By Samuel I. Koroma
As a mean to address the aged problem on transportation that has most times resulted in the loss of goods travelling to and from Monrovia, Liberia’s capital, The National Transit authority of Liberia together with the government of Sierra Leone has official lunched the cross border operation between the two countries.
The ceremony which was housed at the Embassy of Republic of Liberia on 2 Spur Road, Wilberforce in Freetown garnered a number of dignitaries including the Managing Director Inspector National Transit authority of Liberia, Sierra Leone’s Inspector General of Police Michael Ambrose Sovula among others.
In his brief on the essence of the visit, National Transit Authority’s Marketing Manager Anthony Robert expresses excitement on the warm welcome by the government and people Sierra Leone.
The institution he said holds a mandate to provide affordable transport facilities to no just Liberian nationals, but to their closest neighbors. Robert continued that as part of their broader visit, they want to enhance connectivity among countries within the Mano River basin.
The whole initiative to establish a well-planned transit service between Liberia and Sierra Leone spurred out from the transformative thoughts of the Managing Director, Honorable Herbie Macauley who was recently appointed by President George Weah.
In his address, Managing Director, National Transit Authority (NTA) Honorable Herbie Macaulay convey greetings of his President Dr. George Weah to His counterpart and the people of Sierra Leone for sustainable upkeep of the strong bilateral relations and pray for its continuation.
Hon. Macaulay disclosed that the core of the facilities among other services is Transit Service; which encompasses the movement of people and goods within Liberia to other Mano River Union (MRU) neighbors – Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea, and Sierra Leone at an affordable cost.
He said the Liberia Government through the National Transit Authority (NTA) following a transportation assessment in 2009 with the support of the Sierra Leone government to commute passengers from Liberia to Sierra Leone, with the sole purpose of promoting trade and commerce within the minor river region.
NTA, Hon. Macauley noted is pleased to announce the official opening of routes from Liberia to Sierra Leone, and Sierra Leone to Liberia starting Friday December 17, 2021, thus noting that the cross border initiative will be a mile stone achievement in an effort to ease the transportation burdened between the two countries.
He stated that the Liberia government is hopeful for a smooth bilateral working relationship between the two countries, and anticipates that Sierra Leone will soon visit the NTA to see their modern transportation digital platform that has helped mitigating revenue loss.
“We look forward to seeing you soon also engaging in the cross boarder operation from Sierra Leone to Liberia; and we can assure you of our full commitment to supporting your transportation endeavor” he said.
He concluded by lunching the cross border operation between the Republic of Liberia and the Sierra Leone.
Inspector General of Sierra Leone Police, Ambrose Micheal Sovula, assures NTA of the force support to ensure the business thrive. The initiative he noted is a laudable one, considering the aged challenges travelling to and from Liberia.
Among their duties he explained is to provide security and support to all Ministries, Department and Agencies in the country and NTA being a government owned entity in Liberia, they are sure to enjoy such luxuries.
IG Sovula cautioned that NTA must be meticulous of commuters bordering their service, so as to ensure they corporate with the laws governing the land.
He said they are readily available to support the National Transit Authority (NTA) were ever they are need.
Other speakers also made relevant inputs aimed to strengthened bilateral relations between the two countries.
