2009 Media House of the
Year (Print) AWOL

...Ensuring IT is done the right way!!

A. ABESS
AIRPORT SHUTTLE

 Alie Hassan Shop Aberdeen Roundabout,  Fredbynna Stationery Shop; Lumley Roundabout,  Freetown Supermarket,  Essentials Supermarket,  Payless Supermarket,  &  Monoprix Supermarket  Wilkinson Road Freetown.

Before 11am in Makeni: Sulcut Tele Center Azzolini Highway and I. B. & Friends Tele Center Opposite the S.L.C.Bank.

Before 12noon in Bo: Bo Mini Market Sewah Road,  B.K.P.S. Staff Canteen,  EM & JAY Enterprise 1B Dambala Road by the Post Office,  M & S Trading 29 Fenton Road &  PAT-MOI Tele Centre Safecon Petrol Station Fenton Road 

Before 12noon in Kenema: T. Choithrams Supermarket,  Mr Shola Williams 7 Bus Park,  Infinity Internet Cafe 55 Hanga Road,  M. U. Kalokoh Holdings Via Zain Shop 35 Hanga Road  &  Skaikey Mobile Phone Centre 18 Hanga Road Kenema Town

Awoko Newspaper Your Preferred Option.

At the end of the consultative group meeting Finance Minister Samura Kamara told Awoko that the donors “are all committed to sustaining and maintaining a stronger partnership” with Sierra Leone.
“In terms of money” he said “they (donors) have recommitted, firmly committed themselves to at least maintain the current levels of their support which currently averages around $300 million per annum despite the financial crisis.”
Furthermore he said “they have also committed where possible to make additional assistance available to Sierra Leone.”
However the Finance Minister noted that “the important part of it is that we have now mobilised a new set of donor partners especially from the OIC and from the Nordic countries like Sweden … the United States has increased its food aid to $24million a year I think these are substantial achievements.”
The government was looking for a funding shortfall of around $850 million to fund the Agenda for Change over a three year period, but they got around $300million.
The Finance Minister says “Our achievement here is more than the $300million and perhaps its even more than the $800million … to get a firm commitment from a well attended consultative group meeting like this … it has never happened … what this is showing is that Sierra Leone has a goodwill internationally.”
In his key note address to the 6th Consultative Group Conference Thursday at the Queen Elizabeth II conference centre in London, President Ernest Bai Koroma stated that “The spirit of the consultative group meeting is change. Change has come to Sierra Leone (and) our task is to sustain, accelerate and deepen it.”
After outlining his vision for energy, agriculture, transport infrastructure, water sector, education and health the president appealed to the donors saying “Your assistance has helped us put the dark night of our civil war behind us and welcome a bright new dawn.”
However he said “Today I ask you to complete the journey we have started together.”
He acknowledged that his program is “ambitious” and “achieving it will require not just that you (the donors) honour your existing commitments but that you scale them up.”
He added further that “It will require not just that existing partners stay the course, but that new partners stay and join our shared endeavour.”
Lastly he said “it will require not just your financial assistance but your commitment to telling the story of the new Sierra Leone that you have helped make possible.”
Finance Minister Dr Samura Kamara using a short and effective video clipping made the case for the health sector and other areas needing assistance.
He explained that his budget which he will be reading in a few days provides only baseline expenditure for the government’s development spending. He highlighted that for Bunbuna two alone he needs abot 400 million and the government only has 160 million. He stated that now they are moving from emergency power supply to low cost power supply in the energy sector.
The Finance Minister then announced that he needs supplementary funding of about 850 million for their programs.
The issue of corruption was again highlighted and the Anti Corruption Commissioner was on hand to assure the donor community about his strong determination to implement a zero tolerance policy on corruption, emphasising that there will be no sacred cows. He ended quoting the finance minister who had said that they “will fight corruption with an enviable vigour.”
Donors took turns to make their statements and the single running theme in almost all was the emphasis on corruption and that more needs to be done.
The German government representative however asked for “firm commitments” from the government that they will institute legislations to ban the practice of Female Genital Mutilation.