News Story

FREETOWN: NEW PEOPLE CORRESPONDENT: The visit of the Director of the Arab Bank for Development in Africa (BADEA), Mr. Abdelaziz Khelef, has drawn sharp focus on recent posturing and claims by the APC government that it is singularly responsible for programs currently sponsored by BADEA. On the contrary, it has emerged that President Koroma's pronouncements have been deceptive. The former SLPP government acquired all the BADEA funds for the Kenema-Koindu road, the Kabala Water Supply project, the rehabilitation of Njala University College, the Hillside Bye-pass Road, and several other projects. In addition, as a result of approaches from the former SLPP government, BADEA also made significant financial commitments to finance funding gaps for the Peninsular road. All of these revelations lend credence to claims by the former SLPP Finance Minister, Mr. John Benjamin, that the former government left more than US$500 million dollars of funded projects from water-supply projects, road development, and also infrastructural development such as the Kenema-Koindu road.

Of specific interest to The New People was the Kenema-Koindu road project. In a recent visit to Kenema, the press secretary to the President, Sheka Tarawallie reported the President's comments thus:

The President however said agriculture would not practically develop without good road infrastructure. He said the Masiaka-Bo-Kenema road construction would soon be completed, and would go on to Koindu in Kailahun. He said the estimated cost is $110m and that government has so far secured $30m. "Before the end of the year, I am committed to getting the road to Kailahun through so that I’ll not find any difficulty again in visiting the Kailahun Court Barry," the President said to a tumultuous laughter from the crowds.

Evidently, nothing can be further away from the truth that the APC government has secured the funds for the Masiaka-Bo-Kenema road and the Kenema-Kailahun road. The buffoonery of not even acknowledging the source of funding has now come to haunt the President with the visit and presence in Freetown of the Director General of BADEA who has emphasised that his visit is meant to observe progress with funds provided by BADEA in response to the former SLPP government's development initiatives.

The New People can now authoritatively provide the readership with the full information as provided by BADEA in order to disprove the deceptive public lies being peddled by the APC Government and President Koroma in particular in regard to the source of funds for the Kenema-Kailahun project.

Instead of peddling half truths and untruths about what the APC government has done, the President should acknowledge in the interest of transparency and integrity that the SLPP government's initiatives were progressive and that the SLPP government left all the funding in place for all of those development projects including the Bo-Masiaka-Kenema road, the Kenema-Koindu highway, the Bumbuna Hydroelectricity project, the Kabala Water Supply project, the Peninsular Road, the Hillside Bye-pass road and all other such development projects.

Perhaps the president needs to be focused on what he has done with the shipload of rice received from Libya while people are going hungry every night.

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6- Beneficiary Country :     Republic of Sierra Leone

Project’s Name :        Kenema – Koindu Road Project (Section : Kenema- Pendembou

Estimated Project Cost :

The total project cost is estimated at US$ 60.48 million.

BADEA’s Financing :

A loan of US$ 10.00 million (16.54% of the total project cost), to be repaid over a period of 30 years, including a grace period of 10 years, and with an annual interest rate of 1%.

Other Sources of Financing :

OFID (US$ 12.50 million); Kuwait Fund (US$ 10.00 million); Saudi Fund (US$ 10.00 million);   Islamic Development Bank (US$ 10.50 million); and the Government: (US$ 7.48 million).

Project Description and Components :

The project consists of the following components:

• Civil Works and Ancillaries: which includes increasing the width and the shoulder of the current road for a length of 86 km with 6.7 m width and 2 shoulder with 1.5 m h, providing the base, sub base and paving and rehabilitating the storm water structures and traffic safety and protection of environment.
• Land Acquisition,
•  Consultancy Services: to prepare the feasibility study and detailed design and tender documents prepared in 2006 and financed by Kuwait Fund
• Consultancy services for supervision of constriction.

Project objectives :-

The project aims at supporting the regional trade between Sierra Leone and Republic of Guinea and Liberia. The project will remove the traffic congestion due to bad conditions of the roads in the south eastern part of the country, connect and integrate the area with the agriculture and mining producing regions with the markets. The project will also reduce passengers and goods transport cost, operational and maintenance cost, facilitate traffic flow and improve safety all over the year and facilitate the travel of the people to the health and education services in addition to its contribution in poverty alleviation in the zone where the road is passing. 

Project’s Implementation:

The physical implementation of the project is scheduled to start in mid 2008 and end by the end of 2010 (30 months).

Executing Agency :

General Director

Sierra Leone Roads Authority

Fax No.: 232 22 222346

Freetown- Sierra Leone