By Ragan M. Conteh

The Parliament of Sierra Leone in collaboration with United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) on Tuesday 01 April, 2025 officially commissioned the physically challenged ramp following its renovation. They also recently reconstructed the walkway bridge to connect the Administrative Building to the old Building and other parts of Parliament.

Before the reconstruction work, Members of Parliament and visitors raised serious concern over the failure of Parliament to swiftly give attention to the bridge.

It could be recalled that UNOPS was contracted to rehabilitate the entire House of Parliament.

Extending appreciation to UNOPS on behalf of the Parliament of Sierra Leone, the Deputy Clerk of Parliament, Mr. Gilbert Bosco N’habay described the walkway bridge for parliamentary staffers and visitors especially people that are physically challenged as deathtrap which has now been renovated, expressing delight that the work was completed on schedule. Mr. N’habay expressed gratitude to UNOPS for their invaluable support towards nation building. “On behalf of the leadership of Parliament, we want to extend our appreciation to the management of UNOPS for the speedy renovation of the pedestrian bridge,” he said.

During one of the sittings, the former Speaker of Parliament Dr. Abass Bundu stated that some work have been going in Parliament since 2021 with European Grant of 27M Euros for which the sum of 3M Euros were allocated to Parliament for renovation.

He explained that the money was given to the United Nations Office For Project Services (UNOPS) for the renovation of Parliament of Sierra Leone for which the former sub- contracted contractors who did very poor work by using substandard materials.

Dr. Bundu pointed out that an assurance committee was set up to look at the renovation work that was undertaken in Parliament.

In July 2022, the committee through the Clerk of Parliament completed its work on the renovation of parliament and they came out with their findings.

The Speaker thanked the Assurance Committee and said that action should be taken against UNOPS and their sub- contractors, noting that what they did is tantamount to contempt of Parliament.

“I also want to sound a warning to UNOPS that this Parliament will not allow them to take refuge behind the shield of diplomatic immunity.

Once they have descended from their exalted position as a diplomatic agent and come to the market place as a contractors, by that act alone, they cannot juristically be allowed to claim immunity from the laws of the market place that relate to contractors in this country,’ the Speaker added.