By Expo Times Staff Writer

Truth be told, there is every need to prioritize things that are in the best interest of Sierra Leone as a country. Just recently, there were several talks as to who should be given the mandate to manage the Port. There were several ‘media wars’ but in the end, government has done that which is considered prudent. We cannot continue to be doubtful.

It is no news that the matter has had to do with Leone Rock and Arise. Depending on who you talk to, there would be several positions and standpoints. So, it is on this note that we are to rally round the government to do that much will provide the greatest good for the greatest amount of Sierra Leoneans.

Section 2, Section 1.6 of the Lease Term and Extension Agreement reads, ‘the lessor of the lessee shall enter into a suitable novation agreement following the signature date to ensure that the rights and obligations of the lessee are transferred from Arise Integrated Industrial Platforms to the special purpose vehicle (SPV) to be incorporated by it in Sierra Leone for the purposes of entering into and delivering the services under this Agreement.’ This is very clear enough. So, it is incomprehensible for people to castigate Sierra Leone’s Mines Minister, Mr. Julius Mattia and by extension the government of Sierra Leone.

The Agreement (signed in January 2023) should be enough to make things very clear. The same section continues that ‘’the incorporated SPV shall work exclusively with Mano River Rail & Port SL Limited, a company incorporated under the laws of Sierra Leone, and having its registered office at 23 Pademba Road, Freetown in the Western Area of the Republic of Sierra Leone, as the local Partner, in accordance with the local service terms agreed between the lessee and Mano River Rail & Port SL Limited dated 5 December, 2022 or as amended or replaced from time to time. Where rationality truly matters, issues of this nature should not be misunderstood and or be misrepresented.

The novation of the rights and obligations (to occupy, use, manage, operate, maintain and rehabilitate the Tonkolili-Pepel Railway and Pepel Port) from ARISE IIP to an SPV and then to Mano River Union Rail and Port SL Services shows that ARISE IIP was just a cover and scam. This cannot be overstated.

Section 1.3(a) is absolutely detrimental to the image and credibility of the Government of Sierra Leone (GOSL) and Sierra Leone as a place for foreign direct investment. In a nutshell, the GOSL should illegally expropriate Kingho’s investments (about USD 178 million already spent on rehabilitating the railway and port) and pass it on for FREE to ARISE IIP. The GOSL takes on the liabilities and potential litigation from Kingho (and potentially from the Chinese Shandong Iron and Steel Group that passed on the assets to the GOSL in July 2020). This could potentially undermine relationship with China and lead to diplomatic scandal.

To conclude, it is safer to say that government has done that which is in the best interest of the country. Already, we have seen our Leone Rock has been able to match standards. We now need sanity in the systems and processes. This is a way to go and so all hands should be on deck. If we do a disservice to SL, it’d be a vice.

Copy right –Printed in the Expo Times News on Monday 30th October, 2023 (ExpoTimes News – Expo Media Group (expomediasl.com)