Resident Minister assures of peace and development
The Minister of State North, Alie D. Kamara has demonstrated sound leadership over the years, which has earned to be one of the faithful public servants that are always willing to ensure that the development goals of President Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma are achieved. (Photo: Mr. Alie D. Kamara… hardworking Minister of State North )
Speaking to this reporter over the weekend, the Minister has described the security situation in the north as calm and peaceful, noting that in spite of the minor crimes reported on a daily basis, the police are on top of situation.
He assured of continuous peace and development in all five districts of the Northern Province. He pointed out that despite the Ebola outbreak challenges; he is able to work with various stakeholders to ensure that the viral disease is kicked out of the Region. Mr. Kamara further notes that the Ebola outbreak, though challenging, but they are thankful to ongoing economic activities undertaken by major companies like Addax Bioenergy Limited.
He commended President Koroma for providing an investors friendly environment, which ushered in major companies like Addax Bioenergy, African Minerals, Shandong, China Kingho and many more that have worked hard over the years to create employment and contribute to other developmental activities in the north.
Addax Bioenergy project is a €453m sugarcane-based renewable energy company that launched a sustainable bioenergy project in Sierra Leone.
A subsidiary of AOG, the company initiated the project in Makeni in 2008 and it started its operations last year. The project hopes to produce sustainable bio-ethanol from sugarcane for export and for domestic use, as well as ‘green’ electricity from a biomass-fuelled plant that will power the ethanol refinery and supply approximately 20 per cent of the needs of the Sierra Leone national grid.
The Minister is happy that the peace and security in the Region has helped the company to have reached this stage of exporting ethanol to the European market. “I am happy that Addax is the only company in West Africa operating in Sierra Leone that will be exporting quality ethanol to Europe,” the Minister said, and added that he is happy about the company’s approach to date, which include extensive and transparent stakeholder dialogue, helping landowners establish their first deeds of land ownership, enhancing local food security and agricultural productivity, as well as extensive infrastructure development.
The hardworking Minister, (commonly referred to as President of the north) said government is ready to provide a safe environment for Addax to become a benchmark for sustainable investment in Africa.
As operations started in 2014, indicators show: Successful enhancement of food security through what has become the largest food production program in Sierra Leone, and the elimination of “hunger months” in many areas of the region for the first time in many years; Local economic development through the creation of 2,631 jobs for national staff as of May 2014, as well as infrastructure enhancement; The injection of 489 billion Leones or US$ 112.90 million in cash or cash equivalents into the local economy between April 2010 – May 2014, as a catalyst for helping communities to help themselves; The success of the public and transparent land lease process, recognised as having conducted the most extensive stakeholder dialogue in the country and having innovated by helping develop the first land deeds for landowners that the country has ever known; Concrete examples of economic development, as individuals build new homes, are able to support their families and pay for schooling, and as new businesses appear; and Confirmation of the innovative solutions to protect local communities and natural resources, for example through the choice of circular sugar cane fields.
The project area is located approximately 15km west of the town of Makeni in the Chiefdoms of Makari Gbanti and Bombali Shebora in the Bombali District and in the Chiefdom Malal Mara in the Tonkolili District in the Northern Province of Sierra Leone, which are under the leadership of Mr. Alie D. Kamara as Minister of State.
The sugarcane estate is approximately 10,000 hectares (ha), planted in circular fields watered by pivot irrigation. Planting sugar cane in smaller circular fields rather than in one big block minimizes its impact on local livelihoods and preserves much of the existing farmland and natural reserves. The factory and related infrastructure, fields developed for rice farming and ecological conservation areas cover another 4,300 ha, bringing the effective project area to around 14,300 ha.
Ortorkor Janaba
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