By- Aruna Rashed Toma Bangura
Sierra Leone’s leading telecommunication company, Orange SL as part of their corporate and social responsibility has on Thursday 4th May, 2023 observed its Environmental Health and Safety week at their Headquarters on Regent road, Hill Station, Freetown.
Giving the keynote address, the Minister of Environment, Prof. Foday Jaward stated that the Environmental Health and Safety week refers to laws and rules to ensure that employee, general public and the country are safe. “EHS day is important because we need to protect us,” he averred. He congratulated President Julius Maada Bio for establishing the Ministry of Environment which he said has made tremendous achievement over the years, adding that they are working together to review all the laws because the penalties were not commensurate to the crime committed.
Prof. Foday Jaward said that they have established an Environmental Law Court where environmental crimes are tried speedily, adding that the MOE has signed over 27 environmental agreements and Sierra Leone now highly recognized. And by the end of the year of this year, they are going to plant 5million trees and have already planted 2.5 million trees. He said their target is to remove green-house gases in environments and admonished that environmental issues have to be holistic and inclusive.
The CEO Orange SL Sekou Amadou Bah remarked that our environment is facing crisis and is up with us to protect the planet, adding that we protect ourselves and forget the planet. He said that reducing waste, conserving resources and renewable energy is reducing the impact of our daily activities. “Nature will be better without humans, we need nature and nature does not need us,” he said. According to him, the whole world will be green if humans do not exist and added that nature gives us what we give it. “Humans are predators,” he said again while stating that small changes can a big impact and therefore we should all work together to make the planet a safe and better place to for humans to live.
The Environmental Health and Safety Chairperson for Orange SL, Madam Agnes Songa stated that as they celebrate EHS week, Orange SL values the health and safety of the company, adding that they have put in place measures to have a safe and healthy work place. She admitted that they want a safety workplace going forward for them and the future generation.