AYV News, August 26, 2024
Sierra Leone’s Chief Minister, Dr. David Moinina Sengeh has dilated on his exhilarating trip to Kono district, where he was accompanied by five government ministers including Minister of Local Government, Minister of Agriculture, Deputy Minister of water Resources, Deputy Minister of Trade and Deputy Minister of Public Administration.
He used the trip to visit Local Councils and schools, engaging women in agriculture and a general town hall meeting that attracted opposition groups and ordinary citizens also ensued.
Officially, the Ministry of Local Government launched an Agricultural Corporation, where women pull together resources to form a corporative that receives products and machinery from government or secure loans from banks and they can even bank their resources together.
The Minister of Agriculture talked about ways in which the cooperative can be beneficially structured to enhance development through the proper collaboration with the Local government, private sector, central government and ordinary citizens.
According to the Chief Minister, this model of development is a typical example of facilitating delivery to the people and appreciated the fact that this is what he means when talking about delivery.
Dr. Sengeh said: “Through such types of cooperatives NGO`s, Local and Central Government, the private sector and the Ministry of Agriculture will collaborate to implementing the ‘Feed Salone’ initiative and concurrently create jobs to empowering ordinary citizens”.
Alongside the Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Sengeh confirmed the distribution of machines and over 1000 bags of fertilisers to the National Farmers’ Federation whose membership cuts across the country.
Later on the journey took him to the School for the Blind where he engaged on inclusion and rekindled a relationship with one of the students he has known since he was Minister of Basic Education.
It was an exciting moment with the students, as the Chief Minister donated brailles and a school bus to facilitate the mobility of the blind students.
Dr. David Sengeh furthered to engage with some paramount chiefs who informed him about their roles in regulating the activities of cattle in Kono district, through the implementation of bye laws.
He said one of the wives of the Chiefs informed them about the supply of seeds and the training they are receiving from the Ministry of Agriculture which they are utilising to transplant.
The chief minister explained about his engagement in a town hall which attracted opposition members, ordinary citizens and elderly stakeholders, where he admitted of learning about the values of investing in the poor who are old and are physically challenged.
One of the paupers told the chief minister of his intention to send his child to school but noted that he normally utilises the same child to beg on the streets to feed the family.
Dr. Sengeh underscored the urgent need for government intervention to extending the welfare programme because about 5000 vulnerable people have already benefitted from the NaCSA scheme in Kono district.
He went further in engaging the youths at the Ataya bases, the market women the church and the community where he talked about inclusion, delivery and President Bio’s big five agenda.
More importantly, he informed them that President Bio is the current President of the world by virtue of the fact that he is the current chairman of the United Nations Security Council which is the most powerful and highest decision making organ of the world at the United Nations.
Chief Minister, Dr. David Moinina Sengeh appreciated the fact that everyone in Kono district has understood the concept of inclusion by solving the problems of the poor, vulnerable, marginalised, youths, girls and women, Sierra Leone will progress and everybody will deliver.
