By Africa 24 team
Sierra Leone is in deep crisis in terms of job opportunities among its youthful population, and adults, under the Bio-led government.
Being aware of these harsh realities in the country, Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) headed up by president Julius Maada Bio is exploring ways to open up door of overseas job opportunities for Sierra Leoneans.
The newly appointed minister of employment, labour and social security, Mohamed Rahman Swarray, is in Qatar for talks on the appalling situation in his country.
The minister has held diplomatic discussions with his counterpart, Dr. Ali Bin Smaikh Al Marri, Qatari minister of labour.
Sierra Leone and Qatar have maintained mutual and bilateral relations over the years.
It is also hoped that the visit of Sierra Leone’s employment minister to the Arab Gulf nation will further strengthen the already professional diplomatic relationship between the two nations.
Giving the severity of Sierra Leone’s unemployment status, government Chief Minister, Dr. David Sengeh, replied to citizens’ comments through his twitter page, saying:
“If I could give everyone a job, I will. For now, please note there are 1999 others who have also asked “same-answer & apply.”
Qatar has played homage to a number of Sierra Leoneans who move to the Arab nation to seek greener pastures.
A good number of these Sierra Leonean migrants in Qatar are women and young girls above 18-years.
They are employed by Qatari citizens through, sometimes, the various employing agencies operating in Arabian countries.
These foreign nations in Doha who leave Sierra Leone to work as surrogate mothers and care-givers of Qatari’s children, and as aides in hospitals as retail sellers in supermarkets, and as cooks, house cleaners, have been playing their part to helping their families and relatives at home.
Through several of the money transfer bureaus around the world like Western Union, Afro International, Sierra Leonean migrants working in Arab countries including Qatar, are contributing to the growth of Sierra Leone’s creeping economy.
About three years ago, and government of Sierra Leone has formalized most of the “recruiting overseas” agencies by registering them with Sierra Leone’s ministry of employment, labour and social security.
Unlike in the past, an official at Sierra Leone employment, labour and social security, was in an interview explained the need to get track of those overseas employing agencies that are illegally recruiting Sierra Leoneans to work in Arab gulf nations such as: Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates better known as Dubai, Saudi Arabia.
In 2021, Aminata Phidelia Allieu, who is Information Officer at Ministry of Employment, Labour and Social Security in Sierra Leone, told our journalist in an exclusive interview at New England Ville, Freetown.
“We want to discourage all forms of illegal recruitment of Sierra Leoneans by some local and foreign travelling agencies to these Arab countries.”