COVID-19 vaccines shipped by COVAX arrive in Sierra Leone

March 9, 2021

Freetown, Sierra Leone, Monday 8 March 2021 – Today, Sierra Leone received the first batch of 96,000 doses of the AstraZeneca-Oxford COVID-19 vaccine shipped via the COVAX Facility, a partnership between the Government Sierra Leone, CEPI, Gavi, UNICEF and WHO. This is a historic step towards our goal to ensure equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines globally, in what will be the largest vaccine procurement and supply operation in history. The delivery is part of a first wave of arrivals of an initial 528,000 doses that will continue till end of May 2021.

On 6 March 2021, COVAX shipped 96,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, licensed and manufactured by Serum Institute (PVT) Limited from Maharashtra, India, to Freetown, Sierra Leone, arriving in the evening of 8 March 2021. The arrival of this first batch of 528,000 doses will kick start the vaccination of 20% of Sierra Leone’s 8,000,000 population as part of the COVAX Facility in its unprecedented effort to deliver at least 2 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines by the end of 2021. This initial consignment of the vaccine and the immediate subsequent shipments will prioritize critical target groups such as frontline health professionals, vulnerable including the aged people and people with underlying health conditions.

“Throughout 2020, our health facilities have been faced with the task of responding to the pandemic, while at the same time, working to sustain the regular essential services including providing maternal and child health services,” said Dr Austin Hinga Demby, Minister of Health and Sanitation. “The lifesaving vaccines which are now available for COVID-19, combined with the other important measures which we have adopted since the pandemic started, will afford us a good prospect to return to normalcy and to fulfil our obligations under the Universal Health Coverage programme.”

““We are delighted Sierra Leone has today received its first COVAX vaccine doses and we look forward to the launch of the vaccination campaign in the coming days. Thanks to the work of the Government of Sierra Leone and of the COVAX partners, and with the support of our donors, we have been delivering on our promise to begin vaccinating vulnerable populations around the world delivering over 10 million doses to our participating economies in the last 10 days.” said Charlie Wetham, Regional Head, Asia Pacific and Anglophone Africa at of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.

“The arrival of this first batch of Covid-19 vaccines in Sierra Leone under the COVAX Facility is testimony to the power of global solidarity in response to a global health and development crisis. Strong international solidarity is similarly required to address other pressing global challenges such as the climate crisis that threatens the world’s quest for sustainable development,” said Mr Babatunde Ahonsi, United Nations Resident Coordinator in Sierra Leone.

“Sierra Leone is at a turning point in the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic as the country has now joined a growing number of other countries taking one of the most important actions to safeguard lives against COVID-19 through vaccination,” said Dr Steven Velabo Shongwe, WHO Country Representative. “Deployment of the COVID vaccine should be seen as one of the critical measures that have to be taken in addition to the strict adherence to other public health measures such as the correct use of facemask, hand washing and social distancing. I wish to thank all the collaborating partners that are supporting this vision of equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines to reach the most vulnerable in Sierra Leone and the rest of the world.”

“This is indeed a momentous occasion, which is a culmination of various efforts led by the Government of Sierra Leone to ensure that this pandemic is brought under control,” said UNICEF Representative, Dr. Suleiman Braimoh. “UNICEF strongly believes that vaccinations are cost-effective ways to reduce the disease burden in a country, save lives. As more people get vaccinated, the faster it will be for us to see a gradual return to normalcy and to better access to health, education and protection services for every child and their families.”

Development and technical partners, including the European Union, Government of Japan, UK Government, the US Government and World Bank, are supporting the deployment and roll out plans of the vaccines in Sierra Leone. The vaccination will begin mid-March and will be rolled out in a phased approach. Health workers and people over 70 years of age being targeted first, while the second phase will include other essential workers such as military, police personnel, and teachers/university lecturers.

For several months, COVAX partners have been supporting governments and partners in readiness efforts, in preparation for this moment. They have been especially active in working with some of the world’s poorest countries: those that will benefit from the Advance Market Commitment (AMC), an innovative financial mechanism to help secure global and equitable access for COVID-19 vaccines. This includes assisting with the development of national vaccination plans, support for cold chain infrastructure, as well as stockpiling of half a billion syringes and safety boxes for their disposal, masks, gloves and other equipment to ensure that there is enough equipment for health workers to start vaccinating priority groups as soon as possible.

In order for doses to be delivered to COVAX Facility participants via this first allocation round, several critical pieces must be in place, including confirmation of national regulatory authorization criteria related to the vaccines delivered, indemnification agreements, national vaccination plans from AMC participants, as well as other logistical factors such as export and import licenses.

As participants fulfil the above criteria and finalize readiness preparations, COVAX will issue purchase orders to the manufacturer and ship and deliver doses via an iterative process. This means deliveries for the first round of allocation will take place on a rolling basis and in tranches.

COVAX is co-led by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), working in partnership with UNICEF as well as the World Bank, civil society organizations, manufacturers, and others. COVAX is part of the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator, a ground-breaking global collaboration to accelerate development, production, and equitable access to COVID-19 tests, treatments, and vaccines.

COVAX has built a diverse portfolio of vaccines suitable for a range of settings and populations, and is on track to meet its goal of delivering at least 2 billion doses of vaccine to participating countries around the globe in 2021, including at least 1.3 billion donor-funded doses to the 92 lower-income COVAX Facility participants supported by the Gavi COVAX AMC.

