Vice President Dr. Mohammed Juldeh Jalloh has on Monday 22nd March, 2021, at a well attended ceremony, handed over 10 water kiosks, funded by the Millennium Challenge Corporation Threshold Program, to the Guma Valley Water Company in Kingtom.
Vice President Jalloh expressed satisfaction for the project deliverables and the opportunities they provide for beneficiary communities of Aberdeen and Kingtom.
“I want to use the opportunity to thank the United States Government and the Millennium Challenge Corporation,” he stated.
“Through he Threshold Program we have been able to demonstrate practically that we can deliver safe drinking, and affordable water to our people, and more importantly, showcase what you can do when you strengthen the institutions of essential service delivery outlets.”
“I believe as we transition from the Threshold Program to the Compact, we are building a solid foundation to address the water crisis in Freetown; that will no doubt unleash not only it’s economic potential but will bring solace to millions of inhabitants of the Freetown municipality”, the Vice President asserted.
Making her statement, the Deputy Minister of Water Resources, Nimatulai Bah Chang said the provision of safe and affordable water supply and sanitation services for every community in the country is a key pillar in the Medium-Term National Development Plan of the Government.
The Deputy Minister advised the beneficiaries of the project to take very good care of the facilities and ensure that they are protected at all times.
The U.S. government, through the Millennium Challenge Corporation
Threshold Program, invested $44.4 million dollars to strengthen the energy and water sectors in the greater Freetown area. “These critical investments drive progress across many development areas,” stated U.S. Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission Elaine French.
“Reliable water and electricity are essential not just for economic growth, but also the provision of education and healthcare.
They fuel a robust, healthy, and productive society.”
“Water is life, and is so fundamental to the success of businesses, to livelihoods, to the wellbeing of children, to health and sanitation,” noted Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr, the Mayor of Freetown.
Madam This project “has been described as a pilot, as demonstration. And that is precisely what it has done for us at Freetown City Council. It has demonstrated
what is possible…. We are inspired at City Council. We want to see many more of these and we are ready to work with stakeholders to ensure that we roll more of them out.”
Following the handover ceremony, Vice President Jalloh, Mayor Aki-Sawyerr, DCM French and other dignitaries toured the kiosk
facility which will be managed by the Guma Valley Water Company through a public-private partnership operator.
In addition to the 10 community water collection kiosks, 1,103 households and 143 businesses were supplied with direct water hookups through the program.
The MCC Sierra Leone Threshold Program, which is due to end on March 31, made significant improvements in both the water and on energy sectors during its five- year lifecycle.
In December 2020, Sierra Leone was selected to develop a full MCC compact program—a multi-million dollar grant agreement which represents the next stage of collaboration with the United States’ Millennium Challenge Corporation.