By Edward Vamboi
The Seawright Mining Company continues to receive widespread commendations from residents of Valunia Chiefdom for the tremendous work the Company had done and is still doing in and out of the operational areas.
Those commendations were made by Stakeholders during a Parliamentary Oversight Committee on Mines visit and findings based on complaints made by Algom Resource Ltd Company, a mining company owning exploration license.
The residents of the chiefdom vehemently stated that they are not in favour of Algom Mining Company operating in their area, explaining that they have written several letters to the Minister of Mines and NMA, reiterating that they don’t want that company in their locality further maintaining that some of those companies are given exploration licenses but, with little or no monitoring, they are involved in actual mining while they refuse to pay royalties to the Government and surface rent to the people.
Section Chief, Musa Nabieu, among other speakers explained that despite the fact that Algom is an exploration holder, there are other companies that are operating in another neighbouring chiefdom with exploration license but are doing CRS for their people, pointing out what Seawright Mining Company is doing in other neighbouring Chiefdoms.
The former U.S. Ambassador to Sierra Leone, Maria E. Brewer joined Seawright Mining Company to commission a modern cold room facility, constructed and donated by the Company for the people of Gorama Mende.
Seawright Mining Company made annual payments to land owners of Nimiyama and Gorama Mende Chiefdoms in the tune of hundreds of Million Leones.
Nimiyama Chiefdom Chief, PC George Bockarie Torto thanked the company for a number of reasons such as the payment to land owners and the state-of-the-art cold room among others which he said the company has done beyond the chiefdom’s imagination.
Member of Parliament, Hon. Alex Mattia Rogers, of Constituency 102, Pujehun District commended Seawright Mining Company for undertaking a tour in relation to fish farming before implementing it in Sierra Leone.
He described the venture as a laudable sustainable development project Seawright Mining Company is determined to implement in Sierra Leone.
The multi-million Dollar fish farming project is at its completion stage at the Aquaculture Department of Njala University, Nimiyama and Gorama Mende Chiefdoms respectively.
The Company is constructing a modern school in Gorama Mende Chiefdom which is at the completion stage.
Seawright Mining Company blueprint are visible in communities beyond their operational areas. They have undertaken school projects, road/bridge constructions, waters wells construction, donate one billion Leones to help fight Corona in Sierra Leone, donate to the Police, and donate learning materials to schools and universities.
Currently, the Company is paying teachers, facilitating an ongoing school feeding program among others.
Dr. Alfred Seawright, President and Chief Executive Officer of Seawright Mining Company once said people need to showcase what they are doing and promised of the Company’s willingness to do anything that will make the fish farming project work in Sierra Leone.
“We are doing 100% of the system we are putting together. The RAS system will be able to generate 40 tons of fish every six months and we will do that full time.”