Media contacts

GoSL Contacts
Harold Thomas: MoHS: Telephone: +23276602460
Email: h

NaCOVERC
Solomon Jamiru Esq.
solomonamiru@yahoo.com

CEPI Press office
Telephone: +44 7387 055214
Email:

GAVI
Meghana Sharafudeen: +41 79 711 55 54 msharafudeen [at] gavi.org%20?Subject=RE” style=”color:blue; text-decoration:underline”>msharafudeen@gavi.org
Evan O’Connell +33 6 17 57 21 26

UNICEF country/regional office
Sandra Bisin, + +221 77 819 2300, email
Tapuwa Loreen Mutseyekwa, +23276100532, email

WHO country/regional office
Saffea Gborie, +232-76 777878,
Sakuya Oka, +242 06 508 1009, okas@who.int

WHO global
+41 22 791 2222

Quotes from partners and donors
Since the beginning of this pandemic, vaccine makers have spared no efforts to speed up development, production, registration, and equitable access to of high-quality vaccines.Pharmaceutical manufacturers **are committed **founding partners of the ACT Accelerator and COVAX, and we are excited that for the** first time in the history of pandemics, vaccines are rolled out in a coordinated manner quickly around the world. Another momentous effort is the scaling up of the** vaccine** manufacturing from zero to millions in a matter of months**. As producing vaccines is a complex process, so with such a scale up, there are **inevitably **going to be challenges ahead; we will continue working collaboratively to find solutions and join hands in making history.
Thomas Cueni, Director General, International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA)
www.ifpma.org 

“Developing Countries Vaccine Manufacturer’s Network (DCVMN) has strongly stood with all stakeholders during this unprecedented time of the COVID-19 pandemic and has strived hard to develop, manufacture and roll out COVID-19 vaccines in a record time span of 10-12 months as a part of global collaboration and solidarity. We stand together shoulder to shoulder in this endeavour”

***Sai D. Prasad, President, Developing Countries Vaccine Manufacturer’s Network (DCVMN) ***www.dcvmn.org

Notes to Editors
List of donor pledges to the Gavi COVAX AMC is available at gavi.org
Interactive funding tracker for the ACT Accelerator, which includes details of funding for COVAX, can be found here.

About COVAX:
COVAX, the vaccines pillar of the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator, is co-led by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance Gavi) and the World Health Organization (WHO) – working in partnership with developed and developing country vaccine manufacturers, UNICEF, the World Bank, and others. It is the only global initiative that is working with governments and manufacturers to ensure COVID-19 vaccines are available worldwide to both higher-income and lower-income countries.

CEPI is focused on the COVAX vaccine research and development portfolio: investing in R&D across a variety of promising candidates, with the goal to support development of three safe and effective vaccines which can be made available to countries participating in the COVAX Facility. As part of this work, CEPI has secured first right of refusal to potentially over one billion doses for the COVAX Facility to a number of candidates, and made strategic investments in vaccine manufacturing, which includes reserving capacity to manufacture doses of COVAX vaccines at a network of facilities, and securing glass vials to hold 2 billion doses of vaccine. CEPI is also investing in the ‘next generation’ of vaccine candidates, which will give the world additional options to control COVID-19 in the future.

Gavi is focused on procurement and delivery for COVAX: coordinating the design, implementation and administration of the COVAX Facility and the Gavi COVAX AMC and working with its Alliance partners UNICEF and WHO, along with governments, on country readiness and delivery. The COVAX Facility is the global pooled procurement mechanism for COVID-19 vaccines through which COVAX will ensure fair and equitable access to vaccines for all 190 participating economies, using an allocation framework formulated by WHO. The COVAX Facility will do this by pooling buying power from participating economies and providing volume guarantees across a range of promising vaccine candidates. The Gavi COVAX AMC is the financing mechanism that will support the participation of 92 low- and middle-income countries in the Facility, enabling access to donor-funded doses of safe and effective vaccines. Gavi is fundraising for the COVAX AMC, and funding UNICEF procurement of vaccines as well as partners’ and governments work on readiness and delivery, including support cold chain equipment, technical assistance, syringes, vehicles, and other aspects of the vastly complex logistical operation for delivery. UNICEF and the Pan-American Health Organisation (PAHO) will be acting as procurement coordinators for the COVAX Facility, helping deliver vaccines to COVAX AMC participants and others.

WHO has multiple roles within COVAX: It provides normative guidance on vaccine policy, regulation, safety, R&D, allocation, and country readiness and delivery. Its Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on Immunization develops evidence-based immunization policy recommendations. Its Emergency Use Listing (EUL)/prequalification programmes ensure harmonized review and authorization across member states. It provides global coordination and member state support on vaccine safety monitoring. It developed the target product profiles for COVID-19 vaccines and provides R&D technical coordination. WHO leads, along with UNICEF, the support to countries as they prepare to receive and administer vaccines. The Country Readiness and Delivery workstream includes Gavi and numerous other partners working at the global, regional, and country-level to provide tools, guidance, monitoring, and on the ground technical assistance for the planning and roll-out of the COVID-19 vaccines. Along with COVAX partners, WHO is also developing a no-fault compensation scheme as part of the time-limited indemnification and liability commitments.

UNICEF is leveraging its experience as the largest single vaccine buyer in the world and working with manufacturers and partners on the procurement of COVID-19 vaccine doses, as well as freight, logistics and storage. UNICEF already procures more than 2 billion doses of vaccines annually for routine immunization and outbreak response on behalf of nearly 100 countries. In collaboration with the PAHO Revolving Fund, UNICEF is leading efforts to procure and supply doses of COVID-19 vaccines for COVAX. In addition, UNICEF, Gavi and WHO are working with governments around the clock to ensure that countries are ready to receive the vaccines, with appropriate cold chain equipment in place and health workers trained to dispense them. UNICEF is also playing a lead role in efforts to foster trust in vaccines, delivering vaccine confidence communications and tracking and addressing misinformation around the world.

