“Addax Bioenergy Died at an Infant Stage” -NCD Commissioner

By SiLNoRF Communications Unit

The commissioner of the Northern Region for the National Democratic Commission (NDC); Bai Conteh on Thursday 23^rd June 2016 said that the Addax Bioethanol Project died at an early infant stage-barely five years after it was born in the Bombali and Tonkolili Districts, Northern Region of Sierra Leone.

He made this statement during the official launching ceremony of the 2016 Monitoring Report on the Addax Bioethanol Project organized by the Sierra Leone Network on the Right to Food (SiLNoRF). The launching ceremony attracted several dignitaries from state and non-state institutions like the Human Rights Commission of Sierra Leone (HRCSL), the National Commission for Democracy, local authorities like host paramount chiefs and reps of the Addax Project, and Namati amongst others.

Officially launching the report on behalf of the Chairman of the NCD-Dr.AbubakarrKargbo, BaiContehexplained that Addax Bioethanol Company came into the country five years ago but it has crumbled even before achieving its goals and objectives. “The company died at an infant stage five years as it was crippling from it embryonic stage” he fumed.

Conteh continued that this unfortunate state of affairs for the company is worrisome to him and the country at large because the company’s closure borders on good governance issues in the country. He schooled his audience on the ‘Organic theory’ which he said functions like machine that has several parts and collaborate with each other to perform its predetermined duties. If one of its parts is sick, the machine will not properly function. This is why the NCD believesthat the country’s economy is very important because “One would not talk about good governance issues when one doesn’t food to eat” he went on “You don’t talk about politics and elections when people are in search of what they want to eat because the first law of nature is survival and if people are unable to eke their daily livelihood, then you will have a governance issue. This is why we say that the issue of addax is a serious governance issue a serious governance challenge” he stressed

He said now that the company is to be sold out people have little or no information about the incoming investor though it is worthy to know when they are human rights friendly or not. He added that Addax came and raised the expectations of the people to a point that most of these people became dependent of the company noting that those expectations have not been met.  “This report provoke the thought ofcritically minded individuals that the company the company has collapse and did not achieve its set goals.

The Chairman for the occasion AbdulaiYollahBangura from the Human Rights Commission of Sierra Leone (HRCSL) said addax is Bioenergy is a Multinational Corporation that has its home office somewhere in Europe and Sierra Leone as the host country. Being the multinational they are, Addax has obligations to fulfil under human rights standards to respect the rights of the people within where they operates. Apart from the international human rights standards like the UDHR, other regional standards like OECD guidelines highlights rules that adhered to by multinational companies investing in other country.

The Director of NAMATI, Lawyer Sonkita Conteh said that in the Agreement between the company and the Government, the Government gave lots of tax exemption to the company in a way that the government too will compulsorily buy electricity from Addax.

Conteh explained that cabinet has adopted a new Land Policy and that policy forbid the government to name price to be paid by foreign investors to landowners because land in the provinces does not belong to the government but the rural people so they should recommend to investors what they should be paid. One thing that is also captured in the policy is to create a Justice Funds for communities so that they will use part of that fund to get legal services for communities as and when necessary.

The Paramount Chief of Malal Mara Chiefdom PC BaiBairohMabollehAnshenni III said the since he was crown as paramount chief, he has tried very hard to lay hands on the lease agreement but he has not even seen it. The coming of addax brought in some development though there are many challenges which had adversely affected them.

The Programmes Coordinator of SiLNoRF; Abass J. Kamarasaid that SiLNoRF is not a witch hunt for Addax but the work we are doing is to compliment the effort of the government.This is why we are not just monitoring Addax but other multinational companies in Port Loko, Tonkolili.