The Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resource has on Tuesday 23rd March 2021 received a consignment of office Equipment worth millions of Leones, provided by World Bank with support from the Global Environmental Facility Project (GEFP).
Receiving the items which included, 10 Desk Top Computers, 10 Lap Top Computers, 1 printer, 6 UPS, 6 Antivirus, 8 Electrical Extensions, 4 Power Banks, 4 External Hard Drives, 1 Server, 25 Mobile Phones, 80 Tablets, 4 Work Stations and 2 Switches, the Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Emma Kowa Jalloh commended the West Africa Regional Fisheries Programme, WARFP, Coordinator, Dr. Sallieu Sankoh for his passion for service delivery which she said has been one of her desires. She also thanked World Bank for it relentless effort in providing support for her ministry and assured Sierra Leoneans that the equipment will be used for their intended purposes.
She described the Ministry’s Data Collection Unit as the “Hub” of the Fisheries Sector, noting that the procured equipment will enhance the ministry’s ability to analyze and collate data for ease of reference and effective management of fisheries resources.
The minister also underscored the importance of the Server, saying, it will complement the efforts of staff and students of the Fisheries and Marine Training Institute, FMTI. As part of the measures adopted to abide by covid19 protocols, one of which also calls for social distancing, she said, the ministry’s Data Collection and Processing Unit has been relocated to FMTI facilities at Kissy Dock Yard, East end of Freetown. With the availability of the server, she disclosed that the gesture will promote effective and efficient collection of reliable data for the benefit of not only the ministry, but also investors, as well as maintaining a formidable Fisheries Management Plan that would stand the test of time.
Making the presentation, the West Africa Regional Fisheries Programme, WARFP Coordinator, Dr. Sallieu Sankoh said the consignment serve as an additional support to those his project had procured for the ministry at the start of the project. He said “all would have come in one package, but due to covid19 some items were not available in the country, resulting in the ordering of the items from overseas”. The objective of the project, he said, is to strengthen the country’s capacity to manage its fisheries well, reduce illegal fishing and add value to locally produced fisheries products through the use of key outcomes in the first five years including improved governance indicators. He informed his audience that the items were procured specifically for the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources and The Institute of Marine Biology and Oceanography IMBO to enable them effectively and efficiently manage the ministry’s data collection system. “They have been working on this for the past three years and have made significant advances in data collection system and management”. He stated.
Giving his vote of thanks, a representative of IMBO, Prof. Showers, thanked World Bank for its continued support and management staff of the ministry for their relentless effort in making the gesture possible.
The event which took place at the ministry’s Conference Hall Youyi Building, Brookfields in Freetown, was chaired by the Permanent Secretary Elizabeth H. Ellie, who stated in her opening remarks that the equipment would go a long way in bolstering the artisanal and the industrial units of the ministry for effective service delivery.