By: Ilyasa Baa
Traders of Congo Market in the West end of Freetown have expressed their satisfaction over the cash transfers and other benefits they have received from the National Commission for Social Action (NaCSA) through the goodwill of President Dr Julius Maada Bio who has emboldened the Commission to support citizens in need of assistance in the country.
Sankara Media Hub Limited in partnership with NaCSA engaged the market women selling at Congo Market on the theme: five years achievements of President Julius Maada Bio’s Governance. The ceremony was graced by Constituency stakeholders including aspirants for both Parliamentary and Local Council, Constituency executives as well as supporters of other political parties who witnessed the programme on Dugan Street.
Delivering her keynote address, the development-oriented Commissioner of NaCSA, Dr Sao kpato Hannah Isara Macarthy informed Congo Market women that the Commission has serviced 95 markets, built schools and upgrade feeder roads to boost agricultural productivity and make the lives of citizens much better than before when President Bio was not in governance.
She said the Commission has been supporting fully the Local Councils in terms of cleaning the cities. She assured them that projects on Youth enterprise, income generation for market women and support towards agriculture are going to be continued by the Commission.
“That is why President Bio should be given more time to bring more goodies to the doorstep of our women”, she said, adding that NaCSA is not in any way partisan but has a national face to ameliorate the sufferings of the women especially. She stated that NaCSA is here to stay for citizens noting that it is not possible for everybody to receive cash transfers from the Commission because the resources are not enough. “Even in the United States of America not everybody is cared for when it comes to social action or intervention”, she eloquently endorsed.
She said staff of the Commission will soon start registering beneficiaries to the cash transfer scheme pointing out that no one should be asked to pay for registration when the time comes since some unscrupulous people are in the habit of taking advantage of the situation to extort monies from the market women. She called on them to visit her office anytime noting that as the Commissioner she always maintains an open-door policy.
According to the Sankara Media Hub, the allocation of emergency transfer funds has nothing to do with partisan politics being that the beneficiaries cut across different political parties contesting at next month’s polls.
In his statement, the Secretary-General, of Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) West, Eng. John Ngegba said the Cash Transfer Scheme which is ongoing has been a blessing to many homes rather than a course. He said the Commission rises to the occasion to reduce poverty amongst Sierra Leoneans devoid of their political affiliations.
The Constituency (126) Chairman, Emmanuel Sheriff expressed his gratitude towards NaCSA saying that the Commission comes to the aid of citizens during crisis periods like during the Ebola and Covid 19 pandemic which devastated a lot of economies in the world.
Another guest speaker, Aunty Agal who happens to be an SLPP fanatic praised President Bio for the national posture of his government noting that his cabinet includes Northern as well. She said with the voting into office of Bio and Gento will lead to enormous development for market women in the entire Municipality.
SLPP Parliamentary Aspirant, Abdulai M. Bangura called on the women of Congo Market to translate their support for NaCSA into voting for the party to continue on governance so NaCSA will continue with its poverty reduction approach.
It could be recalled that a good number of businesses have received assistance from the Commission including the aged whose registration is ongoing.
