Mr. Michael Warner, Local Content Expert from the United Kingdom and Allysa Menz, also a Local Content expert from the United States facilitated the training.
Among others, the facilitators shared with operators the key provisions in the Act relating to Local Content Reporting, Monitoring and Evaluation as well introduction of the new online reporting platform which is now mandatory for companies to use for their Local Content Performance reporting.
The Agency provided technical support and training to allow operators comply with the new reporting requirements for participants that included representatives of the Human Resource, Finance and Procurement Departments of companies.
Article 14 of the Sierra Leone Local Content Act requires the Local Content Agency to prepare an annual report on the status of the Sierra Leone Local Content for submission to the Minister of Trade and Industry for which the Agency needs operator and contractor data.
Furthermore, under Article 68, the Agency has developed a process to facilitate reporting of activities relating to the Act in the form of an on-line Sierra Leone Content Reporting Platform and that operators and contractors are to use this portal to submit their Local Content reports. The online platform is configured to facilitate operators and contractors delivery on their legal obligations under articles 67, 57, 60 and 61 of the Act.
The Sierra Leone Local Content Agency establishes the Sierra Leone Local Content Agency for the development of local content in a range of sectors of the economy including procurement of goods and services, public works, construction and energy sectors to promote the ownership and control of productive sectors in the economy by Sierra Leoneans and to provide for other related matters.
Day one of the training workshop was to capacitate participants for the online reporting, day two training of representatives of the University of Sierra Leone and National Revenue Authority to look at the economic aspects of the online reporting while day three was training for new companies that are yet to report.
Participants were drawn from the mining, banking, manufacturing and agricultural sectors.
According to the Head of the Sierra Leone Local Content Agency, Mr. Emmanuel Konjoh, so far, 10 companies have fully complied with the reporting of their activities relating to the Act and warned defaulters that their names would be published in the media or even closure of their businesses underscoring that the trainings would continue until all the companies become fully compliant thus coming onboard the Act.
The training workshop was climaxed with a practical exercise for which the Agency encouraged participants to come with their laptops and samples of their procurement and human resource data.