CSE at work in Sierra Leone
The Senegalese construction company, Compagnie Sahelienne d’Entreprise (CSE), has threatened to pull out of Sierra Leone because the government failed to pay them for construction work, according to Starafrica.com.
The online portal said CSE had about half a dozen contracts currently in progress in the country. The company had, however, been blamed for delay in delivering, although it has itself severally blamed the situation on the government’s failure to pay its money as agreed.
The Country Director of CSE was said to have ordered all their workers, both Senegalese and Sierra Leoneans, to shut down operations. Several employees, mainly unskilled workers, risk losing their jobs if the threats materialised.
According to the European Times the company achieved $l20 million in turnover in Sierra Leone in 2010.
They were involved with building the Lumley Tokeh Road, initially budgeted at l20 million euros for a two-lane carriageway but which later turned to a four-lane carriageway with an improved structure due to the foreseen increase of traffic. They were also building 25 kilometres of streets in Freetown, including the rehabilitation and construction of 30 streets. They were constructing the Hillside Bye Pass Road, which recently stalled. The road was supposed to have given another alternative to Kissy Road for the traffic, which could have improved mobility in Freetown from the Centre to the eastern parts. CSE was also responsible for the delivery of the Freetown – Conakry highway.
(C) Politico 02/02/16
