Government condemns scandal against Securiport… $25 Security levy justified

Securiport logo

Top Officials in the Ministry of Information and Communication have denied knowledge of a public notice sent out on social media on Wednesday 29th June 2022, claiming that the government has asked Securiport to halt the collection of the $25 security levy at the Freetown International Airport by air passengers. “All press statements coming from our ministry or by extension the government, has to be signed and it must be in the government of Sierra Leone logo,” the Ministry stated.
“This document I will say for now was not released through our official channel or means,” says Emmanuel Turay, A Senior Ministry Official.
The ministry described Securiport as a reliable and trusted partner that supports the growth and development of Sierra Leone, noting that the $25 collected is justifiable and the government is aware of it. “We cannot allow foreign or local companies scamming our people,” an Official said and furthered that Securiport’s integrated immigration control system gives the government access to the airport security technology they need to verify passenger identities and check travel document authenticity. Then, using a real-time connection to Interpol, they have instant access to terrorist watch lists, no-fly lists, fraudulent document lists, and other critical information.

Securiport is a global leader in the design and implementation of civil aviation security, biometric screening, immigration control, and threat assessment systems. With headquarters in Washington, DC, USA, Securiport partners with governments around the world. Securiport’s Civil Aviation and Immigration Security Services, a comprehensive security product that performs secure biometric recognition of travelers at immigration posts, provides proprietary systems for the identification of potential security risks, criminal activity, and disease prevention based on the comparison and multi-dimensional analysis of the biometric data and traveler information collected during immigration processing.

It is a reputable American technology firm, that signed a contract with the Government of Sierra Leone in March 2012 to provide traveler, airport, and civil aviation security systems. It also provides similar systems that have been operating for a number of years in Senegal, Ivory Coast, and many other nations worldwide.
”Securiport’s systems are the most advanced in the world and are provided within the frame of a comprehensive civil aviation security service. Besides the biometric identification of travelers and a number of security features installed in the airport, they provide all the elements to identify potential criminals attempting to enter or leave the country on commercial flights, applying advanced artificial intelligence methods,” Company officials say

Not available

Massive Corruption At Emergency Medical Services …ACC opens investigations 

By Abu Bakarr Kargbo

Some of the grounded ambulances for minor spare parts

Officials tasked with the responsibility of managing the country’s ambulance operations services under the National Emergency Medical Service (NEMS) project are currently looking for ways to save their necks from the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) hook. ACC investigators reportedly stormed the Head Office of NEMS on Spur Road where lots of documents and equipment have been retrieved to help the Commission with its investigations. The NEMS project, which is operating under the Ministry of Health and Sanitation, is a project that aims at creating the first pre-hospital emergency medical system in the country. In 2017, a joint venture of Doctors with Africa (CUAMM), Veneto Region, and Research Center in Emergency and Disaster Medicine (CRIMEDIM) was developed to support the Ministry of Health and Sanitation (MOHS) in designing and managing the NEMS system, one of the very few structured, fully equipped, and free-of-charge pre-hospital service in the African continent. The project has become an embarrassment to the current government, and donors such as the World Bank have lost confidence in its activities.

The project employed about 900 Ambulance Drivers and Paramedics operating about 170 ambulances in about 84 stations across the country. The stack reality is that the current NEMS Project Head, Abdul Wurie, cannot give proper account for government and donor funds, which runs into billions of Leones. One of the key reasons for the ACC investigation is the grounding of over 80% of ambulances operating under NEMS. Sources say most of the grounded ambulances are due to incompetent operators employed via political party and tribal lines, after the elimination of competent drivers trained by the World Bank. “Most of the grounded ambulances are as a result of lack proper fuel, brake pads, tires, and other minor spare parts to keep the essential vehicles alive,” a source explained. Sources have alleged that incompetent leadership at NEMS and waste of taxpayers’ monies led to the resignation of some top officials at the Human Resources and Procurement Departments. One of the burning issues is that funds provided by the government of Sierra Leone to pay staff and augment other operational costs for which NEMS authorities could not give proper account. “Key staffs like drivers and paramedics are deprived of their salaries and other entitlements. Several complaints have been made to the supervising Ministry (Health Ministry) to address the issues of concern but all fell on deaf ears,” a source revealed and furthered that those at the top cadre have formulated blotted wages, which has caused a chunk of government funds going into their pockets. When contacted for clarifications, the Head of Operations at NEMS, Abubakarr Jalloh said he cannot make any official comment and referred journalists to the Health Ministry’s Communications Department, which also failed to give an official response. All efforts made so far to get the sides of the Ministry and NEMS have proven futile.

