elements but because good people refuse to be vocal on issues affecting society.
George A Macaulay disclosed that it is vividly stated in the Political Parties Registration Commission (PPRC) Act of 2002 PART Ill – REGISTRATION OF POLITICAL PARTIES SECTION Il (1) “where any association of persons formed to participate in shaping the political will of the people, disseminate information on political ideas, social and economic programmes of national character and to sponsor candidates for presidential, parliamentary and local government elections wishes to be registered as a political party, it shall apply to the Commission to be registered as a political party”, adding that that was why three men from the Diaspora, Osman Thorley, Ibrahima Soumah and Mohamed Kamarainba Mansaray and two men from Freetown, David Gbla, Gershon Rhodes, with the advice of Lucien Momoh, the Head of Outreach at PPRC sat in the conference room of the PPRC in 2014 and decided to form a political movement named the Alliance Democratic Movement (ADM) which later transformed into a full-fledged political party, the Alliance Democratic Party (ADP).
He lamented that contrary to the aforementioned the affairs of the ADP had not been conducted as a political party but seemingly as a social club since its inception, and that the party’s affairs had been controlled by one person, in the capacity as Chairman and Leader which earned the party the sobriquet a one man show, furthering that people didn’t join the ADP because of personal ties but because of the values stated in its ideology and vision.
It is against this backdrop, he said, certain brave and noble members took the bull by the horn and made a petition to the Political Parties Registration Commission (PPRC) which culminated into a Ruling on the 25th January, 2021 that witnessed the disbandment of the National Executive Body to be succeeded by a Caretaker Committee.
He revealed that the ADP is now poised to make a giant leap on the political landscape in the country furthering that there is need for a change in the narrative of the politics of our beloved nation.
The Acting Head of the Caretaker Committee said the ADP is making a clarion call to every member of the party who has resigned for one reason or the other to come on board in order to make the ADP a formidable force to reckon with which he said is a clear manifestation that the Caretaker Committee of the ADP has open arms to embrace everyone because everybody is important.
He used the opportunity to inform all that the ADP will soon be engaging in a massive farming project with the theme: “Operation Feed the Nation” – “Grow What We Eat and Eat What We Grow” of which he described as first of its kind saying it is not impossible but rather possible.
“The Alliance Democratic Party has started demonstrating meaningful contributions towards national development among its leadership in the person of Ibrahima Soumah Aka Brima Togo who constructed a paved road at Fisher Street and other areas; constructed bore hole water wells in Lunsar and its environs and also constructed a twelve-classroom school building at Mamamah in the Koya Chiefdom,” he revealed.
He ended by appealing to the electorates and especially the youths of Sierra Leone to consider the Alliance Democratic Party as theirs in the 2023 Presidential and Parliamentary elections in order to realize meaningful and sustainable national development.
George A Macaulay encouraged all to take advantage of opportunities to empower themselves by building their capacity and be sober minded furthering that they should not be allowed to be misguided by gimmicks and rhetoric.
Foundation Executive Member, Mohamed Koholifa Bangura, also noted that as a party they are very certain that convening a National Delegates Conference will be remarkable and as well mark a turning point in the history of their party.
He noted that the Political Party Registration Commission made some ruling relating to wrangling within the party dispute bordering the party.
He also appealed to the electorates and especially the young people of Sierra Leone to consider the Party as theirs in the 2023 Presidential and Parliamentary elections in order to realize meaningful and sustainable national development.
The 2018 aspirant for the Kenema Mayoral seat, Fatimah Mummy Dugba, expressed dissatisfaction against the then leadership of the party, adding that the Eastern Region produced the highest number of candidates in the 2018 elections under the ticket of the ADP party.
She disclosed that during the 2018 elections all their candidates played critical roles towards the development of the party which made some people in the Eastern part of the country voted for the ADP Party.
According to her, the ADP is endeavouring to remove the political scales on the eyes of Sierra Leoneans and serve as an eye opener for the benefit and development of the country.
It against this backdrop, she called on all members of the party to embrace each other and put all differences aside for the betterment of the ADP party as the party is poised to hold its National Delegates Conference.
Solomon Jamiru, the Spokesperson of NaCOVERC, while addressing newsmen at the Ministry of Information & Communications organized weekly Press Conference on the 11th March 2021 revealed that the Ministry of Health & Sanitation will today, the 15th March 2020 commence the rolling out of the Sinopharm and AstraZeneca-Oxford Vaccination.
