By Hajaratu Kalokoh
Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio on Thursday launched a landmark project designed to decongest urban centers across the country.
The Sierra Leone Integrated Resilient Urban Mobility Project, estimated to cost US$50million, entails a major overhaul of the transportation infrastructure in urban areas of the country.
President Bio said at launched of the World Bank funded project at the Miatta Conference Center in Freetown that the idea was born out of the need to increase productivity and to make the city more sustainable in line with Goal 11 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
“I need not say that a congested city is not good for citizens; not good for tourism, not good for business and not safe for our women and children. I need not emphasize also that traffic congestion diminishes productivity, increases the cost of commuting through increased fuel and operating cost and has environmental and health implications,” Bio said.
He added: “To our mind one of the pathways to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goal 11 - making cities sustainable, is to invest in public transportation in a bid to build sustainable and resilient cities. To grapple with the complexity of the task at hand, we have determined that we should work with development partners and the private sector in designing an integrated, skilled, measurable, accountable, and sustainable pilot mobility plan.”
This project entails the construction of a transit market and terminal at Lumley in the west end of Freetown. The components of the market include a contemporary market with storage spaces, surface car parking area and public places of convenience.
It also entails construction of pedestrian footbridges, formalized Okada /Keke stops, bus stops, and bus only streets, among many other features, across the country.
The project will be implemented by the Ministry of Transport in collaboration with other relevant ministries, departments and agencies, as well as the Freetown City Council.
Anne Kabagambe, Executive Director, World Bank Africa Group One, said the project speaks to the Bank’s idea for the continent’s development strategy.
“This project and its innovative ways very well aligns with what us at the World Bank Board has approved as the Africa Strategy for the institution which we approved in 2019,” she said.
She later added: “It will finally be able to create sustainable and inclusive growth by maximizing the private sector transformation.”
Freetown is by far the most congested city in the country. The city is home to close to 2 million residents. This huge population means there is a huge problem to access public transportation. The capital is also notoriously known for its slow grinding traffic.
Much of the infrastructure intended to be built under this project seek to help ease all these problems.
Minister of Transport, Kabineh Kallon said that to deliver on the project, the ministry will only focus on serving as the main implementing agency.
“For greater efficiency and timely delivery of the project, the implementation arrangement is in place within the Ministry of Finance which is responsible for the procurement activities and the Ministry of Transport and Aviation will be the main technical implementing agency supported by the Steering Committee of all stakeholders in the process,” Kallon said.
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