Africell, Police Engage Personnel

The Media and Public Relations Unit of the Sierra Leone Police together with the leading mobile company in the country, Africell have on Tuesday, June 28th, 2022, embarked on a regional tour to all Police Divisions across the country to sensitize personnel on the use and importance of the Close Users Group (CUG) system. The move came after the Executive Management Board (EMB) of the Police approved the use of this system by police officers nationwide.

At the Northeast  Regional Headquarter town of Makeni, the Head of Police Media and Public Relations, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Brima Kamara and Africell staff briefed the Regional Police Commander, AIG Gabriel M. Tommy before meeting Local Unit Commanders, Support Officers, and Heads of various Units in the region.

AC Kamara spoke about the importance and benefit of using the Close Users Group system. 

He underscored the importance of the system in their day-to-day operations and spoke about the use, benefit, and importance of using the Close Users Group.

He told senior personnel the rationale behind the introduction of the Close Users Group in the Police Family. He said it enhances their work in an easier and faster way by passing vital information to colleague officers while performing their lawful duty at a low cost.

AC Kamara disclosed that the cost of the Closed User Group is fifteen thousand Leones (Le15,000) per month for each personnel, adding that the officer can add his/her relative or spouse for another fifteen thousand leones.

 He said the money will be paid from the source.

” I am encouraging you all to be part of the system as the Police always partners with Africell whenever it comes to effective communication. This system ensures the free flow of communication among police officers,” Mr.  Lavally of Africell told personnel.

 He disclosed that military personnel is also using the same service, adding that, there is nothing to worry about especially in the area of buying credit as long as the personnel is in the system. 

In his contribution, the Regional Commander Northeast, AIG Gabriel M. Tommy, disclosed that the Inspector General of Police, Ambrose Michael Sovula decided to take this great venture bearing in mind that without effective communication, the police cannot function well, especially in remote areas. 

He called on all officers to be part of the service as it will help them to save money to buy credit every day.

Meanwhile, several senior personnel has assured the Africell team of joining the service. 

Questions and answers climaxed the session.

Afrimoney Caters For Over 50,000 Agents

Afrimoney Boss

“Afrimoney is not just creating access to services like savings, lending, transfers, and school fees payments; we are creating a means of livelihood for over fifty thousand (50,000) agents spread across the country; creating much-needed jobs for young people, who make up the bulk of these agents,” Managing Director of the leading mobile phone company in Sierra Leone Africell, Shadi Gerjawi said recently at the turning of the sod ceremony for the construction of the state-of-the-art Africell Data Centre’ at Off Beach Road, Lumley, West of Freetown. 

Shadi disclosed that over one million customers across the country have access to digital financial services through Afrimoney. He pointed out that the Company believes that everybody deserves the benefit of a more inclusive and digital world. 

As a development partner to the government and people of Sierra Leone, he said they are making financial services more accessible and affordable to everybody. 

Mr. Gerjawi reaffirmed his Company’s commitment to work with all stakeholders in driving the government’s financial inclusion agenda to reach communities where access to banking facilities is a rarity, by dialing *161#.

He said Africell subscribers can use Afrimoney and be able to access a safe, fast and easier way to conduct digital financial transactions. He reassured everybody of their continued commitment to continue to take the lead on the telecommunications and technology front. He said they will continue to be a dependable shoulder of support to the various communities. 

“We will continue to provide unparalleled support as part of our corporate social responsibility; touching every sector in the nation; supporting education, sports, health and wellness, media and advocacy, tourism and culture, and of course entertainment,” Gerjawi said amidst thunderous applauds. 

Shadi emphasized that Africell is making quite significant investments in solar-generated energy to power its installations and sites all over the country. He disclosed that their head office at Wilberforce is producing 380Kw of solar energy and will soon be relying fully on the energy produced from our solar farm.

Government Owes Karpowership US$36M… As MASSIVE Blackout to Continues in Freetown

By Mohamed Konneh

The Sierra Leone Economic Update launched by the World Bank in Freetown indicates the Sierra Leone government owes Karpowership the sum of 36 Million United States Dollars by the end of 2021. The report was launched on Tuesday 21st June 2022 at the Sierra Palms Hotel, Lumley beach in Freetown. 

The Sierra Leone Economic Update is an annual publication of the World Bank that reports on and analyzes recent economic developments, reviews regional and global contexts, and analyzes the implications for the country. It also presents the medium-term outlook and prospects for the economy.