About CEPI

CEPI is an innovative partnership between public, private, philanthropic, and civil organisations, launched at Davos in 2017, to develop vaccines to stop future epidemics. CEPI has moved with great urgency and in coordination with WHO in response to the emergence of COVID-19. CEPI has initiated ten partnerships to develop vaccines against the novel coronavirus. The programmes are leveraging rapid response platforms already supported by CEPI as well as new partnerships.

Before the emergence of COVID-19, CEPI’s priority diseases included Ebola virus, Lassa virus, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus, Nipah virus, Rift Valley Fever and Chikungunya virus. CEPI also invested in platform technologies that can be used for rapid vaccine and immunoprophylactic development against unknown pathogens (Disease X).

About Gavi

Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance is a public-private partnership that helps vaccinate half the world’s children against some of the world’s deadliest diseases. Since its inception in 2000, Gavi has helped to immunise a whole generation – over 822 million children – and prevented more than 14 million deaths, helping to halve child mortality in 73 developing countries. Gavi also plays a key role in improving global health security by supporting health systems as well as funding global stockpiles for Ebola, cholera, meningitis and yellow fever vaccines. After two decades of progress, Gavi is now focused on protecting the next generation and reaching the unvaccinated children still being left behind, employing innovative finance and the latest technology – from drones to biometrics – to save millions more lives, prevent outbreaks before they can spread and help countries on the road to self-sufficiency. Learn more at www.gavi.org and connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.

The Vaccine Alliance brings together developing country and donor governments, the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the World Bank, the vaccine industry, technical agencies, civil society, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and other private sector partners. View the full list of donor governments and other leading organizations that fund Gavi’s work here.

About WHO

The World Health Organization provides global leadership in public health within the United Nations system. Founded in 1948, WHO works with 194 Member States, across six regions and from more than 150 offices, to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable. Our goal for 2019-2023 is to ensure that a billion more people have universal health coverage, to protect a billion more people from health emergencies, and provide a further billion people with better health and wellbeing.

For updates on COVID-19 and public health advice to protect yourself from coronavirus, visit www.who.int and follow WHO on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, Pinterest, Snapchat, YouTube

About UNICEF

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, to build a better world for everyone. For more information about UNICEF and its work for children, visit www.unicef.org. For more information about COVID-19, visit www.unicef.org/coronavirus . Find out more about UNICEF’s work on the COVID-19 vaccines here, or about UNICEF’s work on immunization here.

Follow UNICEF on Twitter and Facebook.

About the ACT-Accelerator

The Access to COVID-19 Tools ACT-Accelerator, is a new, ground-breaking global collaboration to accelerate the development, production, and equitable access to COVID-19 tests, treatments, and vaccines. It was set up in response to a call from G20 leaders in March and launched by the WHO, European Commission, France and The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in April 2020.

The ACT-Accelerator is not a decision-making body or a new organisation, but works to speed up collaborative efforts among existing organisations to end the pandemic. It is a framework for collaboration that has been designed to bring key players around the table with the goal of ending the pandemic as quickly as possible through the accelerated development, equitable allocation, and scaled up delivery of tests, treatments and vaccines, thereby protecting health systems and restoring societies and economies in the near term. It draws on the experience of leading global health organisations which are tackling the world’s toughest health challenges, and who, by working together, are able to unlock new and more ambitious results against COVID-19. Its members share a commitment to ensure all people have access to all the tools needed to defeat COVID-19 and to work with unprecedented levels of partnership to achieve it.

The ACT-Accelerator has four areas of work: diagnostics, therapeutics, vaccines and the health system connector. Cross-cutting all of these is the workstream on Access & Allocation.

German Ambassador Promises Strong Cooperation with SLAJ

March 9, 2021

By Amin Kef Sesay

Horst Gruner, the German Ambassador to Sierra Leone, has assured the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ) of his Embassy’s willingness to partner with the Association to implement projects that are of mutual interest and benefit to both parties.

He was speaking to a cross-section of the SLAJ National Executive during a courtesy call on the Ambassador at his Hill Station Embassy on 19th February, 2021.

The President of SLAJ, Ahmed Sahid Nasralla, gave a brief background of the Association which he said was founded in 1971 to represent the interest of journalists and promote the practice of the journalism profession. He informed the Ambassador about SLAJ’s contribution to the country’s democracy, the fight against corruption by holding the Government and public officials to account, its role in national emergencies with reference to the Ebola outbreak (2014-2016) and the current COVID-19 pandemic, and the historic repeal of the criminal libel law last year 2020 as some of the key achievements of the Association as it celebrates 50 years of existence this year 2021.

The SLAJ President recalled the good relationship with the German Embassy in the 80s and 90s during which the country’s journalists benefitted from training opportunities under InVent and Radio Deutsche Welle, and urged the Ambassador for a return to those good old days.

Nasralla dilated on the challenges facing the media, especially the print media in terms of printing facilities and technicians.

“Most of the printing presses servicing the newspaper industry in Sierra Leone are German-made, but we lack the technicians to maintain these machines. Every time there’s a problem with the machines, the Proprietors would have to import technicians from Ghana or Nigeria to maintenance them, and that costs a lot of money. So there is an apparent need of technical training in this area,” said Nasralla.

In this vein, the German Ambassador informed the SLAJ delegation about the German Senior Expert Service which comprises German retired professionals in various fields or disciplines.

