KOIDU GOVERNMENT HOSPITAL NEEDS ANOTHER PEDIATRIC STRUCTURE

By Mohamed Amin Sidibay

Speaking to Culture radio on the admission of three children to a bed, the medical superintendent, Dr.Mohammed Sheku says,"this is the height of the raining season, there is too many cases of diarrhea, malaria, rhinitis, fever and convulsions that are reported every day and night for admission,and we have only 30 bed capacity besides there is no other pediatric space to improvise."He continues saying in an empathic tone" If we refuse to admit them and send them home,meaning we are sending them to die,and if we admit them on the floor, we will be still exposing them to danger"

He added that if we had got another place for children,it would better.The hospital really needs more structures.

Isata Sums,one of the parents children appreciated the medical superintendent and the nurses for accepting them and their children even though the are admitted like that.She considered them as real saviours and prayed to God for their safety.

However, one of the parents of the diseased children blasted the kono politicians for not thinking about the health of the children of the district. She further said that all our politicians care about is spending money on things that are cursed by God.She boldly made mentioned of the minister of transport and aviation that led a masquerade after the Muslims ended their Holy month of Ramadan. "But we are waiting for them come 2018", she ends in an annoying tone.

"It sadden to see a city which is boast of having minerals especially diamonds to see her children suffering at such;more especially when it's being voiced all over the world recently of having 709 carats diamond pending in sales With the incumbent President Earnest koroma led government," says Sam kpaka another parent.

Aside from this, the more shocking one is that 13 June, 2017 8children died.According to statistics, out of every 10 children admitted, 6 to8 die on a daily basis.
The reasons for this is that the parents will not take their babies to the hospital when immediately sicked.Most will first try them at home and when their conditions get worst they will rush with them to the hospital. At arriving or on their way some will die,this habits of parents have caused many death on children in the city and in the country as a whole.one of the nurses emphasized.

According to sources, the admission of three or more children to a bed is happening in almost in all the government hospitals in other district in the country. For example, the Holadiru hospital among others.

First Pan African College opens

Actis launches Honoris United Universities, the first pan-African private higher education network

Honoris United Universities is the first African private higher education network bringing together the leading tertiary education institutions in North and Southern Africa for the first time

LONDON, United Kingdom, July 11, 2017/ -- Honoris United Universities brings together the leading tertiary education institutions in North and Southern Africa for the first time – Collaborative Intelligence from around the continent Luis Lopez has been appointed as CEO of Honoris United Universities Actis (www.act.is), a leading investor in growth markets, announced today a major pan-African higher education initiative - Honoris United Universities (www.Honoris.net). Honoris United Universities is the first African private higher education network bringing together the leading tertiary education institutions in North and Southern Africa for the first time. Honoris United Universities will harness the collaborative intelligence and the pioneering efforts of these institutions to educate Africa’s next generations of leaders and professionals. Actis began with “beacon” markets in Francophone Africa. In December 2014, it made an investment in Université Centrale Group, the leading post-secondary education group in Tunisia. In 2016, the platform expanded to Morocco, creating a Northern Africa Hub through its investment in Université Mundiapolis. Mundiapolis is renowned for its international approach and focus on employability.  Announcing subsequent additions Today, Actis announces a further commitment to Francophone Africa through an investment, subject to regulatory approvals, in EMSI, Ecole Marocaine des Sciences de l’Ingénieur the largest private institution in Morocco and the leading private engineering school. Actis is today also announcing the expansion of Honoris United Universities to South Africa, an important Anglophone beacon market that will anchor the platform in Southern Africa. Subject to regulatory approvals, Honoris has entered into an investment agreement with Management College of Southern Africa, better known as “MANCOSA”, and the REGENT Business School. Together, MANCOSA and REGENT are South Africa’s leading private distance learning institutions, focused on providing accredited, accessible and affordable education. These agreements in Morocco and South Africa mark the genesis of the pan-African education leadership position that Honoris United Universities seeks to cement. As a whole, Honoris United Universities will offer more than 100 degrees in fields including Health Sciences, Engineering, IT, Business, Law, Architecture, Arts and Design, Media, Education and Political Science. Delivery is focused on student success and accessibility and includes a blend of on-campus, learning centers and distance learning. Introducing the newly appointed CEO Actis is pleased to announce the appointment of Luis Lopez as the CEO of Honoris United Universities. Luis brings a strong track record of student success and international management experience from Laureate International Universities. Luis Lopez, newly appointed CEO of Honoris United Universities, stated - “I am proud to introduce Honoris United Universities, a unique platform providing international quality education. It is rooted in the vision of the founders of the member institutions. Aware of the vital need for their communities to develop human capital, they have each worked for decades to build relevant and demanding academic models with the dual objectives of developing the employability and the life skills of their graduates. We believe our key values – collaborative intelligence, mobility and agility - unite us in the purpose of securing a successful impact for our students, their families and their communities.” The Founders include Slah and Chédia Ben Turkia, who established Université Centrale, IMSET (Institut Maghrébin des Sciences Economiques et de Technologie) and Académie d’Art de Carthage in Tunisia; Professor Yusuf Karodia, the founder of MANCOSA & REGENT Business School in Southern Africa; Dr. Bargach El Fatimi, Dr. Jawad Khayat, Dr. Kamal Daissaoui and Mr. Zouhair Benabbou, as founders of EMSI and Mr. Lotfi El Eulj, Mr. Abdelaziz Lahlou and their partners, the founders of Université Mundiapolis. These leaders are characterized by a strong belief in creating pan-regional successful graduates with cross-border academic qualifications and work experience to be competitive in today’s fast-paced and demanding labor markets. Rick Philips, Partner, Actis, said: “Actis has been operating in Africa for over seven decades. Through the businesses in which we invest we employ over 100,000 people. We understand not only what students are looking for in terms of quality and access but what their prospective employers are looking for when they graduate. Businesses are looking for applicants with internationally accredited levels of education. Employers in Africa have ambitions across the continent and beyond - they need candidates with global perspectives but who understand the diversity of Africa and their local markets and can demonstrate the skills to operate successfully.” Hichem Omezzine, Co-Lead Global Education Sector, Actis, said: “We have developed extensive domain knowledge in the education sector by backing the trend for emerging market consumers to secure their own and their children’s future quality of life by investing in their education. This has given us the credibility and experience to identify and to work with world class institutions to support their growth ambitions. We are absolutely thrilled to expand our partnership with Université Centrale and Université Mundiapolis to MANCOSA, REGENT and EMSI - three incredibly impactful market leaders.” Distributed by APO on behalf of Honoris United Universities.

