The first batch of 30 of the vehicles was official handed over and inaugurated today at a symbolic ceremony in Freetown. The Chinese say the donation, amounting to US$1.5million, is their contribution to the President’s campaign for a clean and healthy country.
President Bio, shortly after been sworn into office in April last year, declared the last Saturday of every month a general cleaning day. But while the exercise has received wider acclaim, it has been fraught with reports of shortage of vehicles to dispose of the rubbish generated.
The Chinese donated trucks will be distributed to cities and towns across the country. The donation, according to Sierra Leonean officials, was in response to the Government’s appeal for support towards mitigating the real problem of urban waste management in the country.
The trucks were bought and shipped to Sierra Leone by the Government of China. According to the dictates of an MOU between the two governments, the Chines will be responsible for the maintenance of the vehicles for two years.
Sierra Leone, for its part, undertook to pay all freight clearance charges, spare parts, and all related equipment from the port. The Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development will be responsible for selecting and training drivers who will operate the vehicles.
The President said the garbage collection assets would be factored into a wider garbage collection and management policy framework that was being developed by his government, he said the process would take into consideration strong collaborative partnerships with local
councils, communities, and MDAs that handle health and the environment with a target of purposeful planning toward meeting sustainable development goals and improving the quality of life for citizens.
While expressing gratitude to China and noting the “valuable strategic partnership” that continues to reinforce the strong ties of friendship between the two countries, President Bio noted that the intervention by the Chinese Government would help his Government deal with the critical issue of solid waste collection and management, especially in the urban settings.
The Sierra Leonean head of state went on to say that they had recognised that the past government had never bothered to put in place a functional and effective waste management policy, especially for urban areas, and he also noted that the uncontrolled dumping of
garbage in living spaces with no planned manner of collection and disposal had been associated, for years, with increased disease outbreaks and deaths.
Chinese Ambassador to Sierra Leone, WU Peng, said the donation by the Chinese Government was not only to support the national cleaning exercise but to also support Sierra Leone’s efforts for a brighter future. He said the trucks would soon appear in Freetown and other areas of the country to work efficiently for the better future of Sierra Leone.
“We are good partners and therefore we will give all the support in our capacity to support the New Direction of President Bio. We will continue to promote more Chinese investments in this country. If we can work very closely in an efficient way, there are some big projects
in China that can be delivered to Sierra Leone this year,” he assured.