Ambassador Horst Gruner assured SLAJ of the Embassy’s willingness to partner with the Association once it sees its areas of interest. He said the Embassy will link SLAJ with retired professionals who are willing to support developing countries, especially print and radio technicians.

VP Juldeh Jalloh Hails New US Anti-Trafficking Program

March 9, 2021

By Amin Kef Sesay

The Vice President of Sierra Leone, Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh, gave the keynote address at the launch of the Sierra Leone Program Against Child Trafficking on Tuesday during a virtual event marking the start of a critical initiative to combat child trafficking and care for its victims in Sierra Leone.

Funded by a $4 million dollar award from the Program to End Modern Slavery at the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons (TIP) at the U.S. Department of State to the University of Georgia, the Sierra Leone Program Against Child Trafficking will combine innovative research with a new, impactful program for child trafficking survivors in Sierra Leone.

Dr. Jalloh stated that the program’s “goal of reducing the number of children that are in child labor or being trafficked which denies them the opportunity of going to school and other progressive life choices is a laudable one.” He called for “deliberate and targeted action to make trafficking risky and expensive, by dealing with entrenched problems of impunity and laying a solid foundation for rule of law to be applied.”

The launch event, sponsored by the African Programming and Research Initiative to End Slavery (APRIES) at the University of Georgia, World Hope International, the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons (TIP) at the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Embassy in Freetown, featured an impressive roster of speakers including Elaine French, the Chargé d’Affaires of the U.S. Embassy; Dr. Kari Johnstone, Acting Director of the TIP Office; Honorable Ministers Baindu Dassama and Manty Tarawalli; Honorable Deputy Minister Melrose Karminty; Dean Anna M. Scheyett of the University of Georgia School of Social Work; Dr. David Okech, the Director of APRIES; and Saidu Kanu the Country Director for World Hope International.

“We are excited that our soon-to-be-approved new Center on Human Trafficking and Outreach will build capacity within Sierra Leone through our continued work with CMDA and others,” stated Director Okech. “I tell people that good intentions alone are not sufficient in anti-trafficking work. Good intentions must be guided by concrete efforts that are based on data . . . [and] data must be interpreted within local contexts so as to provide meaningful guidance for local policies and programs.”

The program launch marks an important step towards justice for child trafficking survivors in Sierra Leone. APRIES’ research, conducted in close partnership with Conflict Management & Development Associates (CMDA) in Sierra Leone, finds that children suffering from different forms of trafficking and exploitation in Sierra Leone are trapped in their situations with little prospect of help or intervention. In addition, a household survey conducted by APRIES and CMDA showed a number of children had been trafficked in the three study districts of Kenema, Kono, and Kailahun.

Chargé d’Affaires French challenged the anti-trafficking community to “prioritize actions and prosecutions that breakup the criminal networks and increase accountability,” and “persevere in efforts to protect survivors, bring perpetrators to justice, and keep the wellbeing of our most vulnerable at the forefront.”

“This project could not have been launched at a more appropriate time than during this COVID-19 pandemic,” stated World Hope International Director Kanu. “Lockdowns and restrictions make the plight of child survivors go unnoticed. We look forward to working with our various partners and government line ministries, especially the Ministry of Social Welfare, the Ministry of Gender and Children’s Affairs, the Ministry of Local Government, and the Ministry of Justice, and community stakeholders to reduce child trafficking in Sierra Leone.”

World Hope International (WHI) operates the only dedicated shelter for trafficking survivors in Sierra Leone. With this new program, WHI will expand its services and advocacy for child survivors in three essential areas: prosecution of perpetrators, protection of survivors, and prevention of future trafficking.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has caused immense turmoil and suffering across the world and has disproportionally affected the most vulnerable and marginalized communities, including victims of human trafficking, and increased vulnerabilities on which traffickers prey,” noted TIP Office Acting Director Johnstone. “The U.S. Government is committed to the project and to assisting Sierra Leone in its efforts to combat human trafficking. We look forward to working with you all to achieve these goals in this important work.”

Looking into the Universalities and Fairness of the Constitution of Sierra Leone

March 9, 2021

By Mustapha Sheriff

In Sierra Leone, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission did recommend in point 38 that ‘Sierra Leone should consider the creation of a new constitution which should be the product of a wide and thorough consultative and participatory programme. Such a constitution must lay the foundations for a democratic and open society in which every citizen is equally protected by law.’’

Fala Albert Bockarie is the Director of Foundation for Development Democracy and Human Rights, Eastern Region, Kenema Sierra Leone. He believes that there is need for a constitutional review in Sierra Leone. Albert is not the only one to have had this view. For most people, there are certain sections of the Sierra Leone constitution that should be looked into. To them, there is need for inclusiveness and fairness.

Concerns have been mounting over time on the area of the Sierra Leonean citizenship. To some people, been born in Sierra Leone should guarantee automatic citizenship.

Mohamed Faray Kargbo is the former Public Relations Manager of Sierra Leone’s Constitutional Review Committee. He was of the opinion that much progress has been achieved in the review. To him, consultations were made and that all fourteen districts in Sierra Leone were adequately represented. Civil Society activists like Tholoma Sumah of the Foundation for Development believe that more needed to have been down. He argued on other vital priority areas and that such points should be looked into.

Sierra Leone and Sierra Leoneans are blessed to have a relatively peaceful country. To some people, such position is achieved because among other reasons, Sierra Leone is a religiously tolerant nation. It is common to see Christians and Muslims making up homes and beautiful families. On the contrary, some people believe that the constitution of Sierra Leone should be revisited to ensure that there is equality for all and sundry.

