From a derelict and dysfunctional institution then headed by Justin Musa who was convicted on corruption charges by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) during the tenure of deceased former President Ahmad Tejan Kabba, SALWACO now boasts of quality corporate institutional management with fiscal discipline the hallmark of the current success it revels in.
Its workers are now proud to be associated with the institution which now boasts of a clean, sanitary and decent working environment as opposed to the past when it was a shadow of its former self. With new office buildings completed while some are almost done, SALWACO is one of the Government Agencies that would soon establish a well-equipped Resource Center for Journalists to access vital information in support of the Right to Access Information Act.
With the successful completion of the Three Towns Water and Sanitation Project funded by the Government of Sierra Leone, African Development Bank (ADB) and the OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID), Makeni, Bo and Kenema now have pipe-borne water after some of these cities had gone without for over 30 years.
From an institution which donors branded as “corrupt and badly managed”, SALWACO now enjoys the full confidence and support of its donors who have been very instrumental in spearheading its current success.
In the past, the Institution never laid premium on capacity building but recently, SALWACO with support from the Government through the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development (MoFED) and the ADB, sent a total of 50 staff of various Departments within the institution for training at the Uganda Water Utility which is considered one of the best in Africa in terms of prudent management and professional operation.
“With the full support of the Minister of Water Resources, Momodu Maligie III, we have been able to make a significant turnaround of SALWACO with the blessing of the President Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma who has reposed confidence in young people to play active roles in the development of the country,” the Director-General of SALWACO stated; adding that they inherited an institution that did not command the respect and earned the confidence of international donors as it was a one-man show.
“We are committed to ensuring that SALWACO becomes a model in the sub-region that would serve as a reference point for other regional water utilities,” Samuel Bangura said.
Meanwhile, SALWACO is poised to Pre-Commission the Kabala Water System very soon as it continues to deliver on its mandate of providing clean and pure pipe-borne water for people in the rural areas of the country.