70 million people children to die before 2030

Investments in poor children save more lives per dollar spent, new UNICEF study says
 
Unless the world makes faster progress on reducing child mortality, by 2030 almost 70 million children will die before reaching their fifth birthday

Download the report, photos and videos: http://weshare.unicef.org/Package/2AMZIFLPXD7O

NEW YORK, 28 June 2017 – Investing in the health and survival of the most deprived children and communities provides more value for money, saving almost twice as many lives for every US$1 million spent as equivalent investments in less deprived groups, according to a new UNICEF analysis.

Narrowing the Gaps: The power of investing in the poorest children presents compelling new evidence that backs up an unconventional prediction UNICEF made in 2010: the higher cost of reaching the poorest children with life-saving, high-impact health interventions would be outweighed by greater results. 

“The evidence is compelling: Investing in the poorest children is not only right in principle, it is also right in practice – saving more lives for every dollar spent,” said UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake. “This is critical news for governments working to end all preventable child deaths at a time when every dollar counts. Investing equitably in children’s health also saves futures and helps break intergenerational cycles of poverty. A healthy child has a better chance of learning more in school and earning more as an adult.”

Unless progress on reducing child mortality accelerates, by 2030 almost 70 million children will die before reaching their fifth birthday.

Drawing on new data from the 51 countries where around 80 per cent of all newborn and under-five deaths occur, the study shows that improvements in coverage of life-saving interventions among poor groups helped decrease child mortality in these countries nearly three times faster than among non-poor groups.

Crucially, the study uses new data and modeling tools to demonstrate that interventions reaching children in poor groups proved 1.8 times more cost-effective in terms of lives saved.

The study selected six key health interventions as indicators to assess access to high-impact maternal, newborn and child health interventions: the use of insecticide-treated bed nets, early initiation of breastfeeding, antenatal care, full vaccination, the presence of a skilled birth attendant during delivery, and seeking care for children with diarrhea, fever or pneumonia.

Specifically, the study found that:

• Access to high-impact health and nutrition interventions has improved most rapidly among poor groups in recent years, leading to substantial improvements in equity.
• During the period studied, absolute reductions in under-five mortality rates associated with these changes in coverage were nearly three times faster among poor groups than non-poor groups. 
• Since birth rates were higher among the poor than the non-poor, the reduction in the under-five mortality rate in poor communities translated into 4.2 times more lives saved for every million people.
• Of the 1.1 million lives saved across the 51 countries during the final year studied for each country, nearly 85 per cent were among the poor.
• While the per capita investment needed to improve coverage among the poor is greater than that required to reach the non-poor, these investments save almost twice as many lives per US$1 million invested as equivalent investments in the non-poor.

The study lists Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Malawi as some of the countries with high rates of under-five mortality where focus on the most deprived has made a difference for children. Between 1990 and 2015, under-five mortality decreased by half in Afghanistan and by 74 per cent in both Bangladesh and Malawi.

The findings come at a critical time, as governments continue their work towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, which set a target of ending all preventable deaths among newborns and children under the age of five by 2030. Investing in children’s health and survival can also support the achievement of other global development goals, such as ending poverty (SDG 1).

Narrowing the Gaps calls on countries to take practical steps to reduce inequities, including: disaggregating data to identify the children being left behind; investing more in proven interventions to prevent and treat the biggest killers of children; strengthening health systems to make quality care more widely available; innovating to find new ways of reaching the unreached; and monitoring equity gaps using household surveys and national information systems.

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About UNICEF
UNICEF promotes the rights and wellbeing of every child, in everything we do.  Together with our partners, we work in 190 countries and territories to translate that commitment into practical action, focusing special effort on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded children, to the benefit of all children, everywhere.

For more information about UNICEF and its work for children, visit www.unicef.org. 
Follow UNICEF on Twitter and Facebook

For more information, please contact:
John James, UNICEF Communications Specialist, jjames@unicef.org, Tel. +232 (0) 76 102 401

SOCFIN gets 21-day ultimatum

The Malen Youth Development Union (MAYODA) on 20 May 2017 issued a 21-day ultimatum for the General Manager of Socfin Agriculture Company, Philip Tonks, and the Plantation Manager, Gordon Peterson, to be transferred, before the 9 June 2017 due to abuses meted against workers of the oil palm plantation and failure to fulfill development promises.

MAYODA is an advocacy and mediatory group endorsed by chiefdom stakeholders advocating for favourable treatment of land owners and workers.

Mustapha Fofanah, a middle-aged man, is the Chairman of MAYODA and also Town Chief of Jonbo village just a few metres from the concession area of Socfin by the ‘green belt’, a patched forest surrounding a village with vast palm trees, leaving land the size of two football stadiums for locals to eke a living.

The Chairman of MAYODA said, “this is the second complaint letter we have written to the company and other stakeholders about the grave abuses of Socfin workers especially laborers at the oil palm plantation and issues of unfulfilled development promises for locals.”

“We are relentless on this 21-day ultimatum this time around. They must go for our people to get freedom on the land,” clutching his fist and punching the air in anger.

He said labourers on the oil palm plantation are harassed, molested and also exploited by Socfin Agriculture Company, majority of whom are vulnerable poor men and women whose land has been acquired by the company.

He said 80% of the sixty villages where the company operates have not received 20% of the development projects promised them when their land was leased in 2011. On 22 May 2017 a peaceful and successful protest was held against the company, wherein all the oil palm plantation workers refused to go to work due to the undue harassment, intimidation and abuses by the company bosses.

Conditions of service for Socfin Workers

One of the labourers working on the oil palm plantation whose land was leased at Malen is, Sheku Rogers, at Kassie. His home is a mud hut with thatch set in the midst of bananas, palm and coconut trees and a kitchen garden.

The ground around each hut in the village is bare and damped chickens scratched around the house and a goat tethered under a tree.

The only source of income for Rogers before the company arrived at his village was farming, or they work for each other, and harvest sold for extras of life like sugar and salt, cloths and batteries for his new Chinese LED light as evening lamp.

Rogers said he was able to adequately feed the family, pay for schools fees, medical bills and other basic needs, but currently there is drastic drop in our living standards with seeming indescribable poverty.

