Receiving the bikes on behalf of the Government and People of Sierra Leone, the Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs, Lahai Lawrence Leema, commended UNDP for the donation which he described as ‘a laudable gesture,’ especially at a time when NCRA has to reach out to people in the communities to take part in the CVRS process.
He added that the motorbikes will help NCRA get appropriate information on time. He also assured that the motorbikes will not only be used for their intended purpose, but they would be taken care of for them to last longer.
The Director General of NCRA, Mohamed Mubashir Massaquoi in receiving the keys to the motorbikes, also commended UNDP for helping to facilitate the movement of his staff who are located in all 16 administrative districts, including Bonthe Island, Karene and Falaba to enable them collect timely and updated information on births and deaths and other registration activities in the communities.
Mr. Massaquoi gave a background of his engagement with UNDP and stated that when he assumed office in July 2018, NCRA approached UNDP after it realized that mobility around the communities was one of the critical challenges that they faced.
He said NCRA has offices in all districts in Sierra Leone where the motorbikes will be used for the CRVS programme. He assured the donors that the motorbikes will be used for their intended purpose.
Earlier, in presenting the keys of the bikes to the Director General of NCRA on behalf of the acting Head of Governance Unit UNDP, Josephine Scott-Manga, Programme Associate, Mahmoud Alpha Conteh said UNDP recognizes that NCRA is key in the achievement of the priorities of the Government of Sierra Leone. Mr. Conteh disclosed that UNDP came to the conclusion to donate the 24 motorbikes to NCRA after they had an engagement with them.
He described NCRA as “one of the most successful implementing partners of UNDP” and expressed his hope that the bikes will be used judiciously.
Training Officer of NCRA, Mrs. Rosaline Massaquoi thanked the UNDP for their continuous support to NCRA and added that the donation of motorbikes is among the many interventions that is expected from the UNDP.
The ceremony was graced by the attendance of the Deputy Director General of NCRA, John Lavalie and a cross section of NCRA staff.
