Zacharia Jalloh, Ministry of Information and Civic Education
Sierra Leone’s Ministry of Transport and Aviation has engaged members of the transport sector to negotiate a reduction on transport fare to reflect the new pump price. This was according to the Deputy Minister of Transport and Aviation, Rex Bhonapha, who was providing updates on the transport sector at the Ministry of Information and Civic Education’s weekly press conference, following the reduction of prices in petroleum products.
Subsequently, the engagements with the drivers’ union, Keke riders, bike riders, and Waka Fine Buses agreed to reduce prices by NLe2 for internal services and NLe10 for the provinces.
On the sea front, Minister Bhonapha announced that they have also negotiated with the ferry operators to reduce fares as well. The ferries operating from Ferry to Targrin and Government Wharf to Targrin have reduced fares by NLe2 and NLe10 for heavy vehicles. He disclosed that students, military personnel and Police officers in uniform are exempted from paying fares.
The Commissioner, National Commission for Children Joyce Wuya Tejan-Kella commended the Ministry of Transport for ensuring school children do not pay for the ferry and thanked the government of Sierra Leone for providing school buses for pupils.
Wuya Tejan-Kella went further to discuss some of the key mandates of the Commission in ensuring the safety and well-being of Children. One of the key mandates she outlined is to monitor and coordinate the implementation of the Convention of the Rights of Children and the African Child’s Act on the Rights and Welfare of Children. She also noted that the Commission has been empowered by the reviewed Child Rights Act of 2007 to investigate matters related to Children.
Also speaking was the Director and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the Directorate of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI), Jasper Patrick Sembie, who outlined the tremendous job DSTI is doing to support Ministries, Agencies and Departments in building systems to drive the government’s digital drive.
Director Sembie started off with the development of a digital tool called PResTract, which seeks to support the Government of Sierra Leone in reducing the maternal mortality rate. The tool has been rolled out to over 40 clinics and has benefited over 10,000 pregnant women.
DSTI has also supported the Sierra Leone Nursing and Midwifery Council with a digital regulatory platform which seeks to streamline the licensing, indexing and registration of nurses and midwives in Sierra Leone.
Another significant intervention by DSTI as mentioned by Director Jasper Patrick Sembie is the support to the Sierra Leone Armed Forces with the digital transformation of the Armed Forces Endowment and Loan Scheme (AFELS) that benefits 11,000 military personnel. The platform brings efficiency, trust and transparency to the financial support scheme. Director Sembie also disclosed that they are training about 1000 military personnel on digital skills and capacity building.
Another support highlighted by Director Sembie is in the energy sector. He said they are working in collaboration with the sector lead, Dr. Kandeh Kolleh Yumkella to develop a dashboard that will provide real-time updates on energy flows and demand.
DSTI, for the past 5 years, has introduced the Learning Passport,which provides the requisite skills training for young people. The platform empowers young people to find solutions to problems in their communities. Several hubs across the country are equipped with computers, internet, and solar power with different content to enable young people to learn new skills. This has already benefited around 28,000 young people, according to Director Jasper Patrick Sembie.