Some of the villages, he said, have not changed much, despite the presence of the company. Kids still scuttled barefoot through the village in rags; young girls pounding grain in the shade of a mango tree and old women tending babies, many of the youths have migrated to bigger towns for jobs and a better life.

“Our land no more provides food for us to eat,” Rogers complained, “we are now labourers of the white man; waking up as early as 4:00 a.m. to walk three or four miles to the assembly point of the plantation workers,” Rogers said.

Our supervisors are rude, harsh and intimidating and the white boss is a racist who usually calls us “black monkeys” while in queue to be apportioned with tasks, he lamented.

“We assemble in the morning hours to pray and sing the national anthem and we are giving instructions on what to do by the supervisors. The lack of transport for labourers who walk for three to six miles is troubling at night. Some people hire motorbikes but many others are currently suffering,” Rogers said.

“We arrive at the assembly point without eating food and while working on the plantation, we are not even provided with water and those that get injured are also left to wallow in pain except for those with contracts,” he said.

Rogers claims they are forced to harvest 76 to 85 palm fruit heads a day and slash over 300 palm trees a day for less than Le 22,000 per day.

“The tasks given to us laborers are tedious and back breaking,” said Rogers. He uses a stick attached to a blade to harvest the palm fruits whilst others gather and transport the oil palm fruits. Roger’s hands are literally rough with blisters and new cuts.

According to Mamie Lahai, a woman in her 30’s with her husband working for the company, “We the laborers, especially women and adults, spend two to three days to complete one task and we get slightly above Le 20,000 which is meant for a day’s work.”

“We are treated like slaves on our land. We leased the land to the investors expecting that our livelihood will improve but today we are suffering wretchedly on our land,” she claimed.

Socfin’s responsibilities

The Human Resource Manager, Socfin Agriculture Company, Abu Amara, said the company is working according to the labour laws of Serra Leone and internationally accepted best practices. He said the company has made every effort to ensure that women and men working on its plantations benefit from improved living and working conditions.

“Every year,” he said, “Socfin invests a significant budget for the maintenance, renovation and creation of social infrastructures and community services, which includes housing, schools, clinics and roads, so that communities can thrive.”

The Human Resource Manager, said, “People are lazy in some of these villages we operate, you give them task for one day it takes them two to three days to complete,” he said, while responding to frequent phone calls at his office desk.

During the harvest season, “we employ a slightly over 4,000 workers and during the other periods, we have around 3,600 workforce,” the Human Resource Manager said.

“We have employed thousands of men and women from the chiefdom to do brushing, slashing, pruning appliance of fertilizer, and harvesting for a mill that produces 30 tons per hour.”

“We give task to meet our production target, but the people are lazy women do not accept pruning and harvesting jobs and use of wheelbarrows due to useless cultural belief,” he slammed his desk with his fist… we pay them slightly above Le 20,000 per task.”

The Community Liaison Manager, Joseph Edward Belmoh, said the company is doing its part in implementing community development projects and also providing jobs for locals.

He said a grievance committee is currently investigating issues raised by locals and workers in the 21-day ultimatum grievance letter sent to us in a bid to address some of the issues raised.

Belmoh also said that in advancing its Corporate Social Responsibilities, SOCFIN has, among several other community development projects, developed a Rice Cultivation Scheme of 190 hectares of “boli” land and 282 hectares of in-land valley swamp rice cultivation as well as fish ponds.

Belmoh said no gap has been identified regarding the compliance with IFC’s Performance Standard 5 “Land Acquisition and Involuntary Resettlement” which has been officially recorded by a neutral third party commissioned by the World Bank in its report dated 31 July 2015.

He noted that SOCFIN is aware that it is one of very few multi-national corporations that stayed on and has continued to operate in Sierra Leone during her difficult and hard times, employing and providing for thousands of young Sierra Leoneans, paying huge corporate tax and employees’ insurance contributions.

A report by Actionaid in 2013 recommends: a binding regulatory framework (based on international guidelines for responsible agricultural investment) for foreign investment in farmland that gives premium to protection of local people and the environment, limiting leases to 1,000-2,000 ha, and binding compensation for all crops, trees and important resources based on the real value of each over its productive life span. Until such recommendations are applied, the report calls for an immediate moratorium on large-scale investment in farmland in Sierra Leone.

According to a foreign expert working in Sierra Leone, “the only way to stop this abuse of its people is the government to take control and have United Nations observers placed in all major foreign investor companies. It is going to take a long time to break the cycle of violence and cruel behavior learned from the past.”

Also, these company’s abuse of the world standards of living and proper humanitarian treatment can be stopped and improved, if forced to comply by a UN committee and monitors.

Friday June 02, 2017.

PRESS RELEASE

UN study: Digitization of Kenyan farmer payments helps tackle poverty

One Acre Fund cut payment losses and collection costs by over 80 percent, boosting farmers’ satisfaction and economic opportunity

