Concord Times (Freetown)
Mohamed Vandi
28 February 2008
opinion
Freetown — Timber logging in Sierra Leone is one of the major economic activities that were not properly monitored by the past Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP) government.
In the interior parts, especially in the Eastern Region, there had been exhaustive indiscriminate logging and exportation of timbers illegally to neighboring countries. In fact, the haphazard and free-for-all exercise gave some of the timber dealers the strong conviction that government has no hands in logging as long as the local bush owners have given their consent.
Before the SLPP government took their final exit from the helms of affair in this country, it succeeded in selling and leasing some departments of the timber industry among which are the Kenema Sawmill Sierra Leone Limited, Tropical Timber Company, Exim Investment Sierra Leone limited, Gava Forest Investment Corporation to operate in Kenema District, Greenway Timber Company in Kono, Agrite and Resource Limited in Tonkoli and Savertin Forest Company in Bo District.
Of all these companies, only one of them, Gava Forestry Industry based in Kenema has commenced full operation before the ban. Facilities of the age-old Forestry Industry Corporation were sold out by Decentralization Secretariat on the grounds that the corporation has not been in operation even though many people speculated that Gava's success in winning the contract was due to the support of James Jonah.
Residents of Kenema, especially the youths, adored the privatization move because they developed the conviction that the development will create employment facility for them.
But the SLPP government that awarded these contracts is out of office and the All People Congress (APC) government has taken over the entire administrative running of the state. It has always been the case wherein every government that comes into power usually introduces new policies to be implemented.
Probably it was in the bid to crack down on those involved in corrupt and illegal exploitation of the country's resources that the APC government among other things placed a strict ban on logging and exportation of timbers nationwide. The imposition of this ban has been perceived in the minds of some people, especially those who are affected one way or the other, as negative signals.
It is worthy of note to state that just a day after the ban, I overheard one Mustapha Koroma, a timber dealer at Coker Jah Street in Kenema, telling his friend in a faithful discussion that "This government is up to something. Either the authorities want to reverse all the contracts the SLPP awarded or they want to impose very unfavourable laws that will frustrate the exportation of timber," he said.
From an assessment made about the capability of Gava Forestry Corporation in terms of competence and performance, the implementation of a ban on logging and exportation of timbers is justifiable. Awarding such a competitive contract to a bidder entails an assessment of action plan spelt out in his proposal.
The SLPP government is blameworthy for awarding the contract to Gava whose poor performance in productivity and resources has convinced some workers of the company and local authorities those facilities of the Forest Industry Corporation that used to cater for up to two hundred workers was not awarded to the right company. Hence, there is the need for a ban so that government can revisit most of these influenced contracts.
Gava, a Nigerian company which bragged that it would create employment facilities when awarded the sale, has a discouraging number of eighty-four workers of which sixteen have been sacked recently without paying their benefits.
Information gathered revealed that the workers' salaries are very low and they have not even received salaries for the month of January. Interestingly but very disheartening, none of the workers have signed a letter of appointment to guarantee their status.
"Could you believe that this company does not have required equipments for logging? Most of the machines brought are excavators which are meant for mining activities. This people are not fit for this contract.
I wonder why they were awarded the sale," one of the sacked workers disclosed.
Residents of Kamboi Hills, an identified location for Gava operation, also disclosed that since the commencement of the felling of trees, there hasn't been any replacement of plants as stated in the sales document. This is because there are no caterpillars, skidder, front-end loader, thriller and other required equipment. More than six hundred logs were left in the forest since there is no effective transportation means to the industry in Kenema.
A reliable source revealed that the company headed by one Mr. Torr, a Swedish citizen, has not completed the payment of the two million US dollars for sales of assets to decentralization secretariat.
This poor standard of productivity coupled with the recent ban has placed the workers in a dilemma regarding the status of the company. Why did the SLPP government sell these facilities to Gava, a company that cannot manage and fulfill their promises is a relevant question the APC government should demand an answer for. This is imperative because an American-supported company African Hardwood Ltd that had the resources and equipment were denied the contract. According to their proposal to lease Forest Industries Corporation, African Hardwood Ltd intended to lease the company for US$100,000 which is payable in advance of five years before commencement of operation.
