As it celebrated its 50th anniversary yesterday on the theme ‘strengthening the culture of peace and regional Integration for Sustainable Development’, the Mano River Union is set for the construction of a state-of-the-art Sports Village in its birth chiefdom Sorogbeima Chiefdom in Pujehun District Southern Sierra Leone.
The Federation of International Football Association (FIFA) funded village according to the officials will comprise a stadium with a practising field and standard pitch to host matches, hostels, hospital, and a skills training centre, among others.
Addressing journalists at the launch of the 50th anniversary celebration this October at the MRU Secretariat in Freetown, the Deputy Minister of Sierra Leone’s Ministry of Planning and Economic Development Jonathan Titus Williams said that the objective of the village is to ensure regional integration through sports which can foster unity and peace, leading to development.
He expressed hope that the objective of the village would be met after implementation of the project. Minister Williams said that they have already met with the chiefdom authorities about the initiative that has been welcomed by the community people who have therefore allocated 100 hectares of land for the construction of the said village and are now waiting for the land to be surveyed by host country- Sierra Leone’s Ministry of Lands, Housing and Country Planning.
Also in his Keynote address at the event, the Deputy minister expressed hope that the five priority areas; Feed Salone, Human Capital Development, Youth Employment Scheme, Technology and Infrastructure Initiative, and Revamping the Public Service Architecture highlighted by the government of Sierra Leone ,will resonate with other MRU countries due to their shared aims.
“MOPED will therefore seek alignment which is why we are keenly listening to the messages from the celebrations so that we can add to what MOPED is already seeking from our sub-regional and global organisations as well as development partners to inform the new MTNDP 2024-2028 (Medium Term National Development),” he said.
He admonished the Union to go back to its activities that were stalled due to the wars in its member countries.
“Therefore enhancing the role in regional coordination of agriculture and mining activities, the spearheading of trade facilitation activities, climate change and natural resource management and the collection of consistent policy information and statistics but to name a few,” he said.
He also urged the Union to ensure a permanent building to host the secretariat in Freetown.
Speaking at the event, the Principal Country Programme Officer, African Development Bank (ADB) Atanga Felicitas highlighted the relationship between the bank and the Union, noting that the MRU has implemented both technical capacity-building projects and the regional component of investment projects funded by the Bank in the member countries.
“The MRU Secretariat is currently implementing the regional component of two multinational projects funded by the Bank: the Post Ebola Recovery Social Investment Fund (PERSIF project) and the MRU Road Development and Transport Facilitation project phase Ill,” she said.
Felicitas added that the MRU Secretariat is currently implementing the 'Building Inclusive Business Ecosystems for Stabilization and Transformation in the Mano River Union (BI-BEST)' project funded by the Bank and covering Liberia and Sierra Leone.
Under the Bi-Best project, she said the Bank and the MRU are supporting women cross-border traders in Sierra Leone and Liberia through a USD 4.2 million funding, with the objective of promoting gender equality, women's empowerment, and social cohesion.
The three (3) year project which was launched in October 2022, according to her is aimed at empowering women traders in cross-border value chains on cassava, palm oil, and vegetables for resilient economic growth and social cohesion.
The project, she said will benefit approximately 1500 women traders, 750 in Liberia and 750 in Sierra Leone, trading across Foya and Koindu as well as Bo Waterside and Jendema border points.
She said initial studies are currently going on and once completed direct engagement with women traders in the selected locations will begin, building their capacity in financial literacy, business management practices, and increasing their understanding of trade regulations.
In her statement, the Secretary General of the Sub-regional Group Ambassador Maria G. Harrison said the main objective of forming the Union as enshrined in the Mano River Union Declaration was "to establish a firm economic foundation for lasting peace, friendship, freedom
and social progress [among] our countries," she said.
She added: "While the breakdown into civil war significantly affected the Union to function on its mandates for over a decade, the member states have always remained committed to the original purpose to create a unified market for promotion of trade and agriculture, while also guaranteeing mutual peace and security. This is why the member states agreed to revitalize the organization and strengthen its core purpose."
The Secretary-General noted that the anniversary comes in the wake of Guinea's Independence Anniversary and Liberia's coming elections, adding that MRU has firmly supported democratic processes in Sierra Leone and plans to pursue the same goals in the other member states as the institution gears up to observe the Liberian elections.
Speaking on the Sports Village, she said once the survey of the land was done, FIFA will visit and the project will commence.
The treaty for the formation of the Mano River Union (MRU) was signed in Malema in the Kemokai Sestion of Sorogbeima Chiefdom in Pujehun District on the 3rd of September 1973 with two countries, Liberia and Sierra Leone. Guinea joined in 1980 and Cote d’Ivoire in 2008. It is a sub-regional and bilingual organization with English and French as official languages.
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