NAIROBI, Kenya, May 31, 2017/ -- A new case study (http://APO.af/v5Wxdm) by the United Nations-based Better Than Cash Alliance (www.BetterThanCash.org) shows how agriculture nonprofit organization One Acre Fund (www.OneAcreFund.org), in partnership with Citi Inclusive Finance (www.CitiInclusiveFinance.com), successfully digitized loan repayments for farmers in Kenya. This move significantly boosted transparency and efficiency, driving economic opportunity and financial inclusion for thousands of smallholder farmers and their families. One Acre Fund, supported by Citi, enabled farmers to easily make loan repayments via mobile money instead of cash, reducing the uncertainty, inefficiency, insecurity and high costs previously caused by cash transactions. One Acre Fund can now reach more farmers with greater reliability, and staff can spend almost half as much time collecting payments in cash, using that extra time to help farmers increase their incomes through training and educational programs. With One Acre Fund’s package of services, including training and inputs like seed and fertilizer, the average farmer participating in the program earned nearly 50 percent more than peer farmers who do not participate. Study findings include: Increased participant satisfaction due to transparency and convenience. Eighty-five percent decreased instances of repayment fraud. Reduced processing time for each repayment from 12-16 days to 2-4 days; farmers now know immediately when their payment is received, eliminating the worry about whether it arrived. Eighty percent decrease in repayment processing costs. Forty-six percent of time reduced for staff working on collections, allowing for more time helping farmers improve agricultural practices. Women farmers benefited especially, feeling safer about payment deliveries. “Mobile repayments have allowed us to increase our efficiency and provide better service to farmers,” said Mike Warmington, the Director of Microfinance Partnerships at One Acre Fund. “We’re excited to be working at the forefront of this technology in the smallholder agriculture lending sector. In our experience, farmers were empowered to thrive in these communities. Clients receive immediate confirmation of payments as they happen, enabling them to better manage their businesses and family finances.” “Citi’s footprint, track record in inclusive finance and transaction banking capabilities enable us to provide global support to leading social enterprises like One Acre Fund,” said Bob Annibale, Global Director, Citi Inclusive Finance. “Among other benefits, digitization enables efficiency and security, and drives innovative and inclusive business models. Citi is proud to play a part in enabling One Acre Fund and other organizations like them to improve the livelihoods of farming communities.” One Acre Fund is an example of the significant benefits and impact that digital payments and inclusive digital financial infrastructure, as developed in Kenya, can bring to agricultural value chains, contributing to a more sustainable and productive agriculture sector, a cornerstone of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). These learnings can easily translate to poor farming communities in other countries and One Acre Fund is working on plans to expand in Rwanda, Tanzania, and Zambia in the future. “For companies and nonprofit organizations who want to work in rural Africa, this success story is a must-read,” said Oswell Kahonde, Africa Regional Lead at the Better Than Cash Alliance. “Digital payments are essential to building sustainable business models and creating long-term impact. By enabling smallholder farmers to make and receive payments digitally, we are creating transparency and accountability which translates to numerous benefits and empowers people to take control of their finances.” *** Please click here (http://APO.af/v5Wxdm) to download the study.  Distributed by APO on behalf of Better Than Cash. View multimedia content For information & media interviews, please contact:  • Better Than Cash Alliance: Angela Corbalan, Head of Communications, Angela.Corbalan@UNCDF.org, (+1) 917 224 9109 • One Acre Fund: Whitney McFerron, Global Media Relations Lead, Whitney.McFerron@OneAcreFund.org • Citi: Patricia Tuma, Corporate Communications, Patricia.Tuma@Citi.com About Better Than Cash Alliance: The Better Than Cash Alliance is a United Nations-based partnership of governments, companies, and international organizations that accelerate the transition from cash to digital payments in order to reduce poverty and drive inclusive growth. To learn more, visit www.BetterThanCash.org, follow @BetterThan_Cash.

Parliament enacts the Local Government Amendment Act 2017

Parliament on Tuesday 30^th May 2017 debated and passed into law the Bill entitled “The Local Government Amendment Act, 2017”.

The Act is aimed at amending the Local Government Act, 2004 with the view of providing for the addition of new Districts created under the Provinces (Administrative Division) Order, 2017 and other related matters.

Presenting the Bill prior to ratification, the Deputy Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Hadiru Ibrahim Kalokoh said that Part 1 in the recent de-amalgamation of chiefdoms and the subsequent division of the Northern Province into two provinces has resulted in the creation of two additional Districts, with one provincial headquarters. He furthered that this has necessitated the establishment of three new local councils which are currently not listed among those in the Local Government Act, 2004.

He also informed Parliament that with the advent of the de-amalgamation of chiefdoms and the re-districting, the number of chiefdoms in the Local Councils has changed, hence the need for the amendment.

MPs who spoke to the Bill described it “as non-controversial” and called for the immediate installation of Regent Chiefs in the newly created chiefdoms to avoid the interference of Paramount Chiefs in those areas, whilst expressing that the Bill is in tandem with the Provinces Act.

The Acting Minority Leader, Hon. Jusufu B. Mansaray and the Majority Leader of the House, Hon. Leonard Fofanah expressed similar sentiments respectively.

Department of Public Relations

Parliament of Sierra Leone

OAU Drive, Tower Hill

Freetown

Tel: 077669726/078495023/078426851

Gravitazz Continental Initiative

Role of the Private Sector in Disaster Risk Reduction?                            Join us for 2017 Africa Conference on Economic Costs of Disasters (ACECD 2017) 23-25 October, Johannesburg, South Africa Although the scale of disasters in Africa is generally smaller than in other continents such as Asia, their effects on affected populations have been devastating. This is largely due of the high levels of vulnerability of populations in African countries. Out of 100 disasters reported worldwide, only 20 occur in Africa, yet the continent suffers 60% of all disaster-related deaths. When a natural disaster strikes, decades of development achievement in a country can be eroded in a very short period of time. It is crucial that States invest in prevention, preparedness, response and recovery in order to minimise the effects of disasters. The role of the private sector is therefore essential in addressing these issues adequately. However, Africa is lagging behind in its private-public cooperation and in the disaster risk reduction (DRR) domain in particular. The private sector has generally been overlooked when it comes to DRR in Africa and yet, when disasters strike, the private sector is also affected. Therefore, it has a strong interest in preparedness, given that average global economic losses due to disasters range between 250-300 billion USD annually. It is against this backdrop that the private sector should be more involved in DRR in order to assist governments build resilient economies and achieve their Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Do not miss the opportunity to attend the first continental Conference to focus exclusively on the active involvement of the private sector in DRR! If you wish to be a speaker or to present a poster please submit an abstract before the 18th of June 2017! For more information please refer to the Call for Papers attachment. Should you have any questions, do not hesitate to e-mail the Conference administration at info@gravitazzci.org. For more details visit the Conference website at www.gravitazzacecd.com.

Human Interest Story

From the graveside to the people’s heart: life skills for former burial team members

On a Wednesday afternoon, Sanpha and his team of three other men are braving the scalding heat, replacing an old pipe with giant spanners. They have been working since dawn, but they are positive to get it right.

Women and children sit by the fence waiting for the hand pump to be fixed. This tap is in the old Ebola treatment complex in New Maforki town northern Sierra Leone and it serves many communities within a seven-mile radius. They have not had treated tap water for the past eight days, and other water sources are not hygienic for cooking and drinking.

“The situation is very difficult at this time of the year, especially at the peak of the dry season. Wells dry up and this puts a lot of pressure on the hand pump.”

As the men work, the children throw questions at them to ask when the work would be completed. They reply without stopping their work. Sanpha is particularly grateful for this empathy  because 18 months ago it was not like this.

Sanpha and his team are among 1300 former SDB/IPC and Volunteer ERW’s benefiting from the Reintegration and Reskilling of Sierra Leone Red Cross Volunteer Burial Teams project, which is funded by the government of Finland and supported by the United Nations Development Programme in Sierra Leone, in partnership with the International Federation of the Red Cross and the Sierra Leone Red Cross Society.

