The Honourable Minister of Information and Communications, Alhaji Alpha B S Kanu (photo) has provided the press with a comprehensive update on the president’s trip to New York where he attended the 70th Session of the United Nation’s General Assembly highlighting some of the advantages the country will accrue due to the astute representation President Koroma made for the people of Sierra Leone.
The Minister provided the updates at the usual press conference of the Ministry of Information and Communications on Thursday 1 October, 2015 at the conference room of the Ministry.
Kanu noted that the President and his entourage attended several meetings with world leaders and relevant international financial institutions including the World Bank and the IMF to discuss very important issues pertaining to the development of Sierra Leone.
He said the President also used the occasion as an opportunity to express his appreciation and that of the people of the Republic of Sierra Leone to all those who contributed immensely to the fight against the deadly ebola disease that plagued the three countries in the Mano River Basin ( Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia).
Hon. Alhaji Alpha Kanu further informed the press that, while in New York the President had a fruitful discussion with the President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping who assured President Koroma of his willingness to continue to strengthen his country’s existing relationship with the people and Government of Sierra Leone.
He said the Chinese President has assured President Koroma of his support to the Mammamah project of constructing an ultra modern airport including his determination to support the improvement of the country’s health sector noting that the Chinese intend to build Africa’s Centre for Disease Control (CDC) in Sierra Leone.
He further revealed that the Chinese Government has promised providing 30,000 to 35,000 scholarships for African young professionals to study in China. Hon. Alhaji Alpha Kanu assured his audience that the President’s trip to New York is a success that will bring a lot of benefits to the people of Sierra Leone.
The Deputy Minister of Information and Communication Theo Nicol informed the press that Government has allocated 206 acres of land at Mile Six for the purpose of permanently relocating the flood victims and permanently get them out of the slums where they used to live.
Updating the press on the welfare of flood victims across the country, the national Publicity and Outreach Coordinator in the Office of the Government Spokesman, Abdulai Bayraytay said various pillars have been established at both the National Stadium and the Attouga mini stadium in order to address the situation of the victims with a coordinated effort.
He said over 6,000 flood victims have been registered across the country ranging from Bo, Bonthe, Pujehun and Freetown where there was an incidence of flooding that rendered thousands of people homeless with properties worth millions of Leones destroyed.
Bayraytay further stated that 7,537 people were registered while 3,471 of them were verified at the National Stadium, another group of 6,514 was registered at the Attouga mini stadium but only 1001 of them verified so far. He informed the press that victims enjoy free medical treatment, have three meals a day whilst the children are ferried to and from school every school day with a bus allocated for that purpose.
In a press release issued by the Office of National Security (ONS), the National Coordinator emphasized the need for a collaborative effort between and among MDAs, NGOs CBOs and other development partners to avoid duplication of efforts and to provide a more robust and coordinated response.
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