By: Audrey Raymonda John
The Sierra Leone Water Company (SALWACO) has successfully concluded a nationwide stakeholder engagement campaign on the Saudi Program for the Drilling of Wells and Rural Development in Africa, Phase V – Sierra Leone. The weeklong engagement, which began in Port Loko on Monday, June 2, 2025, and concluded in Kenema and Kailahun on Saturday, June 7, 2025, aimed to inform and mobilize stakeholders, secure land for borehole installations, and ensure strategic and community-driven implementation of the project.
The project, aligned with the Government of Sierra Leone’s “Big 5” Agenda, Medium-Term National Development Plan, and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), seeks to provide safe and sustainable water services in rural communities. Funded through a grant from the Saudi Fund for Development (SFD), the initiative will benefit 100 communities across 78 chiefdoms, reaching approximately 250,000 people.
Each beneficiary community will receive a solar-powered borehole system equipped with: A 10,000-litre storage tank, solar pumping infrastructure, a distribution network extending up to one kilometer and public standpipes and taps.
SALWACO will oversee the entire project, providing technical supervision, monitoring, and support. Community responsibilities include providing land, nominating local focal persons, safeguarding infrastructure, managing facilities post-completion, and promptly reporting issues. District Councils will support local mobilization, assist with approvals, and ensure inclusivity. The international contractor EMT will carry out drilling, construction, installation, and operator training. Civil society organizations (CSOs), community-based organizations (CBOs), and the media are expected to assist with sensitization and dissemination of accurate project information.
Engagements began in Port Loko, where the District Council Chairman stressed the need for precision and effective delivery. He pledged the council’s full support for the project’s success. SALWACO’s team, led by Senior Communications Officer Sheku Putka Kamara and Senior Project Engineer Ing. John Hallowel, was joined by Ing. Hamid Alpha Kamara (Acting Regional Manager), and Monitoring and Evaluation Manager, Mohamed Sankoh.
In Kambia, stakeholders, including District Council officials and SALWACO’s Station Manager Ing. Claude and Finance Officer Alim Bangura, echoed similar calls for inclusive planning, robust implementation, and sustainability. Emphasis was placed on community ownership, proper site selection, and long-term maintenance.
The South-East leg of the sensitization tour began in Bo District, where Deputy Managing Director and Acting Managing Director of SALWACO, *Dr. Albert Harrison Harvey, emphasized the project’s alignment with national and international development goals. Bo District is set to receive 11 boreholes, one per town.
Dr. Harvey urged stakeholders to secure uncontaminated land and form effective local teams. Paramount Chief Mohamed Tshomee Kargbo II and Bo District Council Chairman Mr. Victor Koseh Hindowa both welcomed the initiative and assured their support.
Regional Manager Edmond M.A. Kabu and Station Manager Ing. Alex P. Musa provided technical insights into the project. Director of Commercial Services, Mohamed Aziz Waggay, noted that an MoU will be signed with landowners to avoid future disputes and ensure equal community access to water