World Bank Advised President Koroma to Build Lungi-Freetown Bridge Instead Of An Airport

The World Bank Country Office in Sierra Leone and the sub-region has expressed interest to look into long term possibility for the construction of an alternative means of transportation in the form of a bridge from Lungi to the capital and other places instead of the construction of a multi-million dollar airport project.

This disclosure was made over the weekend, Saturday 13th August 2016 at the Golden Tulip former Kimbima Hotel at Aberdeen during a joint press conference between the Government of Sierra Leone (through the Ministry of Information and Communication) and the World Bank Country Office.
The occasion was for the announcement of a five hundred thousand dollar free high-speed internet service to ten best performing secondary schools and ten tertiary institutions in the country.

According to Dr. Henry Kirali, Country Director for Sierra Leone and West Africa based in Accra, the timing for the Mamamah Airport project is not yet feasible but that other alternatives can be explored in the long term.

“The second issue also looks at alternatives, the World Bank has made a commitment to improve connectivity with Lungi and we will also help the government to look at longer term options for opening up the Port Loko area; maybe the construction of a bridge, a toll bridge. These are options that need to be looked at in the long term,” Dr. Henry Kirali said.

Contextualizing the notion with regard to the promise that World Bank will offer help in every sector but excluding the construction of an international airport at the moment, Dr. Henry Kirali said he will not avoid replying to the questions about Mamamah because journalists were expecting that the World Bank will avoid it.

In reply he said: “I have said before, that as far as the World Bank is concerned, we look at the economic viability of investments, particularly infrastructural investments.

If we have a proposal for spending three hundred and fifty million dollars on an airport; the first thing we ask is: how many flights are coming per day?”

He noted that although there will come a time for the need of such a project to be implemented, “when you have enough flights per day to justify the construction of a three hundred and fifty million dollar airport, then there is no problem.”

Dr. Henry Kirali further said: “Right now, you have fewer flights per day, per week to justify the construction of such an airport.”

“So, once again, when the timing is right and you have enough flights to justify the construction of a second and bigger airport, we will be the first one to offer support,” Dr. Henry Kirali assured the press.

China-Salone sign two medical agreements

The Chinese Ambassador Zhao Yanbo and the Minister of Health and Sanitation Dr Abu Bakarr Fofanah on Friday at the Ministry’s Conference hall, Youyi Building signed two medical agreements that will see Chinese doctors come in to help in the area of eye surgery and maternal health care.
Giving a short address before the signing, the Chinese Ambassador said during the ebola, they discovered that Sierra Leone do not have enough doctors and they had to send 20 doctors that are working in the Jui hospital.


“Ebola is over and the problem is more evident now because some of the doctors unfortunately lost their lives and this has worsened the problem. It is because of that reason my government has decided to come in again to help in the area of eye surgery and Maternal and Child care.”

Ambassador Zhao said since 1973 China has been sending medical teams to Sierra Leone and they helped establish the Kingharman Road hospital where the doctors were working.
The two teams that are coming will do Cataract operations and the second team will help with Maternal and Child Care, food nourishment, child health and development, infant and child nutrition.
“They will come with equipment which they will use to help in this area and when they are going they will leave it behind for the Ministry.”

Concerning the Cataract operation, the registration process is on-going and the first team of doctors will come at the end of the month to set the stage for the rest to come as they intend to perform 500 or more eye operations.

“We refer to this agreement as the ‘Journey to Brightness’ because the operations are for Sierra Leoneans to get their eye sight again in perfect order. So we are calling on all Sierra Leoneans that have cataract or someone you know who has it, to visit the Jui hospital now and register. The operations will be done free of charge and this will be the fifth operation conducted in Sierra Leone.

The Minister of Health thanked the Chinese Ambassador and his team for their continued support and said China has shown how sincere their friendship is to Sierra Leone.

“We are truly grateful for this assistance and do hope that the continued bi-lateral friendship will develop. You truly know our problems and these two agreements we will sign will definitely help us achieve the President’s Recovery plans as our health system is challenged.”
He said they are looking forward to start working with these Chinese Teams so that they can help contribute to the health of the people of Sierra Leone.

Both teams are expected to arrive at the end of the month and to put modalities in place to start operations. The signing agreement was witnessed by the two deputy Ministers, and the Economic Counsellor and other Ministry of Health Officials and doctors from Jui hospital.