Sierra Leone witnessed widespread power outages intermittently since the start of December 2021, as the country struggled to pay its biggest supplier of electricity on time. 

Karpowership (KP), a Turkish subsidiary that accounts for more than half of the electricity supply in Sierra Leone, has been rationing power supply in response to accumulating arrears from the government. 

Freetown has witnessed the most extensive load shedding as electricity demand peaked at nearly 78MW, while supply from alternate sources (hydro and solar) amounted to 35–40MW. According to KP, the government owed US$36 million in unpaid arrears at the time of the shutdown and was in violation of a previously agreed payment schedule. 

The current Power Purchase Agreement, or PPA, was signed in 2020 for 5 years, between the Electricity Distribution and Supply Authority – EDSA (on behalf of the federal government) and KP. Under the current contract, the agreed price is dependent on the variable global cost of fuel. These power outages reflect three noteworthy facts. 

First, the unreliable power supply is driven in part by a significant capacity gap as energy demand exceeds installed capacity. The gap between projected energy demand and existing supply is expected to rise in the coming years to nearly 50MW by 2025. While this has made room for independent power producers (IPPs) to enter the market, it has also resulted in expensive PPAs due to a lack of competition and the government’s limited negotiating power. Unreliable power supply and frequent outages represent a major constraint to growth and poverty reduction in the country. 

Second, weak public finances have contributed to, and been affected by, the troubles of the power sector. Overall, poor cash management has resulted in recurrent accrual of arrears. Since Q4 of 2021, the government has reportedly accrued new arrears, including those to the power sector. Further, high technical and commercial losses at EDSA have resulted in a low recovery of revenues. All EDSA obligations are guaranteed by the government of Sierra Leone (GoSL), including the arrears owed to KP, and will most likely have a direct impact on the federal budget. 

Third, the indexation of fuel prices, embedded in the PPA, results in an increase in overall costs when global crude oil prices increase. In 2021, as crude oil prices have risen to above US$70 per barrel (compared to US$50 per barrel predicted under the contract) the average cost has increased from 14 USc/kWh to about 18 USc/kWh.

Pee Cee and Sons in Partnership With Government to Alleviate Food Scarcity

By Pastor Mohamed Sesay

The Vice President of Sierra Leone, Dr Juldeh Jalloh together with the CEO of Pee Cee and Sons, Mr Mahesh Choithram Nandwani, in line with HE President Bio’s vision for government to work with the private sector to alleviate poverty from this country, went to Kaffu Bullom Chiefdom where Pee Cee and Sons is currently engaged in large scale farming.

Pee Cee and Sons which has been investing in this country for over 60 years, is working in line with the government to do large scale farming in the country so much so that there will be enough to go round and to even export abroad which in essence will create jobs for Sierra Leoneans.

The two personalities met at Soktharr and Makassa towns in the Kaffu Bullom Chiefdom, Port Loko District north of Sierra Leone, where Pee Cee and Sons has acquired 510 acres of farmland to grow various types of cash crops.

According to the CEO and Proprietor of Pee Cee and Sons, Mr Mahesh Choithram Nandwani, the intended purpose is to make sure that crops grown are processed in this country which case will lead to the fall of certain commodities which are costing a lot to bring to this country.

Mr Nandwani told his audience during the showcasing of the project, that when things take off unexpected scenarios like the Ukrain/Russia war, will not affect the availability and the prices of commodities since they will be available in the country.

The Vice President Dr Juldeh Jalloh applauded the move of Pee Cee and Sons and promised that government will continue to work with the private sector to ensure that there is food sufficiency in the country for all.

President Bio in his manifesto has said that his government will always work with the private sector in the development of the country.

Pee Cee and Sons is currently employing over a thousand Sierra Leoneans in its various outlets scattered all over the country.