They had volunteered with the Safe and Dignified Burial (SDB) teams in their part of town during the Ebola epidemic. Among them were two body carriers, one infection prevention control personnel and one psycho-social support staff or community liaison.

Accounting for over half of all burials during the crisis, the Sierra Leone Red Cross and its team of dedicated volunteers worked tirelessly nationwide coordinating over 50 SDB teams at the peak of the epidemic.

At the beginning of the epidemic, public perception of the burial team members was not that welcoming, as they were considered potential transmitters of the virus. In many cases the volunteers were pushed away by their very own communities and family members.

“It was tough. We had to volunteer because people were getting infected by touching the corpses without taking precautions, and they were dying. Our families and friends became very worried and had to keep away from us. This had very severe effects on most of us.” Said Ibrahim, a member of Sanpha’s team.

Today Sanpha and his newly qualified team of plumbers are welcome in all the communities where they work. They travel to remote communities across Sierra Leone, fixing hand pumps and helping ordinary people get access to safe drinking water. Evidently, the switch of vocation has made them the darlings of communities once again.

“It becomes a difficult situation for us, especially suckling mothers; we cannot cook our food or drink clean water without their help. So, seeing them just makes us happy.” - Musu Bangura resident of New Maforki

The UNDP Project Manager, Lynda Buckwoski, said the project seeks to rehabilitate and reintegrate these individuals via the provision of psycho-social counselling and vocational and skills training to enable them access economic and livelihood opportunities.

"When we talk of reintegration we understand that the majority of these people lost their livelihood during EVD; schools were shut, university’s closed and people lost their businesses. UNDP alongside the IFRC wanted to reinstate life prior to Ebola" . Buckwoski said.

UNDP partners with people at all levels of society to help build nations that can withstand crisis, and drive and sustain the kind of growth that improves the quality of life for everyone. On the ground in more than 170 countries and territories, we offer global perspective and local insight to help empower lives and build resilient nations.

Gateway Fair Press Release

Dangote to spend 10 billion dollars on rice cultivation ...gives tools to block makers

Group disclosed that it was investing N10 billion dollars in rice cultivation in five states to boost food self-sufficiency

LAGOS, Nigeria, May 29, 2017/ -- The Dangote Group (www.Dangote.com) shone at the just concluded 2017 Gateway Trade fair which was held in Abeokuta, emerging as the second most patronised exhibitor, just as the Group disclosed that it was investing N10 billion dollars in rice cultivation in five states to boost food self-sufficiency. To mark its Day at the Fair, a subsidiary of the Group, Dangote Cement, gave out several tools and implements to the block makers in Ogun State in appreciation of their patronages. Tools such as wheel barrowers, shovels, umbrellas and hand gloves were donated to block makers who assembled from different areas of the state. During the 10-day trade fair, Dangote Flour delighted customers and participants with free sampling of its new pasta products. The wet sampling made the Group’s pavilion the center of activities at the Fair as participants trooped in for their daily meal. Customers were rewarded with branded coolers, kitchen aprons, exercise books and customized ladles. Commending Dangote Group for its sponsorship and participation at the Fair, President of Ogun State Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (OGUNCCIMA) Mrs. Adesola Adebutu said the support given by the Group went a long way in making the staging of the Fair a success. She commended the Pan African Conglomerate for its giant strides in economic development of the country through massive investments in several sectors of the economy describing the feat as worthy of emulation by other Nigerians. A director of Dangote Group, Tunde Mabogunje who represented the Group at the special day, said that the partnership with OGUNCCIMA is beneficial as Ogun State is the host of the 12 mmtpa Dangote Cement Plant, Ibese, the second largest cement plant in Nigeria. Dangote Cement, he said, “through the plant provides thousands of direct and indirect jobs in the state. As a responsible corporate citizen, we participate fully in all events and activities designed to drive social and economic welfare of the state.” He described the theme for this year’s Trade Fair: Promoting Agricultural Value Chain through SMEs for Nigeria Economic Recovery as being apt, given the nation is now paying attention to Agriculture, which has the potential of becoming the major driver of the economy instead of oil, pointing out that in line with the theme the Group is at the forefront of job creation and is the largest employer of labour outside government. Mabogunje stated “We have been contributing our quota to the growth and development of the Nigerian economy. Towards aiding agriculture, we are building a fertilizer plant in the Lekki Free Trade Zone, Lagos State. When completed, farmers will have regular access to fertilizer for their farming activities. The delays and disruptions experienced in waiting for imported fertilizer will cease.” “We are investing about $1 billion in rice cultivation. We have an outgrowers scheme where thousands of farmers are empowered with improved seeds and items needed to cultivate rice.” Distributed by APO on behalf of Dangote Group. Media Contact: Francis Awowole-Browne Francis.Awowole@Dangote.com +234 806 630 4898 SOURCE Dangote Group Multimedia content

Wetin mek we dea pay tax? Part 2

NATIONAL DIALOGUE SERIES 4:

The National Dialogue Series continued on Thursday, 11^th May 2017 with the topic: ‘Wetin mek we dea pay tax? (Why do we pay tax?)’ live on Africa Young Voices Television and simulcast on the Independent Radio Network across Sierra Leone. This is the fourth in the series and the second on the same topic.

The panelists were Mrs. Aminata Kelly-Lamin, Policy and Advocacy Adviser for Action Aid Sierra Leone and Alpha Tanu Jalloh, President of the Sierra Leone Importers and Exporters Association, while Development Communications consultant Batilloi Warritay moderated the programme.

Following are highlights of what the panelists said during the 1hr 30 minutes discussion programme:

Mrs Aminata Kelly-Lamin was asked about her views on tax avoidance and she explained that while it is legal as a result of agreements signed between two countries, tax avoidance is morally wrong. She went on:

“From a poverty stand-point Action Aid viewed it as morally wrong. We believe that if you come to our country to invest and found out that the system is not correct, you should be honest enough not to follow that system but to uphold international best practice or standards.

“Tax Avoidance refers to ways companies and multi-national businesses avoid paying their correct taxes in the various countries they are operating. Tax Avoidance is making Sierra Leone losing out on a lot of money which otherwise would go into providing social services for the general public, especially women and children.

