TRACE: A Government Of Wrecked Projects
State House Extension
Project
TRACE first looked at
the extension project at State House in last week’s edition. That project which
should have been completed long ago is still hanging.
In fact the project
brought a lot of questions than answers such as in whose interest is the extension being done? If the citizens
were consulted because State House building belongs to the state not APC led
government. What is the cost involved for such extension?
All of these and many
more questions are left unanswered by a government which prides itself in thriving in
transparency.
Fiber Optic Project
Whenever, TRACE
passes around the Lumley beach and set eyes on the Fiber Optic landing site
TRACE always ponders what is really
going on in that building.
The Fiber Optic
project is one of the oldest projects in the APC lead government. Three
Ministers have come and yet the project is yet to see completion.
Guess what the Fiber
Optic project is the most talked about project but nothing good has come out of
it or to say to write home about considering the way the project has been
delayed.
TRACE witnessed the
Head of Civil Society in Sierra Leone, Charles Mambu describing the project as
dead and buried incompleted project.
Mambu said he was
actively involved in the project when it all started but after all efforts from
various stakeholders associated with the project, it was made to become stalled
by the government without any explanation.
But Momoh Konteh
chairman of National Telecommunication Company (NATCOM) debunked the claim
saying that the project is not dead and buried.
Konteh said the Fiber
Optic cable has been landed and that the service is actively working. According
to Konteh, most of the mobile telephone calls to Sierra Leone from overseas and
the internet services used in the country are made possible through Fiber Optic
service.
TRACE wants it to be
known that before Momoh Konteh took over as chairman of NATCOM the Fiber Optic
cable had landed but yet still Sierra
Leone can’t access the service.
We were told that
they are passing cables across the country for people to have access to the
service, from that time. TRACE only saw few poles and fiber cables in some part
of western area of Freetown. When will other areas see the poles? And when will
the connection take effect? Sierra Leoneans are still waiting for that answer.
Solar Streets Light
Project
This is another
project that died mysteriously. Sierra Leoneans are wiser now that you can’t
fool them any longer.
How can you come with
mushroom ‘pan’ lamp that is meant for homes
to the streets?
People just saw few
solar street lights around Congo Cross roundabout and part of Wilkinson Road
for Freetown. Some part of the provinces while the rest were installed in
politicians homes.
The few that were
installed in the provinces are often times being stolen especially in the North
of Sierra Leone the stronghold of the ruling party because the government
failed to put proper mechanism in place.
There is no
maintenance facility for the few poles they installed as a result of that most
of the Solar Streets lights are no functioning.
Traffic Light Project
TRACE was so pleased
when TRACE returned to Freetown and discovered that the Traffic Light is coming
back. From the time TRACE came and wrote an article about the importance of such
venture the project just slowdown as if they were waiting for TRACE view before
they can stop work.
From the time the
yellow light is blinking which is a sign for one to ready to date is still
telling us to ready.
TRACE was expecting
the two installed lights around Brookfield Bus Stop and Girls School junction
to be on as a way of training the new drivers that don’t have traffic light
experience.
Maybe they are
waiting to open another party for the commissioning of the return of traffic
light to Sierra Leone the country that first had traffic light in West Africa
but due to miss management and corruption the system wrecked.
TRACE was looking at
the lists of projects in 2016 some of projects are donors supported.
The Ministry of
Finance and Economic Development commenced the 2016 National Portfolio Review
of development projects funded by partners of the Government of Sierra Leone in
February 2016.The exercise re-evaluates more than eighty (80) on-going projects
that are directly funded by Development Partners (DPS) across government.
The exercise review
projects funded by the World Bank, the African Development Bank (ADB), the
Islamic Development Bank, the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa
(BADEA), the European Union, IFAD, EBID, SDF, KFAED, AFD, OFID and the China
EXIM-Bank.
This is aimed at
improving government’s absorptive capacity to undertake additional
socio-economic development projects in furtherance of its post ebola recovery
strategy.
The panel reviewed
eight projects currently being implemented in education, health, communication,
agriculture and energy.
The following
projects were thoroughly reviewed:
* Revitalizing
Educational Development in Sierra Leone Project
* Reproductive and
Child Health Project II
* West Africa
Regional Communication Infrastructure Programme
* Biodiversity
Conservation Project
* GEF Wetland
Conservation Project
* West African
Agricultural Productivity Project
* Sierra Leone Energy
Sector Utility Reform Project
* Sierra Leone Energy
Access Project
All of these projects
are still on the pipeline the government will tell you but when it will
complete is still on known.
The government is so
fast to fast track issues that relate to them than that of the people they are
servicing. They even see themselves as the bosses rather than the servants.
TRACE was closely
watching unfolding events in the United Kingdom and learnt lot of lesson about
the governing system.
Our leaders spend
billions to purchase powerful cars while their people lavishing in poverty.
TRACE was very impressed seeing the United Kingdom Prime Minister with only
three cars as a convoy, here our presidential convoy is over 10 in the name of
what?
TRACE wants to see the end of these wrecked project
before the 2018 elections because you can’t bite more than you can swallow.
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