The Head of the Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA) in Kenema Sierra Leone, Lahai Galiwa said that human rights are fundamental principles that should not be toyed with. He added that it will be worrisome to have situations where certain sectors of society question the equality and impartiality of the constitution which he describes as the sacred document of any nation.

Lawyer M. Gbaya is Director of Legal and Cooperate Affiars, National Public Procurement Authority (NPPA). Like many other people, he believes that every constitution should cater for all categories of persons, devoid of class, race and ethnicity. All of these concerns have suggested the need for a sober review of the 1991 constitution of Sierra Leone. A constitution that is people centered it is argued will have lesser issues with the general public. As a developing country, Sierra Leone should strive hard to see that other areas are adequately sorted. It is not welcoming to have aggrieved citizens in any society/setting.

It is true that rights should go with responsibilities. This is why it is important to establish the level playing field for all members of any given society. The world over, there are issues that speak to constitutionality and other related matters. When such things show up, the best option is to amend matters where necessary and reasonably called for. It may not be as easy as it sounds, but with resilience and commitment, equality and inclusiveness are very much achievable.

This article is produced with support from MRCG through the ATJLF project on ‘’Engaging the media to change the narrative on Transitional Justice (TJ) issues in Sierra Leone.

Kingho Mining Company Commences Full Scale Operations

March 9, 2021

By Abdul Malik Bangura

On the 6th March 2021 Kingho Mining Company Limited started full operation in what has been a move that is geared towards revamping the economy of Sierra Leone. Its mines in Tonkolili and the railway and port of its co-subsidiary in Pepel Town have started functioning well.

Such a development by the company comes since acquiring large scale mining license in 2020 to operate the New Tonkolili Iron Ore Mines and the taking over of the site from Government of Sierra Leone on 23rd September 2020.

It also comes just about two months since the signing of the 192 kilometre railway and port lease agreement by Kingho Railway and Port Company and the Government of Sierra Leone that will ensure the company utilizes the infrastructure for their iron ore transportation out of the country.

Already, as a way of reawakening the awareness of the people in the rail corridor communities, the company is putting safety modalities in place to ensure that residents along the railway are protected while its train operations are ongoing.

According to Management, it is believed that motor bike /vehicle pass along the rail must use the legal level crossings, before one passes the level crossing stop, listen and look for trains. Pedestrians, they say, must maintain a 3 meter distance away from the railway on both sides. Communities along the railway, it was sensitised, should look after their school children, educate them not to put anything on the rail or climb up the wagons, etc, whilst communities should look after their domestic animals like goats and cattle etc.

Reaffirming its commitment to safety in the communities, Kingho Management also ,over the past weeks, engaged communities along the railway and recruited over 200 level crossing flagmen directly from the villages close to railway.

The first set of locomotive departed from Pepel Town on the 6^th March 2021 at 6:00 am for the mining site in Tonkolili, where also full scale iron ore mining has also started.

Prof. Alpha Wurie Discloses Commencement of Students Loan Scheme this Year

March 9, 2021

By Foday Moriba Conteh

Prof. Alpha Tejan Wurie ,the Minister of Technical and Higher Education, has disclosed that the Students Loan Scheme will be piloted this year, in fulfilment of the promise made by His Excellency the President to introduce new financing initiatives to support technical and higher education in the country.

The Minister made that statement at the Government press briefing organised by the Ministry of Information and Communication in Freetown.

The plan, according to the Minister, is to start with post-graduate students. This announcement is predicated on the successful work done thus far by the Students Loan Scheme Committee headed by Paul Amara.

Over the last eight months, the Students Loan Scheme Committee has traversed the length and breadth of Sierra Leone consulting various stakeholders in a bid to actualise the President’s pronouncement to establish the Students Loan Scheme.

A draft bill awaits final Parliamentary assent to effectively kick start the process.

Waterloo Dumpsite to be Transformed into Multi-Purpose Market

March 9, 2021

By Mary Kabay

On the 4^th March 2021 the Minister of Lands, Housing and Country Planning, Dr. Turad Senesie ordered the allocation of 200 Acres of State Land to the Waterloo District Council, as part of the unprecedented and unstoppable process of rebranding and modernising Towns and Cities under the New Direction Administration.

The Acting Director of Lands and Surveys, Tamba Dauda was directed to accordingly survey and hand over the portion of land to the Council for the relocation of the Dumpsite that is currently along the main Freetown/Waterloo Highway.

“His Excellency the President Brig. Rtd. Julius Maada Bio has instructed the transformation of the current dumpsite into a multi-purpose market with modern facilities for the traders and general populace of the Waterloo Rural community,” Minister Senesie confirmed.

During a site visit in Waterloo, the Minister assured the Chairman of the Council, Kasho Cole that President Bio is determined to support the Waterloo people by transforming the district into a Waterloo City.

“The Bio led Government is going to suffocate residents of Waterloo with development,” the Lands Minister asserted.

Proposed land sites for the construction of a Museum and Library in that part of the country formed part of the locations the Minister and team visited.

The Minister emphasized that urban transformation is a must for the good of Sierra Leone.

Lands Minister Pledges to Sanitize the Land Sector

March 9, 2021

By Amin Kef Sesay

On the 25^th February 2021, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, in collaboration with Ministry of Lands, organized a day’s high-level stakeholders’ interactive session at the Sierra Palms Hotel Complex, Lumley Beach Road in Freetown facilitated by the Technical Working Group on the implementation of the National Land Policy and the Voluntary Guidelines on Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forestry (TWG-NLP/VGGT).