“In 2016, Action Aid Sierra Leone released a multi-country report titled Mistreated Report, which looked at the issue of Tax Avoidance in various countries. The report found out that tax treaties or agreements between countries is one of the ways companies avoid paying correct taxes. Countries hosting big businesses or multi-national companies have a right to tax these companies, but some provisions in the tax treaties restrict the right of host countries from levying certain taxes. So a lot of countries, especially lower-level countries like Sierra Leone, are losing out on huge incomes that would have added to their domestic revenue generation. Bangladesh alone loses about US$85 million annually to tax avoidance.”

Mrs Kelly-Lamin said they (Action Aid) shared the report with the Government of Sierra Leone: the Office of the President, Office of the Vice President, the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development and the National Revenue Authority (NRA), who are responsible for taxation in the country.

“We had hoped that they (Government) would see and understand the negative impact of some of these kinds of bi-lateral agreements, for example with the United Kingdom, on the country’s economy. We expected that there would be the political will to review these treaties.

“Actually, obligation to these tax treaties is voluntary; they are not absolutely binding. This means that our Government can come out of them as and when they feel it’s not favourable.

“The Office of the President requested the NRA to catalogue all treaties of such nature that were preventing Sierra Leone from generating much needed revenue from taxing multi-national companies but up till now no list has been made available.”

Mrs Kelly-Lamin also cited a Network Movement for Justice and Development (NMJD) study released in 2011, titled ‘Cost Benefit Analysis on Mining Companies’, which found out that certain mining companies including London Mining and African Minerals Ltd were avoiding payment of Corporate Tax.

“While this is also not against the law (because it is usually as a result of tax holiday arrangement between the Government and the companies), it is morally wrong on the part of the companies.

“This study looked at some of the areas that Government often overlooked when multi-national companies come in to invest to determine whether Sierra Leone would benefit or not. In addition, there were several other tax obligations these companies neglected because Government did not monitor their operations well.

“In one instance, the study found out that on the date the agreements were signed the price of iron ore on the international market did not match with the price Sierra Leone agreed to sell. This meant that there was reduction in the royalties we were supposed to get as a country. The royalty is our country’s first entitlement for its mineral assets, and we lost on that.

“Furthermore, although the Income Tax Act requires all big companies to pay a Corporate Tax of around 35 to 37% or so, the NMJD study found out that these mining companies re-negotiated, and London Mining for example was asking for as low as 6 percent.”

For his part, Alpha Tanu Jalloh said:

“Because Sierra Leone is a small and poor country, she gives in to most of such agreements just to encourage big businesses to invest in the country.

“In our regional set-up, the Mano River Union for example, we have a treaty that goods or products coming in from any of these countries should not pay any duty. So you find out that countries that are manufacturing countries stand to benefit more from such a treaty than our own country which is receiving the products.

“Some big companies enjoy tax holiday for a period of 4 to 5 years based on the volume of their investment. These tax breaks are normally direct taxes to the State for operating a business in the country, such as Corporate Tax.”

However, Mrs Kelly-Lamin noted:

“Sometimes some companies abuse this tax holiday privilege. When they come they get tax holiday for five years, and then another five years. By the time it’s 10 years they change their names and sign new agreements and enjoy the benefits all over again. The Government loses out and it’s us the people who bear the loss in the form of inadequate social services.

“Going forward, Government should enforce existing laws which are good, and review old treaties with countries like UK, Denmark and Italy as examples. It is possible that some of the provisions in these treaties still impact on our agreements with companies from these countries in recent times. The fact that Sierra Leone signed these treaties means that they supersede our domestic laws.

“I also suggest we introduce a progressive tax system, wherein the more income you get the more tax you pay.”

Alpha Tanu Jalloh suggested that the NRA should spread the tax net rather than concentrating more on imports.

“The transport sector for example; they just renew their licenses annually and that’s it. The transport sector should also report their income and pay taxes to Government. There are so many other areas. There are shops that are not registered, and there are small outlets that are doing bigger businesses than shops but they deliberately prefer to remain as such simply because they don’t want to pay tax. Charcoal sellers, wood sellers, they all make profits and therefore eligible to pay taxes.”

Meanwhile, Mrs Kelly-Lamin reasoned:

“The collection of taxes is one thing; the utilization of tax money is another.

“The State has to prove to the people that they are using the money for the benefit of the general public. The Auditor General’s report year in year out has proven that there are many holes in the system in terms of utilizing public monies. It shows that monies entrusted by the State to Ministries, Departments and Agencies to provide social services- schools, hospitals, roads, water, electricity- are not being used correctly.

On the question of newspaper allegation that the ‘NRA chopped tax monies’, Mrs Kelly-Lamin said: “I can only reference the recent Auditor General’s Report which claims that there are certain questions which the NRA failed to answer in relation to money given to them to manage their own affairs. Even the Okada riders have a right to ask Government how and on what tax monies are spent, because they pay Le5, 000 as tax to Council.

Asked about his comments on the new Finance Act by a listener, Alpha Tanue Jalloh said: “The whole process is shrouded in secrecy. From the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development, it goes directly to Parliament. We believe there are finance experts who should have seen this bill and discuss it before it is sent to Parliament, but that is not the case and this is not the first time. Even with the 2016 Alcohol and Beverages bill; we didn’t know who put it together and how. It just appeared in Parliament. It’s full of unthinking figures which you can’t see in a similar bill in any part of the world.”

Links to Action Aid’s ‘Mistreated Report’:

http://www.actionaid.org/2016/02/mistreated-how-shady-tax-treaties-are-fuelling-inequality-and-poverty

http://www.taxjustice.net/2016/02/24/15042/

http://www.actionaid.org/publications/mistreated-tax-treaties-are-depriving-worlds-poorest-countries-vital-revenue

FACT CHECK:

A 2013 report by BAN and partners NACE, Christian Aid, IBIS and Tax Justice Network Africa titled ‘Losing Out’ revealed that Sierra Leone was losing US$ 224 million annually to tax avoidance by just four mining companies operating in the country.

Did you know?

Land Owners Tax requires tenants to pay 10% tax to the Government from their rents. This tax targets the tenants directly and not the landlords.

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About the National Dialogue Series:

The National Dialogue Series is a joint initiative of The Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ), Campaign for Good Governance (CGG) and the Independent Radio Network (IRN). The main objective of the programme is to develop a healthy culture of national discourse on key development and political issues and to shift the focus from individuals and personalities as the country prepares for national elections.

It is becoming evidently clear that as Sierra Leone approaches the 2018 Elections, there is a compelling need to enhance the capacity of citizens in their civic responsibilities and also help to increase the level of awareness and understanding of major issues among members of the public.

