Day: May 31, 2024

The recent unrest at Sierra Rutile (SL) Ltd, characterized by a workforce strike, has been peacefully resolved following effective mediation by the Ministry of Employment, Labour and Social Security in collaboration with its tripartite partners; the Sierra Leone Labour Congress and the Sierra Leone Employers’ Federation.

The strike stemmed from grievances surrounding wage discrepancies and other operational irregularities at the site.

However, through constructive dialogue, an agreement fostering peace and progress has been reached between the workers and their employer, Sierra Rutile.

Key components of the agreement include the commitment from management to adhere to all statutory requirements concerning the terms and conditions of service for Sierra Rutile employees.

Additionally, provisions have been made for the proper payment of overtime as per legal provisions and the Collective Bargaining Agreement applicable to their sector, along with the full payment of risk allowances in accordance with the la
w.

In response to the resolution, Minister of Employment, Labour and Social Security, Mohamed Rahman Swaray, expressed optimism for the future, stating, “This agreement underscores our commitment to fair labour practices and sustainable industrial relations. It ensures that the concerns of the workers are addressed while also promoting a conducive working environment for all parties involved.”

With this successful mediation, operations at Sierra Rutile are expected to resume smoothly, ensuring the continued productivity and stability of the company.

Source: Sierra Leone News Agency

The World Bank Board today approved a $74 million International Development Association (IDA) grant to enhance climate-resilient transport connectivity and agricultural market access in Sierra Leone. The Sierra Leone Connectivity and Agricultural Market Infrastructure Project (CAMIP) will support all-season connectivity and access to jobs, markets, and services, particularly in rural areas where the lack of infrastructure has been a major barrier to economic development.

“The construction of climate-resilient transport and agricultural market infrastructure is a critical step towards ensuring food security and increasing local incomes, which is in line with our government’s key priorities in the ‘Big 5 Game Changers’, especially the ‘FEED SALONE’ Agenda,” said Alhaji Fanday Turay, Minister of Transport and Aviation for Sierra Leone. “Our collaboration with the World Bank on this project is a testament to our commitment to safeguarding our economy and our people from climate risks. By enhancing our transport
network and market infrastructure, we are laying the groundwork for sustainable economic growth and social development.”

The transport sector in Sierra Leone remains underdeveloped, with approximately 40% of primary roads paved, and the majority of secondary and feeder roads unpaved. The urban areas, especially Freetown, experience increasing challenges in congestion and face a huge demand for an efficient public transport system. Rural areas, often surrounded by rivers, are particularly affected with only one-third of the population having access to an all-season road network. The absence of bridges and reliance on manual cable ferries and canoes, which are often inoperable during the rainy season, exacerbate the isolation of these communities.

“Sierra Leone’s transport and agricultural sectors are critical components of the country’s economic and social development. This project will help to address the urgent need for resilient infrastructure that can withstand the challenges posed by climate change on c
onnectivity and accessibility as well as unlock the country’s agricultural potential,” said Abdu Muwonge, World Bank Country Manager for Sierra Leone. ‘The partnership between ministries in the project symbolizes how integrated multisectoral approaches can yield extensive benefits for all citizens. The World Bank is committed to supporting the government in transforming this sector to meet the needs of Sierra Leoneans and to foster economic growth.”

Agriculture, accounting for 59% of GDP and 43% of employment, is a vital sector for Sierra Leone’s inclusive economic growth. However, productivity is hampered by poor connectivity and infrastructure challenges, which are further exacerbated by climate change. The project’s agricultural market infrastructure interventions are expected to stimulate the local economy, reduce post-harvest losses, and create more jobs.

‘Investing in climate-resilient transport and agricultural infrastructure and market interventions is essential for stimulating the local economy and
improving food security,’ said Hongye Fan, World Bank Transport Specialist and Task Team Leader. “By expanding high-capacity public transport services, we are not only addressing traffic congestion but also paving the way for a greener and safer transport system. Our joint efforts with the agricultural sector ensure that investments in market facilities, rural bridges, and roads will empower farmers, particularly women, by providing them with the infrastructure needed to thrive.’

Over 3 million people in urban and rural areas, as well as institutional stakeholders, are expected to benefit directly from the project. In Freetown, over one million urban residents will benefit from improved transport infrastructure and services, while approximately two million rural people will gain from the new bridges, link roads, and market infrastructure in Bo, Moyamba, Tonkolili, and Karene districts.

The Sierra Leone Connectivity and Agricultural Market Infrastructure Project is aligned with the World Bank’s Country Partn
ership Framework (CPF, 2021-2026) for Sierra Leone and the Global Crisis Response Framework (GCRF), contributing to economic diversification, competitiveness with resilience. It complements the implementation of Sierra Leone’s Medium-Term National Development Plan (MTNDP, 2024-2030), which has Food Security as one of its major flagships.

Source: Sierra Leone News Agency

The first batch of two hundred and sixty-seven (267) Hajj pilgrims from Sierra Leone have safely arrived at the Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Madina at 16:00 hrs. KSA time.

The pilgrims departed the Lungi International Airport aboard Ethiopian Airlines in the early hours of Friday, 31st May, 2024 to perform the 2024/1445 Hajj, which is expected to run from 14 to 19 June, 2024. The second batch of pilgrims from Sierra Leone are expected to depart the shores of Sierra Leone on Saturday, 1st June, 2024.

The Presidential Taskforce on Hajj of Sierra Leone successfully made early arrangements and negotiated with Ethiopian Airlines to ensure that the pilgrims are flown to Saudi Arabia in two batches between 31st May and 1st June, 2024 respectively to ensure that they arrive in the Kingdom two weeks before the commencement of the Hajj rituals.

Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam and requires every adult Muslim to undertake the journey to the holy Islamic sites in Makkah at least once
in their lifetime if they are financially and physically abled.

According to the Saudi Gazette, pilgrims started streaming into the Kingdom from all parts of the world since May 9 (Dhul Qada 1), when the annual pilgrimage season commenced.

Tens of thousands of pilgrims are arriving in Makkah and Madinah on a daily basis, with the help of an integrated and accessible system dedicated to serve the pilgrims to perform their rituals in ease and comfort.

Source: Sierra Leone News Agency

The Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture says a Norwegian Research Vessel, R/V Dr. Fridtjof Nansen, is conducting marine research in Ghana to determine the country’s fish stock levels. 

The research vessel, owned by the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD), was built as part of a United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) project and jointly operated by the Institute of Marine Research and the University of Bergen to assist developing countries in improving their fisheries management.

It is equipped for operations in developing coastal countries across Africa and Asia with the primary duties of ecosystem studies with a focus on fishery research operations.

Madam Mavis Hawa Koomson, the Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture, announcing this, said the research would go a long way to assist the ministry and the Fisheries Commission to determine the current status of fish stocks and make appropriate policy interventions backed by scientific data to shape the sector.

She said the
research was a new chapter in their commitment to play a role in traditional knowledge and identify emerging issues in the sector, adding that it would also help as a guide in the adoption of societies to cope with the many ways the ocean affected human lives.

‘These will go a long way towards assisting the Ministry in identifying, initiating, and implementing the appropriate policy interventions to address the myriad of challenges that confront the fisheries sector, which, among other things, include depleting stocks. As such, sustainable fisheries and marine biodiversity conservation will be enhanced.’

The minister added that the vessel would also serve as a platform for cutting-edge research, data collection, and capacity building.

‘The research conducted by Dr. Fridtjof Nansen will provide critical insights into the state of our fish stocks, the health of our marine ecosystem, and factors influencing their sustainability. With this knowledge, we can implement evidence-based policies to ensure the long-
term viability and protection of our marine environment.’

She called on stakeholders to reaffirm their dedication to responsible stewardship, sustainable development, and a legacy of prosperity for future generations.

Madam Koomson expressed gratitude to the FAO, international partners, and all those involved in making it possible for the vessel to conduct the research in Ghanaian marine waters.

Meanwhile, the ministry has announced the commencement of this year’s closed fishing season, starting on July 1.

The artisanal and semi-industrial (inshore) fleets will observe a one-month closed season spanning July 1 to July 31, 2024, while the industrial trawl fleets will have a two-month closed season from July 1 to August 31, 2024.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The President of Women in Mining Ghana, Dr Georgette Barnes Sakyi-Addo has officially outdoored the BCM Women in Mining Chapter in Accra with a call on women to ensure excellence in their profession irrespective of challenges.

She commended management of BCM for creating an enabling and cordial environment for the establishment of a Women in Mining Chapter.

The Ghana Chamber of Mines annual industry demographic study in 2023 revealed that women represent approximately 10 per cent of the total workforce in the large-scale mining sector.

Speaking at the inaugural ceremony of the BCM Women in Mining Chapter in Accra on Friday, Dr Sakyi-Addo said the formation of the chapters played a crucial role in driving organisational growth.

‘The Women in Mining Chapters plays a crucial role in driving growth in organisations, having a vibrant chapter helps deal with a lot of issues, sometimes the chapters act as a source of research, because when we are organized like that, it is easy to find out what is happening and
find solutions.

‘I wish that we will get to a point where there will be enough women, where the mining sector will be inclusive and we do not need to have Women in Mining groups.

‘But for now we are working on more participation of women in the sector, those who come on board, what is it that doesn’t make them not stay and find solutions to them, for me this also an economic empowerment issue. The natural resources belong to Ghana and if your daughter can get a job there, you know she is going to get good pay and training and some form of security,’ she said.

On her part the Deputy Australian High Commissioner to Ghana, Penny Dennis commended BCM for making the formation of the Chapter a reality.

‘It is absolutely delightful to be at the launch of the BCM’s Women in Mining Chapter today, we have been a strong advocate of the Women in Mining Ghana network.

‘It is a really important network; we have had the privilege of hosting for a couple of years now a breakfast on International Women’s Day but more imp
ortantly being able to support their mentoring programme

President of the newly inaugurated BCM Women in Mining Chapter Ama Duose-Bansah said the formation was a demonstration of BCM’s commitment to women empowerment.

‘It is actually a good initiative, one that we are all happy about, because it shows that the company is going to support women empowerment.

‘Our vision is to encourage more women to be bold and come forward to join the extractive sector not just mining but Oil and gas and once it is a field dominated by men,’ Duose- Bansah said.

The event was attended by dignitaries including representatives from Ghana Chamber of Mines, Minerals Commission, Women in Mining Ghana and the Ghana Mine Workers Union.

BCM, a global civil earthworks and surface mining contractor based in Ghana, West Africa, has been operating for nearly 100 years, originally as ‘Harold List and Sons’ in the 1950s, and then as Bayswater Contracting.

It has a strong presence in the region and has established a reputation as an ind
ustry leader in earthworks and surface mining contracting.

The company has extensive international experience in bulk and detailed earthworks for construction and mining projects and has combined civil earthworks skills with open pit mining skills since 1994; often undertaking large-scale construction earthworks projects using medium-sized mining plant and equipment and has expanded throughout West Africa, Tanzania, Central Asia, and Jordan.

Source: Ghana News Agency