He furthered that they want to administer the vaccines to as many Sierra Leoneans as possible with the singular objective of saving lives and preventing Sierra Leone from being labeled as a high risk country with less or no vaccination effort.
The Spokesperson intimated that there is already a strategic rollout mechanism in place underpinned by principles of priority, safety and efficacy and 50 vaccination sites (3 per district) have been identified for the rollout.
A high profile vaccination will be initiated at State House on the said rollout date and President Maada Bio is said to be the first to be vaccinated..
In another development, on the 12 March 2021 President Julius Maada Bio engaged development partners and the diplomatic community on the successes of Sierra Leone in the fight against COVID-19 and the plan to roll out vaccination throughout the country.
The meeting brought together the Ministry of Health and Sanitation, NaCOVERC, UN Resident Coordinator, European Union, Deputy Head of the United States Embassy, British High Commission, Irish Embassy, Chinese Embassy, Germany Embassy, the World Bank Country Manager, UNICEF Country Representative and WHO Country Representative.
In his welcome statement, Chief Minister Professor David Francis said the second interface and strategic meeting between the Government’s COVID-19 response Presidential Task Force and development partners within the DEPAC framework, was timely, adding that they would highlight the successes, challenges, a transition from the COVID-19 Emergency Response to post-emergency recovery and the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccination programme.
President Bio said the meeting was of special importance in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, saying that the country had fought a good fight.
“Some of the major objectives of our fight have been achieved by reducing mortality and also making sure that livelihoods are not compromised,” he assured, emphasising that science and data had always helped them in the fight against COVID-19.
He further stated that development partners are an integral part of the fight against the scourge, adding that the country is entering into an important milestone in the fight by administering the COVID-19 vaccines. He, therefore, said it is necessary that development partners are informed before the administration of those vaccines.
“We have received vaccines from the People’s Republic of China and another set from COVAX. We cannot roll these out without informing you as partners. On behalf of the people of Sierra Leone and myself, I want to thank you for the many challenges that you have to endure with us in our response to COVID-19. The support that you have given in terms of PPE and many other technical supports is huge and we are very proud of the partnership between us and our donor community in Sierra Leone,” he said.
Giving out an overview on how the Coronavirus vaccines would be rolled out in the country, Dr Tom Sesay said that Sierra Leone had received 296,000 doses in total, of which 200,000 doses were from the People’s Republic of China and 96,000 doses from the COVAX facility.
“There will be a symbolic launch of the vaccines on Monday 15 March 2021 at State House. It will be for high-profile politicians. We are having a conservative target of 150 people on that day.
“It will be followed by a symbolic launch of the vaccines at the Miatta Conference Hall, where we will focus on the Health Care Workers, even though we will be prioritising those that are above 60 years of age. Vaccination for the rest of the country will start on the 22nd of March 2021,” Dr Sesay said.
Highlighting the many successes in the fight against COVID-19 so far, Minister of Defence and Interim Coordinator of NaCOVERC, Brigadier (Rtd.) Kellie Conteh, said before the outbreak in Sierra Leone Government had put in place many structures that eventually helped in the fight. He added that President Bio had visited many areas in the country to assess the existing structures and the level of preparedness.
“Up till today, we have 3,932 positive cases of the Coronavirus, 1,639 of that number are from women, representing 41.6%, while 2,293 are male, representing 58.4% of the total positive cases. Western Area Urban remains the epicentre for infection in the country with 2,244 cases recorded so far.
“We have trained point-of-entry personnel on Coronavirus case detection across all our border entering points, provided a strategic plan for the response, including a transition plan. We are very much pleased with the laboratory successes because we started with three and today we have six functional labs across the country,” he stated.
The NaCOVERC boss also noted that when the virus entered the country in March 2020, they were testing at 100 per day, saying that they had now expanded the number of testing to 1,000 per day.
The United Nations Resident Coordinator, Dr Babatunde Ahonsi, thanked the President and the people of Sierra Leone for the opportunity to be a part of the dialogue on the cluster of health issues. He congratulated the country for the success so far achieved in dealing with the fight against Coronavirus.
