Dear Sir
This is a concerned Sierra Leonean writing you this succinct but apt letter in relation to the recent mining agreements clash between the Government and China’s Kingho Railway and Port Company.
As a patriotic and peace loving citizen, I have been following with keen interest the mining and lease agreement between the government and the new mining company called ARISE Integrated Industrial Platform.
According to my understanding, the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Mohamed Lamin Tarawally on January 10th, 2023 wrote a letter to the CEO of Kingho Railway and Port Company Limited informing him of the Government decision to terminate the six years leasing agreement between the Government and Kingho Railway and Port Company Limited.
The action of this government to put to an abrupt end a mining and lease agreements signed on 8th January, 2021 for a length of six years with an exclusive two years right have been criticized by many Sierra Leoneans as a shady and bad mining agreement by the Minister of Mines and Mineral Resources, Timothy Kabba whom have been viewed as a black sheep among the herd trying to dupe investors by breaching legal mining agreements.
It was a bolt from the blue to hear that Cabinet acting upon legal advice from the Attorney General signed and approved the Pepel Port and Pepel-Tonkolili Railway development to ARISE IIP on 17th January, 2023.
The Government as I am writing you right now is in a confuse state over what decision to take and is now sitting on the fence and watch the mining drama unfolds itself in two folds.
Mr. Editor let me draw your attention that the dubious mining agreement signed by Minister Timothy Kabba has landed the Government into a court case because I have been told that Kingho have dragged the Government to the Industrial court as notice has already been served on the Minister of Justice.
It is my humble opinion to say that Kingho Railway and Port Company Limited is not been treated fair by this current system taking into consideration the long and fruitful bilateral relationship that have existed between the People’s Republic of China and Sierra Leone. In just one term of President Bio’s rule, the Government has been dragged twice to the Industrial Court for terminating mining contracts.
I was so informed that Kingho are demanding a huge investment loss of over US$200 (Two hundred million United States Dollars) as full compensation from the Government to just abruptly terminate the leasing agreement without any justifiable reason.
Let me also make it known to you that ARISE IIP is a major development player in Africa as they are operating in other African countries such as Nigeria, Benin, Gabon to name but a few. I have even been informed that ARISE IIP is planning to build a special economic zone in my country of birth which is welcoming news for all and sundry. I know that the government cannot stand to let go such lucrative mining deal that will lead to the creation of hundreds of thousands of jobs for the youthful population. This will help to improve the country’s GDP by increasing exportation and lead to drastic reduction of imported goods as this will revive a dead economy.
I have been thinking pensively that the burden of proof now rest with the Members of Parliament to tell international investors that Sierra Leone is not a country where bad and shady deals are branded to be in the “public interest.” It is no longer a secret that Kingho have heightened the matter with backup from Marampa Mines to the highest hierarchy of the Chinese Government and China has been a source of livelihood for the Sierra Leone Government.
I am urging the Members of Parliament of the Mines Committee to closely scrutinize the agreement proposals of ARISE IIP page by page before ratifying the agreement.
Therefore the onus is on Parliamentarians to prove themselves beyond all reasonable doubts that they too have not taken sides from the praise singers of ARISE IIP.
ARISE IIP arriving to boost the country’s economy is not a bad move, but the right processes and regulations must be strictly followed because Sierra Leone is for all and not for one.
From
Abu Bakarr Samba
Published Unedited