The event brought together representatives of relevant institutions on land and natural resources to get a first-time interaction with the new Minister of Lands, Housing and Country Planning, Honourable Dr. Turad Senessie.

In their contributions, various stakeholders-including representatives of the World Bank and FAO, who both joined the meeting via zoom-expressed delight about the Minister’s initiative calling for such a timely interfacing while the World Bank’s Representative assured the Minister of the Bank’s unreserved support to the Government of Sierra Leone in all its development programmes.

The contributor from FAO Rome, promised solidarity with the Government in making land laws better, especially so that food production through large-scale agriculture can be possible.

In a stern tone of passion and sincerity, the Civil Society representative from Land for Life-NMJD, welcomed the New Minister into a sector he described as ‘chaotic’ and that whose image is deeply embroiled in corruption and disorderliness.

He pinpointed at some specific lapses in the land administration, among which include the absence of proper coordination with other MDAs, lack of reliable data on land, land corruption having to do with collusion between investment companies and locals, traditional and national land administrators, dispossession and other economic deprivation meted on marginalized groups- especially women and youths of land owning families and communities and assured the Minister of civil society’s continuous commitment to supporting Government corrects those errors.

Presenting the model laws, the Consultant facilitating the consultations, Eleanor Thompson gave a chronological update on the reform process which she said, started with the formulation and approval of a National Land Policy in 2015, implementation of some of the policy recommendations in the following years and Cabinet approval for the enactment of two land laws-the Customary Lands Right and the National Land Commission Acts in early 2019.

The Consultant further highlighted key contextual issues that the new laws tend to address, amongst which include clarity on ownership and control of land, community rights, women and gender issues, livelihood and fair compensation for land lease, environmental and ecological issues.

Responding, the Minister, acknowledged, in a sincere voice, all the challenges characterizing his Ministry, to the extent that he agreed with the civil society activist naming the Ministry as a chaotic spot, furthered to make his initial comments on some specific provisions of the proposed laws in the modem bills and expressed concerns about the idea of establishing an ‘independent’ Lands Commission, stating that there is no way a Commission can be independent from its parent Ministry.

The Minister also questioned the idea to limit maximum quantum of land for lease at 5000 hectares and the idea to democratize land deal negotiations and expressed fear that legal retainers hired to represent the interest of communities may end up doing otherwise.

In a stern voice however, the Minister cautioned any tendency of insincerity amongst the pro-reform campaigners, stating that the need to reform the laws should be borne by a genuine nationalistic intent rather than any selfish interest of job creation for people or the duress of meeting donor requirements

Dr. Turad Senesie concluded by requesting that all relevant documents pertaining to the reform process- including Cabinet approval, reports of consultations and the most updated versions of the model bills-be forwarded to him soonest and promised to get himself fully abreast with all the critical issues, be convinced of the need and urgency attached to the reform call, before he would be comfortable to provide the much-needed political leadership.

The Assistant FAO Representative in charge of Programs, Mr. Harding Wuyango articulated that nothing would have given him the greatest privilege and opportunity than to be part of the Lands, Housing and Country Planning event with other Government officials underscoring that critical among the country’s natural resources is land because its management, acquisition and utilization are still fundamental to the nation’s socio-economic and political stability.

He disclosed that tenure systems increasingly face stress and tension as the growing population in Sierra Leone requires food, that the meeting is to present the Model Land Commission and Customary Land Bills to the Minister of security as environmental degradation and climate change reduce the availability of land, fisheries and forests observing that inadequate and insecure tenure rights increase vulnerability, hunger and poverty that can lead to conflict and environmental degradation when competing users fight for control of these resources.

According to the Assistant FAO Representative, the governance of tenure is a crucial element in determining if and how people, communities and others are able to acquire rights and associated duties, to use and control land, fisheries and forests and revealed that many tenure problems arise because of weak governance and that attempts to address tenure problems are affected by the quality of governance while weak land governance adversely affects social stability, sustainable use of the environment, investment and economic growth.

According to Mr. Harding Wuyango, people can be condemned to a life of hunger and poverty if they lose their tenure rights to their homes, land, fisheries and forests, and their livelihoods because of corrupt tenure practices or if implementing agencies fail to protect their tenure rights underlining that people may even lose their lives when weak tenure governance leads to violent conflict and that responsible governance of tenure conversely promotes sustainable social and economic development that can help eradicate poverty and food insecurity and encourages responsible investment in an attempt to attain the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

He further recalled that in May 2012, the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) endorsed the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security (VGGT), that the government of Sierra Leone made a high political commitment to implement the VGGT in February 2014 but noted that since the launch of VGGT implementation in Sierra Leone, enormous success has been achieved including; i) the development and implementation of the 2015 National Land Policy, ii) establishment of a vibrant Multi-Stakeholder Platform (MSP), iii) Pilot systematic demarcation and mapping of customary land rights and iv) supporting the drafting of the Land Commission and Customary Land Bills among others, all initiatives that are in line with the government’s priorities enshrined in the new Medium-Term National Development Plan (MTNDP).

He went on to state that in particular agricultural land is central to livelihoods in rural Sierra Leone, that Sierra Leone is characterized by a dual legal system of customary and statutory law and dual land tenure, with state land and customary land, that the Lands Act was criticized for being gender-neutral and for not tackling women’s precarious access to and ownership of land under customary tenure affirming that indeed, in order to access customary land, which constitutes the largest proportion of land in Sierra Leone, women mostly depend upon a male relative in many regions.

