By: Saidu Jalloh
In the ongoing Bilateral Budget discussion, the Minister of Lands, Housing and Country Planning, Dr. Turad Senesi has on 18 October 2023 at the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development Conference Room, George Street, Freetown revealed that Lungi will be the Financial City in Sierra Leone.
Before the presentation, the Deputy Minister of Finance II, Mr. Bockarie Albert Kalokoh chaired the Programme and express delight in being part of such bilateral budget discussion and wish all MDAs to present a budget that will correlate with the ‘Feed Salone’ project, and he was impressed by the Ministry of Lands and lavish praise on them as the only Ministry that has generated more revenue than they are asking for.
Dr. Senesi expressed that they had made a road map plan for Lungi to be the Financial City and also administrative City. He also assured the audience that he had secured a land for the international conference hall to be built in Lungi and said once that is done there would be self and sufficient funding of the Lungi Bridge that will attract investment, create jobs, improve infrastructure, attract business and reduce poverty.
The Minister of Lands continued the presentation with explaining the mandate, mission and vision of the ministry. He stated that their mandate is to ensure effective land management and administration in a sustainable manner, ensuring equitable access to and control over land, ensure effective planning of towns/ cities and providing affordable housing with the view of alleviating poverty and promoting economic growth.
The mission, he said that is to contribute to poverty alleviation, food security, and environmental sustainability and enhance economic development, through effective land management and administration to enhance a balanced pattern of urbanization and affordable housing for sustainable development in Sierra Leone. He added that the vision of the ministry is a livable, well – integrated and competitive nation, in which economic growth is inclusive, and urban development is resilient and sustainable with secure tenure of land and housing.
Dr. Turad Senesi also lamented on the policy objectives of the ministry in that light he lament that Enhance effective land administration, land use planning, management and development controls, control rapid growth of spontaneous informal urban settlements, plan new cities, towns and villages, promote effective practice that will integrate economic growth, sustainable development and environmental management and provide policy directives and guidance for effective planning, sound environmental management, land management and administration.
He also stated that they have improved on the Geodetic ( positioning system) and Topographic ( surface features) activities in the through Geographic Information System (GIS), and they have created and increased public awareness on Land Management issues as well as development control measures, improve access to affordable homes and incorporate Environment Management principles into Planning, Land Management and Administration.
The Minister also denoted their deliverables in 2022 and 2023 respectively. In 2022, he said they had made a development of National Land Bank acquisition, registration of at least 100,000 acres of land in the western Area and provinces at least 10,000 in each district, development of master plan for the western area, Bo, Makeni Port Loko, Bonthe, Koidu and Sefadu, development of land information system for cadastral and registration services, recruitment and training of at least 200 staffs and Policy and Legislative review and development of policy framework. Even though both deliverables for the years he mentioned are the same except one which the Minister said that they are planning to deliver in 2023, is the Financial City to be constructed in Lungi.
He highlighted the revenue that they had generated from January to December in 2022 and also for 2023 from January to September. For 2022, he said they generated total revenue of 19,367,591.02, for 2023 is 38,962,151.00.
Dr. Turad Senesi also pleaded with the Ministry of Finance to help the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Country Planning to retain 30% of the revenue they are generating to execute their plans in 2024 as they are providing more revenue for the government of Sierra Leone so if given them the 30% they would generate more. He also assured the audience that there are plans to convert the two old air fields in Kenema and Bo for commercial purpose as they have been abandoned and encroached into those air fields.
Dr. Turad Senesi, however, explained the achievement of the ministry, review of the town and country planning act contract signed in May 2023, Western Area Regional Structure Plan that provide a spatial vision for the western area to guide the growth and development in terms of infrastructure is at the point of negotiations for consultant to be recruited, the evaluation process for the recruitment of consultant has been completed, secondary cities structural plans proposal completed and was cleared by the World Bank on the 21st May 2023, review of the Country Planning Act contract has been signed by the consultant and inception report already done and the stakeholders identified. He also stated that they scored high percentage in the MCC Score Card, 27% in 2021 to 60% in 2023 which 122% progress on land access and right.
“Service Plots Developed and Structurally Laid at John Obey and two plot of land is cost at 150, 000,000 old Leones in John Obey with conveyance,” he said
Dr. Turad Senesi also said that they have acquired state land for the construction of National Land Commission in Bo, Port LoKo and Makeni. He noted that they had moved from manual house plans to digital house plan.
He climaxed the presentation with the achievement of the ministry in 2023 in which he said that they have had an agreement with TAF Global for the Construction of 5, 000 affordable housing units in Sierra Leone and that they are going to turn the sod in October 2023. He ended by saying that the project would create jobs; provide affordable housing for the low and middle income level citizens.