LOCAL GOVT MINISTRY HOLDS RUSSIAN DUMP TRUCKS MAINTENANCE AGREEMENT MEETING WITH LOCAL COUNCILS

The Minister of MLGRD, His Deputy and Heads of Local Councils

6th Floor, Youyi Building, Freetown, 5 May 2021- the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD) has held a Maintenance Agreement Meeting with heads of Local Councils in respect of the fifty (50) Russian dump trucks that are set to be allocated to all Local Council across the country.

 It could be recalled that the Government of the Russian Federation officially handed fifty (50) dump trucks over to the Government of Sierra Leone in December, 2020. This was in partial fulfillment of the promised made by the Government of Russia to donate two hundred (200) dump trucks to Sierra Leone during President Bio’s friendly visitation. 

Updating heads of Local Councils including Mayors/Chairpersons and Chief Administrators on strategies put in place for the trucks, the Minister of MLGRD, Tamba J.S. Lamina, said the Ministry and its partners have been working on a sustainability plan that would enhance the effective and efficient usage of the dump trucks by the Local Councils. He added that it was in that vein that his Ministry in partnership with the Sierra Leone Road Transport Corporation (SLRTC) sent two engineers to Russia to work with the manufacturing companies with the aim of understanding the technical qualities of the trucks, but also to be in position to fix them when maintenance issues arise.

“The other good news is that the trucks came with spear parts, which are in stores at the SLRTC, and we have 18 months warranty period for the usage of same,” he announced.

Minister Lamina maintained that the overall motive of the maintenance and distribution agreement of the trucks is to make sure that the Local Councils continue using them without depending on the Central Government for maintenance and running cost. He added that various considerations were also made with regards the amount of waste, cities, rural districts, geographical locations of Councils among others in the process of allocating the trucks.

Leadership of MLGRD discussing with Heads of Local Councils on the maintenance agreement

“Today, we have called you here to sign the Maintenance Agreement developed by our Ministry with its partners including, the Ministry of Finance and SLRTC with regards the vehicles. I implore you all to go through it and come out with comments and concerns in respect of same whilst our senior procurement officer takes you through the document with an explicit explanation of its content,” he said.

He entreated the Council Heads to take ownership of the trucks by way of using them for the right purposes, as punitive measures would be taken against any Council, who tends to use the vehicles on personal purposes. 

The meeting ended with expression of comments, views and opinions of the participants towards what they described as “laudable effort” from the Government to control waste products in their localities, and the summary presentation of the agreement document by the Senior Procurement Officer of MLGRD, Abu Bakarr Turay. 

Other personalities present were the Deputy Minister, Deputy Secretary and the Accountant of MLGRD.

For more enquires:

Frederick V Kanneh,

Information Officer, MLGRD.

+23279788989

fkanneh@mlgrd.gov.sl