By Mabinty Kamara
Under its Heineken Africa Foundation, the Sierra Leone Brewery is supporting a number of community projects to the tune of Le 1, 675, 000, 000, (one billion, six hundred and seventy five million leones), including a mini dam to serve the Wellington area in the east end of Freetown.
At the launching ceremony of the Sierra Leone Brewery Cares campaign in Freetown, the company's Managing Director Willy Ngana said, "this is to show the government and people of Sierra Leone that Sierra Leone Brewery cares, we really do care." He said he wished that all the approved projects would succeed and "we are going to monitor the projects to completion as agreed and follow up on the achievement and challenges."
Deputy Trade and Industry minister, Mabinty Daramy described Sierra Leone Brewery as "a reliable and dependable partner in the private sector." She said apart from paying taxes and employing Sierra Leoneans, the Brewery is also active in meeting their Corporate Social Responsibility by improving the community in which they work. Ms. Daramy said "when the Ebola virus disease struck the country many companies and foreign investors fled while others sacked their staff leaving many Sierra Leoneans jobless but this is something the Sierra Leone Brewery did not do even when they cut their sales to 60% (sixty percent) because of the Public Emergency Regulations."
According to the Member of Parliament for Constituency 97, the area to be served by the dam, the project represents "a giant step in addressing the acute water shortage facing the Wellington and Calaba town communities."
Hon. Ibrahim Knox Sankoh, told Politico that the project was not initiated as a result of any pressure from the community people but "it is entirely from the goodwill of the Sierra Leone Brewery Limited." He said work will start "as soon as possible because the money is already in the bank account and I will ensure that it is utilised well."
A resident of the area, Aminata Sankoh, expressed gratitude to the Sierra Leone Brewery for their support to construct a dam because "getting water has always been one of the major challenges in this area." The 65 - year old told Politico that "our children will no longer have to spend long hours on the streets trying to fetch water instead of reading their books."
Other projects that received money were the Wellington Health Center, Lion Heart Medical Center in Yele, Tonkolili district, Water and Sanitation, Freetown City Ward 352 Constituency 98 and the post-Ebola Water and Sanitation Schools and Education Projects in Constituencies 97 and 98.
© Politico 26/05/15