Posted by Abu Bakarr Kargbo

PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP AT WORK… AS VP JULDEH JALLOH VISIT FARMLAND IN KAFFU BULLOM

General Kalokoh Media Team💚

The outbreak of the Coronavirus Pandemic exposed most African Countries in terms of food insecurity but the Russian-Ukraine Conflict even worsen the Situation as we are seeing hike in price for food stuffs. So in a way to have food self sufficiency, encourage export and job Creation, the Government of Sierra Leone entered partnership with Pee Cee and Sons to do large-scale Farming at Kaffu Bullom. Today VP Dr Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh made an on-site visit to the 510 Acres FarmLand at Sucta & Makassa. Very soon the Company will open Factory to process the produce into export goods, this is the vision of President Bio for this Country. We move

Community social mobilisation increases Covid-19 vaccination coverage

By Diana Coker

A cross section of pregnant women in Salina community, a small rural settlement in Bo, Southern Sierra Leone, have commended the use of social mobilisers in the covid-19 vaccination exercise.
According to one of the pregnant women Fati Kallon, more people especially pregnant women, have taken the Covid-19 vaccine in their community due to effective social mobilisation.
She said as a result of the widespread mistrust and apprehension among many people about the vaccine when it was first brought into the country, she thought she would develop complications or even die from taking it.
“I thought it would affect my health and that it was not safe for me to take it, but I changed my perception about the safety of the vaccine after some health workers who were trained as social mobilisers in our community sensitised us”, she noted.
Fati further confirmed that their confidence was restored when they realised that the social mobilisers administering the covid-19 vaccine are health workers working in their local health facility.
“They are our people, we know them, we live in the same community, and so we believe they cannot harm us”, Fati said, adding that, “That was why I decided to take the vaccine”.
“Throughout my pregnancy, I did not experience any side effect that would be associated to the vaccine, and during child birth I delivered safely, my baby and I are healthy and doing fine”, she stressed.
According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), getting a Covid-19 vaccine can protect you from getting very sick from the virus, and keeps you and your unborn baby as healthy as possible during pregnancy and after delivery.
The CDC also noted that pregnant women must consider having a conversation with their healthcare professional about Covid-19 vaccination, and that while such a conversation might be helpful, it is not required before vaccination.
In other words, pregnant women can receive a Covid-19 vaccine including a booster shot without any additional documentation from a healthcare professional.
In an effort to increase Covid-19 vaccine coverage, UNIICEF worked with the Ministry of Health and Sanitation and civil society organisations, to among other things train social mobilisers and empower them to take behavioural change messages to communities. The social mobilisers were trained to actively build people’s trust for increased acceptance of the vaccine.
Cindy Thai Thein Nghia, UNICEF’s Communication for Development Specialist, noted that effective social mobilisation strategies play a critical role in getting community buy-in and acceptance in vaccination campaigns and help community members to easily access vaccines, especially during abnormal times and emergency periods.
The story was put together with support from Journalists for Human Right and the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ) human rights fellowship.

DISGRACEFUL! SLPP Chairman & Co. Scam Investors

BY MUSTAPHA SESAY

Chairman Habib & Headman Foday

It was a good vision by President Julius Maada Bio and the Minister of Mines to market the country and create an enabling business environment that will attract credible investors to do business in the country.
This will not only provide jobs for the unemployed youths but will also capacitate them and provide the much foreign exchange needed in Sierra Leone.
Unfortunately, whilst the President is striving to actualize this vision, some politicians are busy exploiting the situation by amassing illegal wealth for their campaign activities.
One group of people that have been implicated in this dismal situation is the Sierra Leone Peoples Party Chairman for Western Rural (former) and the Village Headman for Bioma Town, Foday Bangura.
According to a report, some investors last month traveled to Freetown to secure land and permits to undertake viable mining activities in the country. Upon arrival, one Idrissa took them to the SLPP Chairman Habib Thorpe who wasted no time alerting Foday Bangura of the said deal. Documents were tendered to them for verification.
At Lands Ministry, surveyors accompanied them to the site alongside Habib Thorpe. It was disclosed that the document has no problem if that was the site to be sold.
With this, Habid Thorpe asked for One Hundred Million Leones as the selling price for an acre of land but later settled for Forty Million Leones. After payment, Habid furthered that he has over 10 acres of land for sale but was cautioned that they are settling for the one-acre paid for and will only consider that upon the arrival of their machines and experts. The following day after payment, the investors made a visit to the site, and Habib Thorpe and Co. directed them to another site belonging to one Mammy Dumbuya and other persons. There was commotion over the said land and the SLPP Chairman was called to the scene. At this point, neither he nor Foday could be traced. It was resolved that the money paid for the land should be refunded with immediate effect.
It was also noted that when the money was paid to Habib Thorpe, instead of writing the correct name of the seller Foday, instead he wrote Foday Conteh on the receipt. After weeks of promising to refund the money, it is alleged that the unequal sharing of the money with Foday has landed him into serious embarrassment. The report also alleged that Habib is currently parading the Western Rural Area with the message that he is the next Deputy Lands Minister as the President will soon make a reshuffle