The National Dialogue Series come to you in the form of a 1hr 30 minutes live TV and Radio simulcast bi-weekly programme across the IRN network, TV and social media nationwide. 

The next topic is ‘We don ready for the 2018 elections? (‘Are we ready for the 2018 elections?’) on Thursday, 25^th May, 2017.

Ahmed Sahid Nasralla

National Secretary General

Sierra Leone Association of Journalists

ECOTOURISM CAMP LAUNCHED ON TASSO ISLAND

In line with the strategic policy objectives of Pillar- one of the Agenda for Prosperity, which focuses on sustainable ecotourism development in the tourism industry, Island Aid Sierra Leone and Planning Green Futures Charitable Trust, UK with support from Baobab Trust, UK decided to embark on Island ecotourism development project on Tasso Island, which in the long run would be extended to the other islands (Bonthe, Tiwai, Turtle, Plantain and the Ramsar Sites), as islands being the drivers for sustainable tourism development.

To actualize such a novel initiative, and with the support from Baobab Trust UK, an ecotourism camp that accommodates over twenty guests per night, was built on Tasso Island, under the Tasso Ecotourism Project, which official opening held on Friday 24th March 2017. The occasion attracted representatives from International partners, United Kingdom, International and local NGOs, like the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), Wetland International, Sierra Leone Conservation Society; MDAs, National Protected Area Authority, Monument and Relics Commission, Environmental Protection Agency, Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources, National Tourist Board, Air Travel agencies, Travel Sierra Leone, Radisson Blu Travel, Island Community stakeholders, Cultural and traditional heads, Tasso Island Community Trust, Island Aid and representatives from the sister islands along the Ramsar sites of the Sierra Leone River Estuary. The event was climaxed by Sierra Leonean and British cultural performances that gave the unique richness of island cultural diversity.

This project is however a community-based eco-tourism development on Tasso Island, in the Sierra Leone River Estuary. It is supported by an international charitable organisation, the Baobab Trust, UK, working in partnership with Island Aid Sierra Leone. 

The concept, project design and management leadership is provided by Planning Green Futures International (UK) which has a local office in Freetown (PGF-SL Ltd) established in 2012.  This company prepared the Government’s new Eco-Tourism Policy (currently being promoted by the Ministry of Tourism and Cultural Affairs); and Tasso Island is the first area to benefit directly from the policy. And it is therefore expected that the Ministry of Tourism and Cultural with other line MDAs will support this project to positively impact the lives of the Island communities on Tasso Island and the sister islands along the Ramsar sites; and also provide peculiar healthy environment and hospitality for both national and international visiting tourists.

The occasion was fully attended by people in the Tasso Island community and Sister islands along the Rokel and Bankasoka rivers who saw the project as a relief of their economic and social burden, being abandoned and deprived locations of the basic social amenities even thought with the rich biodiversity potentials in the islands that can transform their lives livelihood.

The ceremony was chaired by Mr. Harry Mustapha, Island development consultant who has varied experience in community development and project design. He gave an overview of the event and talked on Island resilience as a drive for sustainable ecotourism development; he also re-echoed that for the project to succeed, every effort must be made by the Tasso Island community, international developments agencies and government through its line MDAs to support the programme, which objective was development oriented against the ills of economic disillusionment and island myth.

Mr. Dura Koroma, Executive Director, Island Sierra Leone and Board Director, Tasso Ecotourism project, in line with Mr. Mustapha's view,  also gave a cursory remark on the policy objective of the project, which he said came about as a result of clarion call by the president, Dr Ernest Bai Koroma, to promote tourism development in the country; and that Tasso ecotourism Project (TEP) could be seen as a demonstration case for Pillars one of the agenda for prosperity, which he said escalated the initiative of sustainable tourism development; and islands being key support drivers to actualize such an objective.

To register their support for the project, representatives from the line MDAs, Viz, Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Ms Isatu Rogers made her contributions on effective island fisheries management that could promote ecotourism development, which seen as community based; Mr. Smith, EPA also talked on environmental health and biodiversity protection, which he said would provide a safe haven for touristic attraction and ecotourism development;this was also reiterated by Dr. Sheku Kamara, Sierra Leone Conservation Society who was accompanied by Mr. Andy from the Royal Society for the Protection of the Birds (RSPB). He made reference to his organization’s strategic policy objectives on environmental management, conservation of nature and preservation of life, which have hugely created proactive and innovative solutions to wetland conservation, which task he said could not be done in isolation but by collective responsibility and total commitment to create a healthy environment, as safe haven to attract ecotourism development in the islands. He however assured Island Aid, Baobab Trust and the Tasso island community of his support in enhancing the intended goals and vision of the project. 

He elaborated on wildlife and biodiversityprotection, which can ensure a resilient island and healthy environment for tourist attractions; he also emphasized on the need for community participation with genuine commitment for the project to be a success. Other speakers included representatives from Monument and Relics Commission, Visit Sierra Leone, Radisson Blu, Environmental protection Agency (EPA) and island community representatives from Tasso Island Community Trust, Kakim Island, Pepel Island;and Community Women Coalition on Island development and friends of Island.

Key community stakeholders, Mr. Alhaji M S Kargbo and Mohamed Margai informed the Tasso Island community that the ecotourism project in the island was an opportunity they should consider as their baby that needed domestic and development orientations;and lay the foundation for its sustainability as a going concern, which benefit could also be enjoyed even by posterity.

Also a key community women’s activist, Mamusu Kabia, re-echoed the role of women in promoting island ecotourism development, especially in the areas of culture, weaving, arts and craft and micro farming, which could provide a market outlet to supply food items,local wooden carvings and others to the project.Also, Madam Fatmata J.S from Pepel admonished the islanders that this project came to stay and to transform the lives of the islanders in not only Tasso island but also the other sister islands; and that from every indication, Baobab Trust, UK intended to expand its development portfolios to other areas like Tiwai and Bonthe islands.

The occasion was both a launch and celebration, climaxed by cultural and traditional performances; children sports meet, boat race between the UK oarsmen and the islanders. The events really gave a unique picture of cultural mix (British and Sierra Leone islanders) and social jamboree of varied events that insatiably enticed the guests. It was a smash and blast; an enticing event, which social nectar provided an unlimited receptive hospitality.

The launch really promoted the Pillar one objective of the agenda for prosperity, especially in the area of Island ecotourism development, which was seen to create a systematic progressive growth impact in the tourism industry and the economy as a whole, which will also have a related impact of the growth rate of the economy and gross domestic product.

