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 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."
allAfrica.com:
Sierra Leone: On Government's Ban On Timber Logging And Exportation (Page 1 of
2)
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