By: Thaimu Bai Sesay
At the weekly Government press briefing, the Minister of Transport and Aviation Colonel (Rtd.) Fanday Turay has on Tuesday 24th October 2023 expressed that the Ethiopia Airlines would start flying to Sierra Leone in March 2024, marking another great achievement in the transport, especially at the aviation sector.
Speaking at the press conference, the Transport and Aviation Minister started off by highlighting the different branches of the ministry which included Maritime, Sierra Leone Road Safety Authority, Sierra Leone Public Transport Authority and expressed that as his first assignment he had put in place strategic plans that covered all the three aspects, sea land and air.
“My plan was to first build the policy aspect in order to get the Martine Agency in standard operatives, transforming it from where it was and as well the SLRSA to be more active compared to its previous state,” he added.
Assuring a significant transformation in the transportation industry, the Minister of Transport and Aviation disclosed that 50 new and customized cashless buses set to arrive in the country in about three weeks’ time, aiding the easy movement of the people and address the issue of queuing in lines for longer hours. He added that the buses had been customized with provisions for people with disabilities. The Minister also made mention of their move to control the traffic system so as to facilitate people’s movement in a speedy process. He assured of constructing new roads that would only be used by those buses and as well as emergency vehicles.
The Minister went on clarifying that they were on talks with Suma Group of Companies and assured to inform the public when they reach conclusion. On the Two Ferries he recalled that the government made agreements on having those Ferries to come and aid people’s movement but assured of further arrangement with the company on getting them to resolve the surrounding issues in few days.
The young newly approved Director General for the Sierra Leone Civil Aviation Authority Musayeroh Barrie intimated her strong administrative background at the sector, having worked for over 10 years at the airport. The young Aviation DG highlighted some of the major achievements that had taken place at the airport and said that had moved the country’s airport to where it is today. She clarified on the bugging issue of flight tickets inflation and as she revealed that there were transit taxes applied from the departure of transit to the arrival of transit.
As the Ethiopia airlines set to start flying to Sierra Leone she assured the public that they would continue working on attracting more airlines to partner with Sierra Leone as she said that would be one of the means to tackle the issue of tickets inflation but clarified that it would not be a quick fix.
The National Driver’s Union President, Alpha Amadu Bah hailing from the South as a military to a driver who had been buying transportation vehicles, expressed his immense contributions to the union. He expressed that their roles as a union was to protect the transport sector, adding that they do negotiate with the government on behalf of the drivers’ Union. As a listening government, he said the government does inform the union whenever issues of fuel inflation come in and in determining the transport fare.
Expressing his excitement for the public buses Drivers Union President said the issue of drivers engaging in frequent strikes, disturbing the normal movement of people would come to a past as the government was making strides to get its state own public buses.
The Drivers Union President He said they do intervene with minor cases that involve with drivers and ensure to solve them
Driver’s Union President clarified on the use of the monies they do collect from drivers which he said had been very helpful in the union. He said very shortly they cried to the legal aid board to help in getting drivers with minor cases from prison. He affirmed that 49 were released and said all the monies they used was from the little taxes they do collect from those drivers
