Cross section of Human Rights Commission of Sierra Leone
By Sulaiman Jalloh
As part of its mandate to ensure human rights compliance across Sierra Leone, the Human Rights Commission of Sierra Leone (HRCSL) has concluded a follow-up monitoring exercise at the Socfin agricultural company in Malen chiefdom, Pujehun District, the exercise falls under Section 7(2)(f) of the HRCSL Act No. 9 of 2004, which authorizes the Commission to monitor, investigate, and document potential human rights violations.
This latest assessment follows an initial visit conducted in November 2020, during which HRCSL evaluated Socfin’s operations against the united Nations guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and other international human rights frameworks.
The monitoring team was led by HRCSL commissioner Simitie Lavaly and included key personnel such as Peter Abraham Koroma, Director of Human Resources, moses massaquoi, deputy director of Business and human rights and labor relations; Emmanuel Thomas, Deputy Director and head of the southern region office; Haja Aminata Bawoh, senior human rights officer; and Ansu Osman, assistant human rights officer.
We are here to assess what improvements have been made since our last visit, said commissioner Lavaly, we’re revisiting the 2020 recommendations and evaluating the company’s progress in addressing them.
During their visit, the HRCSL team engaged in a formal dialogue with Socfin management, including the company’s new general manager, Olivier Martin, we appreciate the commission’s ongoing commitment and transparency, Martin said, we are pleased to cooperate fully with the monitoring process, using the checklist you provided.
The discussions focused on several key areas, including the relationship between the company and host communities, working conditions, grievance redress mechanisms, and staff training and development.
Responding on behalf of the company, Ibrahim Jaward, Admin and human resource manager, highlighted Socfin’s current structures for addressing grievances, we hold weekly grievance committee meetings to resolve staff concerns, he said, additionally, each department manages specific health and safety issues independently.
Jaward also noted the company’s investment in staff development, revealing that external consultants have been engaged to conduct specialized training, some employees have also benefited from overseas capacity-building opportunities, he added. According to him, Socfin currently employs approximately 2,000 workers, with 26% being women and 9% of managerial positions held by Sierra Leoneans.
On occupational health and safety, Jaward assured the commission that the company fully supports employees in the event of workplace injuries, we operate four health centers for our staff and have introduced two ambulances to respond to emergencies, we’ve also added a mini-bus to help transport staff for medical check-ups as we work toward establishing an in-house healthcare system.
The HRCSL delegation toured Socfin’s Palm Oil Processing Mill and interacted with production Manager Dominic Bunduka and several mill workers.
The monitoring exercise also included community engagement sessions, where the team spoke with residents from host communities to gather firsthand insights into their experiences with the company’s operations, the commission is expected to release a full report on its findings and recommendations in the coming weeks, as part of its ongoing efforts to ensure corporate accountability and the protection of human rights in Sierra Leone.
Copy right –Printed in the Expo Times News on Friday, May 9th, 2025 (ExpoTimes News – Expo Media Group (expomediasl.com)
