Philanthropist, Adonis Aboud who contributed 67% at the recently constructed Le 70 million Kamayama Bridge has said that “the youths are a positive moving force.”
According to the Philanthropist, the initiative was born, “when my four-wheel drive got stuck in a gutter somewhere in the Community; and later learnt that there are over 4,000 people living behind the ditch joining Malamah and Kamayama who are subjected to daily agony in order to reach their homes” he said.
Youths are often accused of being lazy and unwilling to work, but for Adonis this is not true; the successful construction of the bridge he said “is a clear testimony that the youths, if properly utilized can be a positive moving force in nation building.”
The main objective of this joint private sector youth initiative is to empower and motivate the youths to take active part in community development; thus participating to the nation’s development without recourse to government funding, disclosed the Philanthropist.
Director of Maintenance Sierra Leone Roads Authority, C.Y Johnson noted that, “the young men have done a good job as the quality is much better than those of Sierra Leone Roads Authority’s (SLRAs) registered Contractors.
Sensing the enthusiasm in the youths to develop their Community, Ecobank Managing Director, Karen Akiwumi-Tanoh pledged Le 500,000 and promised to open an Ecobank outlet in the locality which would also have Western Union facilities.
The Mayor of Freetown, Herbert George-Williams also pledge Le 500,000 to the youths of the Community.
Notwithstanding the tremendous job done by the private sector and the youths of that Community, the locality lacks basic amenities says Kamayama Chairman, Conteh.
The niggling fear of the Community is a high voltage cable which runs under the bridge.
There is fear that if this cable leaks, the stream which is often used by locals of that Community would automatically become a deathtrap.
By Ophaniel Gooding