By Prince J Musa in Kenema
The Sierra Leone government is working on revamping domestic air transport as part of its effort to improve on the larger air transportation system in the country.
Officials say the move is also aimed at easing transportation and boosting trade both locally and within the sub region.
Last week a team from the aviation sector, headed by officials from the Ministry of Transport and Aviation, conducted a joint monitoring visit to defunct air fields in Kenema and Bo districts.
Also part of the delegation were officials from the Ministry of Lands and the Sierra Leone Civil Aviation Authority (SLCAA).
At the Kenema airfield, Deputy Minister of Aviation, Sadiq Silla, told a meeting with local authorities that the joint monitoring visit was a feasibility study aimed at ascertaining the status of the air fields, among others.
“Today we are talking about air transport for domestic and international flights,” he said, noting that from documentation in the possession of the ministry, they know that if well taken care of and improved on, the aviation sector will help the nation to grow and attract investors.
“The nation can exponentially open and grow faster when air transportation is taken care of. It will not only ease movement, but it will also facilitate and triple efforts of movement of goods and persons and even place the nation on global standards of air transport for investors,” he said.
From Kenema to Bo, there have been concerns over encroachment on the airfield by squatters. Officials say the visit is also meant to assess the level of damage and encroachment on the airfield over the years.
According to Silla, the feasibility study entailed a scientific analysis to help government make a decision through cabinet on the way forward with the air fields. The decision, he said, will be whether the government should continue using the air fields or to relocate to another spot.
When the government acquired the lands initially, it was based on a lease agreement. But other the years the land wasn’t in use, part of it has been sold out to private people by the land owners. Last year, according to the Aviation Ministry, the government decided to payoff all the land owning families to take full ownership of the lands.
Silla commended the leadership of ministry of Lands for paying off the land owning families after a long time to secure the air fields.
Moses Tiffa Baio, Director General of the SLCAA, said the move was in consonance with President Julius Maada Bio’s campaign manifesto promise of promoting international and domestic air transport, which was reiterated in his state opening of parliament.
“Government wants to make sure air transport is at the door steps of the people,” he said.
“An airport is a national asset and should be maintained. Nobody has right to do anything in such places,” the SLCAA DG said, in apparent reference to the issue with squatters.
“It’s only government that will decide what to do at that particular air space,” he added.
Baio said it’s difficult to replace an airport land since not all spaces are suitable for such purpose. Kenema, he noted, had a strategic point for an airport because it’s an economic hub for all the provincial cities in the country. He also noted that Kenema is closer to Conakry in Guinea and Monrovia in Liberia, pointing out that revamping the airfield there will ease doing business by making traveling faster.
“This air field in Kenema will make the city regain its economic viability and help in revenue mobilization for the country. It will lead to job creation for young people,” he said.
Biao said reviving the airfields will also ease the workload on the civil aviation in Freetown as they will have branches in the provinces. He further pointed to the significance of this on government’s plan to open an international market at Koindu in Kailahun District.
“This is strategic as it will open business between Sierra Leone, Guinea, Liberia and Ivory Coast,” he said.
Rex Bonapha, Deputy Minister of Lands, revealed that the ministry paid Le1.5 billion to the land owners to acquire the airfield.
“Those land have been secured for the government and they are now state properties,” he said, adding: “government has no issues with any land owning family for reservation and the plane field. This meeting has nothing to do with land owners,” he stressed at the meeting.
The Minister of transport and Aviation, Kabineh Kallon, revealed that the government have reached agreements with three companies intending to operate internal air transport in the country. He said a Memorandum of Understanding had been signed to the effect.
“We want to asses our internal airports so that we can know our stance on the MoU signed,” Kallon stated.
“In five years’ time we want to see international flights moving into the provinces. As a ministry we want to create the needed platform to ensure the dream of this government is achieved.
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