“Low access to land and to property other than land is one of the elements that makes gender inequality in Sierra Leone visible, along with women’s lack of representation in decision-making institutions, low levels of secondary education and high maternal mortality levels.” There are several Legislations enacted by Parliament relating to the land sector in Sierra Leone and its duality, from the Protectorate Land Ordinance of 1927 to the New National Land Policy (NLP of, 2015). It shows that most of the key laws addressing land rights and governance to date before Sierra Leone became independent in 1961,” he enlightened.

Concluding, he informed that FAO, CSOs and Donor organizations have played an important role in the land law reforms in Sierra Leone to create a sustainable land governance system and tenure security for land right holders in Sierra Leone, observed that legislation up-holding gender equality is now present, although in different degrees but that however, the implementation of these legislative frameworks should follow suit, that women must not be made to face discrimination, in part due to social and cultural barriers and the inaccessibility of institutions able to support them concluding that through alignment with donors and development partners, government institutions have been able to acquire institutional control over land and pledged FAO’s commitment to support programs related to sustainable land governance and land reforms in Sierra Leone.

Similar statements were made by other stakeholders while the question and answer session climaxed the interactive event that was chaired by Jombo Samba, National Coordinator in the Land Reform Secretariat in the Ministry of Lands.

GTMS Cargo Tracking Excels In Africa

March 9, 2021

By Amin Kef Sesay

Recent report from the United States Coast Guard announced that it was removing the conditions of entry on vessels arriving in the country from the West African Nation of Liberia into US waters, which had been in place since May 2, 2005 due to the fact that the country had been found to be one of the countries not maintaining effective counter-terrorism measures at its Ports. However, according to the report from the US Coast Guard, recent assessments conducted in 2018 by their organization helped determine that Liberia was actively working on maintaining effective anti-terrorism measures in its Maritime operations.

“The Republic of Liberia is removed from the list of the Countries Affected in paragraph B of the Port Security Advisory. Therefore, effective immediately, actions required in paragraphs C and D of this Port Security Advisory are no longer required for vessels arriving in the United States after visiting ports in the Republic of Liberia,” – U.S. Coast Guard Port Security Advisory (2-20) stated.

This decision has saved vessels arriving from Liberia the embarrassment of special security measures upon arrival in the US.

In an interview with a local tabloid in Liberia, Commissioner of the Liberia Maritime Authority (LiMA) Lenn Eugene Nagbe emphasized the commitment of the Liberian government to remain compliant with stipulated U.S. counter-terrorism measures and other international protocols governing maritime security.

US Ambassador McCarthy thanked the Liberian government for helping fight terrorism and sanctions violation. He urged the authorities to continue to take positive steps that would ensure they are complaint with local and international sanctions.

The removal of Liberia from such list of countries for its effective implementation of anti-terrorism measures is the direct result of the judicious work of Global Tracking and Maritime Solutions Holdings (GTMS Holdings), a maritime company that is known for its prudent work in Cargo Tracking of potential terrorism activities and other illicit products at sea amongst others.

In 2018, the Government of Liberia selected GTMS Holdings to become the Exclusive General Managing Agent with the License to implement the Cargo Tracking Note (CTN) system in the country’s Maritime/Ports system and ensure full compliance in this regard. The CTN is a system that requires Advanced Data Declaration and the full integrity of the data from Shippers (imports & Exports)/Freight Forwarders before Cargo arrives in a country. This system does not only pre-inform Ports of expected cargo and all other security measures but helps them better prepare to scrutinize cargo entering the nation’s ports as required by the ISPS Code Part B of the SOLAS Convention.

GTMS Holdings, a UK Based company which was first established in 2014 and has created an effective and efficient cargo tracking system virtually interlinking all major ports to a central global database system using a SAAS and physical architecture employing the latest technology, infrastructure and human capacity.

This company was also responsible for the successful introduction and implementation of the CTN System in neighbouring Sierra Leone as the Exclusive General Managing Agent from 2014 to 2019. It comes as no surprise that they have been able to play such a pivotal role in helping the national port of Liberia meet its International Compliance.

We were able to speak with the CEO of GTMS Holdings, Mr Sahr William Ngegba, a dynamic entrepreneur of African-British descent with vast experience in the Global Shipping and Logistics industry spanning over 23 years and he told us this;

“This is great news for not only Liberia but for West Africa as a whole. The potential and future of shipping and maritime industry in Africa is unimaginable. What the world is seeing today is an acceleration of digital industrialization. For Africa to take advantage of this new wave of global industrialization there is an urgent necessity for our ports to be fully compliance to meet the opportunities of global trade and such industrial revolution. What has happened to Liberia ports does not only tremendously help Liberia in global compliance but will help reduce freight rates, insurance cost usually levied on Ports that are classified within such list and so much more. Such classification is the security aspect to meet in relation for all global ports not just the United States”.

He further stated, “Thanks to the quantum leap in Industrial digitalisation, we have never been so busy as a company even in the advent of such global pandemic. At the moment, we now have six offices in all the continents and within the next 12 months we will be opening a further 8 offices in Africa alone and investing tens of millions of dollars, creating thousands of direct employment in Africa, UK and China”.

Chinese Spokesman Refutes IGR Assertions

March 9, 2021

By Amin Kef Sesay

In a recent report by the Institute for Governance Reform (IGR) in what it dubbed “China’s Emerging Influence in Sierra Leone” it was asserted that the bi-lateral relationship between Sierra Leone and China is one that is not mutually benefiting citizens and the country as a whole. In fact it was categorically stated that it borders on the Chinese blatantly exploiting the country’s resources and its people.

