The report adds that the Sierra Leone Maritime Administration has a total of 184 permanent staff and is headed by Dr. Alhaji Wurroh Jalloh. It has several units among which the key ones are the Safety and Security, Legal Affairs, Procurement, Research and Project, Audit, Accounts and Human Resource.
The institution has audited accounts and its bank statements for the last 6 months are financially prudent. All projects of which the Administration has been given or loaned money for have been completed including the building of their office space and the buying of life saving jackets etc. And all procurement procedures have been fully met in all of the Administration’s purchases or service provision
However, the GTTR recommended that key legislation that gives effect to and impacts on the positive gains of the institution needs be amended among which includes the Sierra Leone Maritime Administration Act 2000 as amended, which is the parent Act, needs amendment to include among other things the provision of a position of ‘Director’, qualifications for the appointment of the Board and most importantly that fee and levies from freight should form part of the Institution’s funds of the Administration.
It stated further that many other enactments regarding Maritime affairs need a review/amendment. These include the Merchant Shipping Act 2003 as amended, the Maritime Zones (Establishment) Act 1996 and others that are yet to be enacted including the Maritime Security Act and the Maritime Pollution Act.
According to the GTT Report, the SLMA has capacity to issue licenses to ships and fishing boats but that the Ministry of Water Resources also registers the same and that this inevitably makes their work difficult to monitor whether a particular boat or ship has been registered with the Ministry before the issuance of license.
The report recommended that the best practice is that there should be a consolidation of registration and issuing of license to fishing boats and ships.