“Recovering from COVID-19, in our view, is part and parcel of advancing Agenda 2034 Sustainable Development and the progress that can be very rapidly made in achieving the target within the National Development Plan. We still have work to do in terms of risk information and social mobilisation,” he noted.
He encouraged the Government to vaccinate a large proportion of the population and encouraged Sierra Leoneans to continue to observe social distancing, hand washing and the use of facemasks.
“United Nations stands ready to continue to work with the Ministry of Health and NaCOVERC and other partners to ensure Sierra Leone is able to put Coronavirus behind us and, in the process of doing that, strengthen the health system to deal with future health emergencies and very quickly return to the path of sustainable national development,” he concluded.
The National Petroleum Sierra Leone Limited (NP-SL Ltd), it has been confirmed, is a successful enterprise that is hugely contributing to the socio-economic development of this nation.
This assertion could be justified when cognizance is taken of the company’s serious deepening of the country’s Local Content Policy as vividly evident in giving exceptional preference to employing indigenes contrary to bringing in foreign expatriates to execute certain tasks. This laid down policy that is strictly implemented has created room for the employment of Sierra Leoneans who have the requisite qualifications and skills giving them the opportunity to take care of personal responsibilities.
“I cannot find words to express how delighted I am as I can proudly say that NP-SL has changed my life completely since the company employed me,” one of the workers at NP Cotton Tree joyfully intimated The Calabash when this medium went out on a fact finding mission.
“As far as I have assessed in this country it is only NP-SL Ltd that has such a pragmatic policy of maintaining a policy that gives job preferential treatments to Sierra Leoneans and I have great respect for the indigenous company,” Raymond Cole, a Social Commentator eulogized.
With the introduction of NP Smart Card, which has gone viral, the Card can be credited with money and the amount of money utilized to buy fuel is debited after every transaction. With the use of NP Smart Card, customers are saved the hassle of having to always move with physical cash in their possession in order to purchase fuel and indeed there are times when one may not have time to rush to the bank to make withdrawals. Customers, who are holders and users of NP Smart Card, are at the vantage position to properly budget, through the amount that is contained in the card to buy fuel, during a considerable period of time, say a week or a month. Indeed, NP Smart Card has become trending.
In order to ensure that their customers derive value for money, it was thought prudent on the part of Shareholders and Management to make use of state of the art and highly modernized calibrated pumping machines which were installed at the company’s different Filling Stations capable of pumping the exact quantity of fuel, be it petrol or diesel, that a particular customer requested for.
This fine move by the company has helped instilled confidence among customers that they are really dealing with a very transparent business entity and getting what they are paying for. This singular business strategy has got many glued to a petroleum company that is considered to be marketing the best of petroleum products which include petrol, diesel, gas and high grade lubricants, one of which is the most sought out Castrol oil, said to be very good for the proper functioning of engines.
The company also markets NP Gas which is a cooking device that is manufactured in different cylinder sizes and sold at the company’s Filling Stations across the country. It can be easily refilled with gas, is said to be non-hazardous to the health of individuals and easy to operate. Its performance has been rated high and many are indeed going for it.
One yardstick that could be used to assess the potency and vibrancy of a company is how well it is entrenched or established. With regards NP-SL Ltd, one can actually see that the company, over the years, has grown by leaps and bounds as seen in its opening of branches in neighbouring Guinea, Liberia, Ivory Coast and The Gambia. All these NP branches, within the sub-region, are functioning very efficiently and contributing immensely towards the socio-economic development of those host countries. Through their operations, the company is paying taxes to the various Governments and indirectly boosting the revenue bases of those countries to roll out different development programs.
An admirable quality that NP-SL Ltd has been exhibiting throughout the years is the proper implementation of the country’s Local Content Policy. This policy is geared towards giving preferential treatment to indigenes or making use of local ingredients , in the form of human and material resources, instead of depending on those that are acquired through importation.
The company has the laid down policy of giving preferential employment consideration to indigenes instead of relying on expatriates. As long as Sierra Leoneans have the requisite qualifications and skills they are first considered for various vacant positions in the company. The greatest advantage is that the policy has made it possible for indigenes to be gainfully employed and live improved standards of living.
From all that have been said so far, it could be argued with all amount of certainty that NP-SL Ltd is indeed a highly successful and very competitive petroleum company that continues to stand tall within the business landscape of this country. And from the look of things it is poised to reach further higher heights.