This was what the IGR stated, “We argue that China’s presence in Sierra Leone is rooted in its desire to secure vital resources and raw materials to feed its enormous domestic population. Despite China’s insistence that it promotes win-win trade relations with bilateral partners, local communities complain that they are at the losing end and poverty levels are rising. China’s dominance in the fishing sector undermines local revenue generation and exacerbates economic hardship in local fishing communities.”

However, when this news outlet conducted an exclusive interview with the Spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in Sierra Leone, Hu Aimin , to ascertain the veracity of that assertion this was what emerged:

Calabash: Recently the Institute for Governance Reform (IGR) published a report titled “China’s Emerging Influence in Sierra Leone: Voices and Views of Local Fishing and Road Construction Community”. Can you give us some comments on that?

Spokesperson: We noticed the publication of that report, which in the name of the so-called people contacted, made irresponsible comments on the China-Sierra Leone cooperation. We believe the report is full of speculations rather than facts, and its conclusions are subjective, exaggerated and sensational.

Calabash: The report says that the toll road built by the Chinese was over-priced and brings more debt burden to Sierra Leone. Do you think it is true?

Spokesperson: Toll roads are commonplace in the world. The Wellington-Masiaka Highway (the toll road) is an investment by the Chinese Company CRSG, which has made the local people’s transportation much more convenient, rapid, comfortable and safer. It by no means adds a debt burden to the Sierra Leonean Government because it is not a loan. In fact, based on the current toll levels, it may take CRSG about 27 years to recover their investment. The road construction started in April 2016, but the toll-collecting only began in August 2017, not from the beginning of construction as claimed by the report. The investor has been operating in strict accordance with the laws and regulations of Sierra Leone. It is neither fair nor rational to attack such a project which is in the interest of the country and people just because certain individuals are not satisfied. Otherwise, who is going to invest here?

Calabash: The report claims that Chinese vessels are overfishing and destroying the local people’s livelihood. What is your feedback?

Spokesperson: As a matter of fact, all the Chinese operating vessels have licenses and other documents issued by the Sierra Leonean authorities. Every Chinese vessel is equipped with a Sierra Leonean Government observer and VMS and reports their catches to the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources every day. The catches are mainly sold to the local market through the Sierra Leone local agents. All the activities are in line with the regulations of the Sierra Leonean Government.

Given the large number of artisanal fishing boats, the incidents of friction between them and the Chinese vessels remain less than 0.7%. When some rare accidents do occur, the Chinese fishing companies take appropriate actions to address the local people’s concerns. The so-called findings and conclusions of the report are full of prejudice against the Chinese fishing companies and distrust to the Sierra Leonean authorities.

Calabash: The report implies that the cooperation between China and Sierra Leone in the basic infrastructure area worsens Sierra Leone’s debt burden. What is your take on that?

Spokesperson: According to the 2019 annual report of the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Sierra Leone, the Chinese side accounts for less than 3% of all the foreign debts of Sierra Leone. It is baseless to accuse China for adding a debt burden on Sierra Leone. Actually, most of the China-assisted basic infrastructure projects are funded by Chinese Government gratuitous aid. Such projects have greatly promoted the development of Sierra Leone and the improvement of the people’s livelihood and are welcomed by the local community. Furthermore, in 2018, China exempted all the interest-free loans borrowed by the Sierra Leonean Government, and China offered the Sierra Leonean Government a debt suspension of 2020 repayments under the Debt Service Suspension Initiative agreed by the G20.

Calabash: The report mentioned that the Magbass Sugar Complex has only recently begun to promote Sierra Leoneans into the upper ranks of Management. Is that the case?

Spokesperson: The fact is, this factory is a Chinese government aided project which was turned to a lease operation between 2005 and 2014. In 2014, due to the Ebola epidemic the project was halted. For a long time since then this project has been in the hands of the Sierra Leonean people.

Calabash: The report said they administered a qualitative questionnaire to some elites and conducted surveys targeting around 1000 people. Do you think that can make the report more reliable?

Spokesperson: The representativeness of the survey done by the report is dubious. Normally, how to select the samples and how to frame the questions have direct bearing on the conclusions drawn. We respect the rights of any institution or individual to make remarks, but the conclusions drawn by the report are far way from the Sierra Leonean Government and people’s genuine opinions.

According to the Chinese Embassy’s observation and analysis, the mainstream opinion of the Sierra Leonean Government agencies and the ordinary people is that they highly appreciate the cordial relationship and sound cooperation between China and Sierra Leone as well as the positive effect brought by China to Sierra Leone’s development. China and Sierra Leone are enjoying sincere friendship, mutual respect, and mutual benefit. From schools to hospitals, from stadiums to office buildings, from hydro-power stations to roads, from Government scholarships to training programs, the fruits of cooperation between China and Sierra Leone are everywhere to be seen, and the Sierra Leonean people are truly benefiting from this cooperation. China has never pursued one-sided interest in her cooperation with Sierra Leone and in Africa. To accuse China of “neo-colonialism” as is done by the report is calling the black white.

Calabash: Any other comments on the report?

Spokesperson: There are many other untrue elements in the IGR report. For the sake of saving our precious time, we denounce them in general rather than go into details. Facts speak louder than words. We are convinced that the Sierra Leonean Government and people will by no means be misled by the report made by IGR, and that China-Sierra Leone friendly cooperation will by no means be detracted by such nuisances under the pretext of freedom of speech.

The Chinese side will continue to work with the Sierra Leonean side closely to push forward the friendly cooperation and bring more benefits to both countries and peoples. We wish that all sides, including IGR and its sponsors, would take more concrete actions to help Sierra Leone develop, rather than point their fingers at, try to find faults with, and launch moral trials on those genuine partners who are offering support to and cooperating with Sierra Leone.