As China-African People-to-People Friendship Action grows
China Launches Commuters Booths Project
China-Africa People to People Friendship Action and Sierra Leone-China Friendship Society, Thursday at the China House Railway Line Freetown formally launched the Construction of four Commuters waiting booths within the Freetown Municipality and the West Rural district. (Photo: Mr. Fan Xiaodong Political Counsellor fo the Chinese Embassy in Siertra Leone and Dr. Bobson Seseay)
The Chairman of the Sierra Leone-China Friendship Society Dr. Bobson Sesay said the problem of transportation in the country is high, due to the constrains of transportation the China Society thought it fit to help the people of Sierra Leone, that was why they agreed to implement the project. “Let all Sierra Leone take ownership as more set to come, we must always try to maintain this because Sierra Leone’s main problem is maintenance,” said Dr. Sesay. The former Lands and Country Planning Minister thanked the Chinese government for their support in the country’s development since 1971.
According to the project coordinator, Mr. Soko M. Kai-Samba the project stems from the sustained friendship which has existed between the Sierra Leone-China Friendship Society and the Embassy of the Peoples` Republic of China even before the Republic of Sierra Leone tied a Diplomatic bond with the Peoples` Republic of China in 1974. “It could be recalled that on Wednesday 4th December 2013 the Chinese Embassy through its secretary Mr. Xu Zhou requested the Sierra Leone-China Friendship Society to identify a project that will impact directly on the well-being of the majority of the Sierra Leonean people,” said Samba. According to him, the new approach by “China-African People-to-People Friendship Action” is to impact directly on the common people and therefore wishes to embark on common-people-oriented projects. As a capable society “we within few hours put together two concept notes; one justifying the need for public toilets and the Commuter Booths we are talking about today,” he said.
It is therefore the view of the Sierra Leone-China Friendship Society and the “China-Africa People-to-People Friendship Action’’ that the construction of appropriately designed Commuter Booths would minimize the level of inconvenience and exploitation meted out on Commuters including school going children at whatever time or season.
Mr. Samba also thanked and assured the Chinese people that Sierra Leone still has in its archives records on the contribution of Peoples` Republic of China to the Economic Development of the country. He said the Society will never forget the good gesture and hand of friendship.
In his launching ceremony Mr. Fan Xiaodong, the Political Counsellor of Chinese Embassy to Sierra Leone said the friendly relationship between China and Sierra Leone has stood the test of time of more than 42 years. When Sierra Leone friends talk about China, they usually talk about the National Stadium, and the Youyi building which has become the landmark of the relationship of the two countries. With time going “You should also add the new Ministry of Foreign Affairs Building, the Bo Stadium and the Regent to Kossoh town Road, the latter two are going to be commissioned before your Independence Day, to the landmark list. When you study these projects, you will find out their characteristics, highest, largest, modernist, best. But the most important characteristic of all is that all those projects bring practical benefits not only to the government but also the people,” said Xiaodong
In developing relationship with African countries, we not only pay attention to big projects but also small projects. We cooperated not only as “Amity between two peoples holds the key to the relationship between two countries,” Starting from last year, we concentrate more on the exchanges and cooperation between people`s organizations, women and youth of China and Africa by carrying out China-Africa People-to-People Friendship Action. “Last year the Chinese Embassy concluded three programs of creative arts training for unemployed women, refresher training in basic Building Skills for young people, providing water purifying pumps for four schools in Freetown such as the Freetown Girls High School (FSSG), the St. Joseph Covent Secondary School, and the Vine Memorial Secondary School.
By Princess Pearce
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