By HawaDeen
The United States Ambassador to Sierra Leone Ambassador David Reimer on Wednesday August 25, 2021 commended the government of President Julius Maada Bio for qualifying for the Millennium Challenge Corporation Compact program saying that it is a huge investment by the US government in Sierra Leone.
He was speaking during a brief visit to Sierra Leone’s Minister of Water Resources Ing. Philip Lansana at the New England Ville Office in Freetown.
During the discussion, the two people dilated on the challenges in the water resources sector and efforts made to surmount them. The minister expounded on President Julius Maada Bio’s focus on water supply in the country as a social development goal and the tremendous efforts government has made to ameliorate the water problem in the country.
He further informed the US Ambassador about the seven towns water project that is ongoing in Sierra Leone and expressed optimism of its impact on water supply in the country.
Ing. Philip Lansana expounded on other projects to help curb if not eliminate the water problem in the country, such as the Rural Water Supply projects that have seen the construction of 100 boreholes for remote communities across the country. “Water is very essential as it supports all sectors especially health and education,” the Minister averred.
The Water Resources Minister however expressed disappointment in the non-payment of bills by consumers of water in the country, which is starving government of resources to service the continuous delivery of the vital commodity.
On his part, the United States Ambassador narrated that many countries opted for the MCC award but very few qualified for it and expressed his pleasure at Sierra Leone being one of the few. Ambassador David Reimer pinpointed the three pivotal areas of the MCC Compact grant for Sierra Leone, which are energy, food security and water. He also used the opportunity to inform the public through the Minister that the US government has lifted all visa restrictions on citizens and government officials and that the Embassy is open to business.