Three company vehicles, six trucks and trailers, two skidders, one caterpillar, one log louder, one multi purpose truck, ten chain saws and spare part tools were also to be imported free of custom duty.
The proposal also stated that African Hardwood Ltd would cater for an initial employment of two hundred workers which will progressively increase to four hundred within five years; they will repair bridges and roads; provide medical clinic for employees and immediate families; education; transportation and daily feeding for the workers.
Many people now wonder why African Hardwood Ltd was not awarded the contract despite all alternative plans stated in the lease proposal - which Gava has not fulfilled.
To cap it all, we recently learnt that Gava's Manager, Mr. Torr has left the country unceremoniously without communication link with his workers.
Government ban is well on course but the people in this part of the country want a proper investigation into Gava's operation and a careful look at the sales document.
If the company cannot pay its workers on time, lacks all the basic equipments for operation and boasts of poor productivity then what mechanism did the SLPP government use to award the contract? People want to have the answer to the question and they want it from "papa government."
Read comments. Write your own.
Copyright © 2008 Concord Times. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
SIERRA LEONE GOVERNMENT BAN ON TIMBER LOGGING AND EXPORTATION: as quoted from the concord times news paper in Sierra leone, I believe the present APC Government is heading at the right direction as they are sending a very strong signal to corrupt,dudgy and ill-conceived sierra leoneans and foreigners that Sierra leone is not for sale. The past SLPP government has been a disgrace and the worst government this country has ever had and may the Almighty God visit them in their hiding places as the country was in deed free for all. I believe no Sierra leonean will go to Nigeria or Sweden and buy a government establishment, however rich they may be. I do feel for those poor workers who are really the main losers, nontheless,those who are guilty of illegal logging and smuggling of our beloved sierra leone's resources must feel the heaviest weight of the law. They should be investigated properly and if any dues are not paid to the government, they must face prison terms and deportation. A WISE ADVICE TO THE APC GOVERNMENT: GOD BLESS YOUR GOOD INTENTIONS FOR SIERRA LEONE. Please may you not be tired of weeding those corrupt, wicked and evil people who conive with foreigners to distroy our blessed country. Donot forget that the entire nation have been praying for a divine and spiritual intervention and we believe God Almighty has answered our prayers. I believe all government resource establishments must be headed by Sierra leoneans and if for any reason the government decides to privatise, the entire nation must be consulted so that sierra leoneans are given the opportunity to buy shears an invest in their country before selling these important industries to foreigners. There are wealthy Sierra leoneans both in sierra leone and abroad who may be willing to invest in these ventures. Sierra leoneans living abroad and other wealthy sierra leoneans should be encouraged to invest in their country as that is the only way we must build sierra leone. We can still invite foriegn investors only when notices has been exhausted from Sierra leoneans through our embassies abroad must this notion be a last resort. Take for instance the building industry, all the importers of building materials are lebanese, why? are there no genuine Sierra leonean who can import building materials? These lebanese are only milking our beloved country and using our brothers and sisters as cheap slaves to build up their empires abroad. Brothers like Mohamed Kallon, should take note as they should be competing with these rougue lebanese community and wicked business thieves, who just stay in our country for the spoiles they get. Sierra leoneans should be importing building materials as iron rods and sell lower than these rougues. In the last 2 or 3 years, the prices of cement and iron rods have more than doubled as the main importers are lebanese. I also believe their accounting books must be thoroughly investigated and their tax evasion ideas be monitored. Enough said, I AM A TRUE SIERRA LEONEAN LIVING ABROAD AS EVERYDAY I FEEL LIKE I WILL NEVER BELONG IN THE COMMUNITY WHERE I LIVE AS RACISM IS STILL THE ORDER OF THE DAY. GOD BLESS THE A.P.C GOVERNMENT AND GOD BLESS SIERRA LEONE. Please read and give me a feed back. Bless