John Sisay, Sierra Rutile
By Aminata Phidelia Allie
Chief Executive Officer of Sierra Rutile Mining Company has assured that his company will take extra steps in ensuring that the local content policy is actualised because “we believe in localisation”.
John Sisay gave this assurance while making a statement at the company’s localisation plan launch at the British Council last week.
He said the Sierra Rutile localisation plan, “which is an accelerated staff progression process for High Potential Employees (HIPOs), who are citizens of this country”, sought to recognise the efforts of efficient staff of the company. Already, he went on, there were about 50 Sierra Leoneans staff at the company whom he said had earmarked as future managers of the company.
Sisay noted that localisation was not a foreign concept as far as the company was concerned “because that is what we have been doing for the past years”.
As a company, he said, they understood when the local communities, “who are our immediate responsibilities” demand that for the wealth to be extracted from their land, children of the soil must benefit from it. “We’ve always worked with our chiefs”, he explained.
The CEO said his company believed in merit, adding that none of the staff that had been recognised as HIPOs were chosen because their relations were in the higher offices.
Minister of Trade and Industry, Osman Boie Kamara said he was impressed that the local content policy was being put into action by the Sierra Rutile mining company.
He assured that the government would ensure that other mining companies followed suit and in accordance with the local content policy Act of 2009. He called on MDAs and other development partners to concert their efforts in ensuring that the country’s human resources benefited everyone and the country as a whole.
(C) Politico 28/01/14