It is therefore expected that the Ministry of Tourism and Cultural Affairs and other related line MDAs that promote sustainable tourism development, environmental health and biodiversity protection will support the project; that even the travel agencies and hotel managements also have to embrace this initiative for mutual benefit that can strengthen guarantee the sustainable futurity of the tourism industry,to positively impact on the economy.

The Tasso Community Stakeholders, with specific reference to the Chiefs, Pa Alimamy Kanu and Pa Komrabai Turay, Oku Town, Tasso Island, who expressed a surge of appreciation for the pioneering effort of Island Aid, to have the project implemented on Tasso Island; and also for the proactive intervention of Planning Green Futures with support from Baobab Trust, UK to launch the project, which affirmed their commitment to transform the social and economic priorities of the island, in the areas of ecotourism development, community infrastructure development, social and economic needs gap intervention and others.

Mr. Peter Nelson, Chairman Baobab Trust, UK and Managing Director, Planning Green Futures Charitable Trust, UK, who designed and developed this project with support from Island Aid Sierra Leone, re-affirmed his commitment on same, island ecotourism development and environmental health, which Tasso Island happened to be the first beneficiary; and that with the potential economic viability expected in the implementation of the project, the Tasso island community would benefit immensely.He however noted that Tasso Island is a unique environment that is strategically located, at close proximity to Bunce Island; and with historic value and importance as far back as the colonial day of the slave trade, used to be a transit depot for slaves ready to be conveyed to Europe, America and Caribbean but however neglected and deprived of the basic social facilities; and this project would at least address the island’s social and economic problems with collaborative partnership and genuine commitment of purpose to create a change. He also noted that the ecotourism project was just the beginning of his organisation’s and international partners’ development Agenda for the island; other focus areas on intervention included Mango factory, Rain water harvest and infrastructure development. 

He reminiscenced the islanders and other key stakeholders about the long delay in the manifestation of their dreams, which have now come to pass, which an opportunity could cushion their economic and social burden, as the project had provided employment opportunities for the youths; and the income earned could ameliorate the social and economic lives and also other people within the island. He also said that the eco-camp could provide accommodation for up to 30 resident visitors, set in forest above a sand beach on the southern shore of the Island; and that Day visitors from Freetown would be able to enjoy its facilities and a 60 seat restaurant, which would offer local cuisine and seafood prepared to international standards by specially trained staff from the island.  He also mentioned that the camp would rely on solar power, rainwater harvesting and compost toilets in order to minimize all environmental impacts and that Visitors would be transported to the camp in a purpose-built 30 seater sea-going canoe, the “GLADI-GLADI” named to celebrate the Country’s recovery from Ebola, to commemorate those who gave their lives and to mark a new beginning for the Island, which is part of the City of Freetown and one of its most neglected and impoverished quarters.

Highlighting the direction of the project by various speakers and the possible short and long term interventions by both Island Aid and Planning Green Futures with support from Baobab Trust, the occasion was officially opened by Mr. Umaru Woody, Project and Development Officer, National Trust Board followed by the typical traditional dedication done by the Tasso Island Chiefs, Pa Alimamy Kanu, Pa Komrabai and Ya Posseh Kamara.

Mr. Umaru Woody lauded the effort of Planning Green Trust and Island Aid Sierra Leone for the progressive pace in their development strives, which he said seemed very spectacular, regarding the emerging and inherent challenges; and also noted that his organisation, the statutory body promoting and marketing the tourism industry would support the project with the necessary technical and professional needs. 

Mr. Peter Nelson, in response to the various speakers, re-affirmed the project’s commitment and effective/standard service delivery facilities to be provided to guests/tourist; and that they would have regular trips or excursion or expedition to Bunce Island and Pulunmant on Tasso, where the ancestors of perhaps as many as 15% of today’s Americans were incarcerated in British forts during the slave trade; other exciting opportunities would be cultural exchanges, canoe rides through mangrove forest, walking tours, travel to Gola Forest, Turtle and Sherbro Islands, the Loma Mountain and other attractions around the country.

In registering the commitment of the Freetown City Council and the Central Government, the Councillor Constituency 97, Ward 348, Mr. Abu Bakarr Kamara reiterated with great emphasis on the priorities of the government on tourism development as pillar one of the agenda for prosperity, especially on Tasso Island, which he said was a virgin area to tap the richness of nature that could accelerate the growth machinery of the economy; that would provide alternative domestic income to cushion major capital outlays undertaken by the council or the government as the case may. 

He also pointed out that the location of the project was not outside his administrative purview as a councillor, and that what he had seen would be conveyed to the authorities for necessary supportive interventions that would sustain the project; and that the absence of the other key government officials was not deliberate; it was as a result of the fact that the date of the occasion coincided with that of the National Youth Conference on Port Loko, which attracted national attention within the political circle.

Mr. Abu Bakarr Kamara also admonished the islanders with specific reference to the key community stakeholders whose decision and actions,he said determined their social and economic prosperity, and which must be taken with genuine commitment and patriotic interest. He emphatically reiterated that the project would hugely benefit the Tasso island community, which needed to be given the required support; and that with maximum level of sincerity, commitment and dedication, it would attract other development corridors, to address other key needs like Youth and Empowerment Skills Training, Agricultural development, improved fishing activities  and Island Cooperative Societies. 

Mr. Harry Mustapha, commended Mr. Peter Nelson and Island Aid Sierra Leone for this novel initiative of island ecotourism development, will create in social and economic lives in the island. He noted that the chalets that shall accommodate guests/tourists have standard facilities, hygienically suitable with receptive hospitality; and the restaurants would provide visitors with varied delicious African and continental dishes.

The Project Manager, Ms Patience Davies who has varied experience in hotel and restaurant management vowed to provide guests and visiting tourist with splendid hospitality, viz, accommodation and daily meal and refreshment.

In making a closing remark, Mr. Peter Nelson assured the Tasso Community that the project would be implemented in line with the proviso of the terms and conditions of the agreement/Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), which would be respected to the fullest. This was followed by cultural performance, musical concert and celebrations that showed a sign of appreciation. Notwithstanding the inherent challenges, the occasion was however a success, as the intended purpose was achieved; and the Chief, Pa Komrabai Turay called on the government through the line MDAs to support the Island’s development agenda.

Dura Koroma

Executive Director

Island Aid Sierra Leone

+23279458328