By:Thaimu Bai Sesay
The Horse Fishing Company SL(Ltd) together with local workers, on Saturday 4th November 2023 at its location in Jui made a solemn appeal to the Government of Sierra Leone specifically to the Ministry of Lands and Ministry of Fisheries to implement the lease agreement with government and to further issue to the company a work permit that would ensure a green light to resume work.
The new Managing Director of the Horse Fishing Company Hossam Magdy Elkhwaga in an exclusive interview with this medium expressed his good intensions and passion for working in Sierra Leone as he assured of revamping the Horse Fishing Company, making it the most outstanding fishing company in the country.
With his advanced professional and practical experience in fish management, the new MD Hossam Elkhwaga expressed his commitment to hugely contributing to the Government’s agenda of creating 500,000 jobs for Sierra Leoneans as he revealed that a good number of vessels were on their way coming to Sierra Leone and a five story building project was already underway.
After serving for two years with effective management, the Horse Fishing Company Managing Director Hossam Elkhwaga however disclosed some contending issues with the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Country Planning over a lease agreement the said Ministry could not implement. Hossam further disclosed other frustrating issue with the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources in which he said the Ministry kept condemning their vessels leaving other vessels with almost the same features.
As those issues had impeded the operations and expansion of the company and his unweaving determination to contribute to the Government’s employment scheme, the new Managing Director of the Egyptian Horse Fishing Company appealed to the aforementioned Ministries and by extension to the Government of Sierra Leone to grant them a chance to implement the lease agreement and to give them a green light to resume their operations as he assured to restructure the entire company including the buildings.
Sundu Konomni, the local Human Resource Manager at the Horse Fishing Company vividly explained to this medium the challenging issues contending the Horse Fishing Company that had led to a temporal shutdown of operations. He explained that the Company had a lease agreement with the Government of Sierra Leone for a plot of 8.432 acres of land for a period of 99 years.
“In 2021, the Ministry forcefully took two acres of land and gave it to Sabco Fishing Company saying the Horse Fishing Company could not develop the land. The Ministry at the same time delayed to give the Horse Fishing Company their remaining plots of land due to another hidden intention of the Ministry to further reducing the Company’s already lease land. And now the Ministry said the Company only has a limited plot of 3.7194 out of 8.432,” HR Manager revealed.
The Sierra Leonean Human Resources Manager of the Horse Fishing Company Sundu furthered that the refusal of giving the Company’s remaining plot of land according to the lease agreement led them to court, unto the Supreme Court. As people respecting the laws of the land he said, the Company could no longer contend with the supreme court as it is the highest court in the country but now he is requesting the Ministry for fairness, justice and conducive environment to enable the Company to thrive.
Konomani expressed that despite the outlook of the Company’s structures he said they still remained the most outstanding fishing company in the country, adding that they had cold rooms, drying rooms and all other facilities.
He assured that the Company was fully ready with all the resources to adhere to the Ministry’s instructions of developing the land as he reinforced on the five story building and others which projects were underway.
Gbassay Mansray, a local domestic worker at the Horse Fishing Company explained that she had been working at the Company for the longest time without issues, as she expressed that the Horse Fishing Company respected women and all their workers.
She revealed that the Company was a kind of parent company that had stood the test of time in Sierra Leone amidst all the pandemics.
Madam Mansaray admitted that the Company had been so helpful to not only its workers but also other less privileged Sierra Leoneans in the community.
“We are begging the government to allow vessels to come to the Horse Fishing Company so that we can resume work and take care of our families. If the Company had done any wrong please pardon it,” Gbassay Mansaray a woman in her early 50s appealed.
Other Sierra Leonean workers at the Horse Fishing Company who had been receiving the brunt of the shutdown of operations also made their appeals to the said Ministries and the Government as a whole to give them green light and allow operations to resume.
