The Parliamentary Oversight Committee (POC) on NaCSA has completed an assessment of projects implemented in the Eastern region.
The nine-man team, led by its Chairman Legacy Sankoh of the Peoples’ Movement for Democratic Change (PMDC), also comprises three members of the All Peoples’ Congress (APC) and four of the Sierra Leone Peoples’ Party (SLPP).
Addressing NaCSA stakeholders at Koidu city in the Kono District, POC Chairman Sankoh disclosed that the purpose of the visits to Project sites was to monitor the activities of NaCSA throughout the country, with a view to assessing its successes and challenges, as well as identifying gaps in its operations.
“As Parliament considers the extension of NaCSA’s lifespan” he said, “it is necessary to assess its performance and continued relevance in the country’s development process”
Mr. Legacy Sankoh revealed that the Report to Parliament after the POC visit will include specific recommendations on all aspects of NaCSA’s activities including the performance of contractors.
A similar address was delivered at stakeholders meetings in Kailahun town and Kenema City.
Responding, Vice chairman of the Kono District Council Sahr Kaminty, who chaired the meeting, expressed gratitude to Parliament, especially the Oversight Committee on NaCSA, for taking the initiative to meet the people, Contractors and Beneficiary communities to get first hand information on the operations of NaCSA, to ensure that donor funds are utilized in the best interests of the Country.
The POC made extensive visits to shelter, roads and other socio-economic infrastructural projects, focusing on the quality, cost and pace of implementation.
In Kailahun, POC Chairman Legacy Sankoh, in response to persistent advocacy, briefed stakeholders, amidst loud applause, on the status of the proposed road projects from Kenema to Kailahun and Kailahun to Koidu.
The team later inspected completed and on-going projects in six chiefdoms.
The stakeholders, who had earlier advocated for improvement of the road condition to fully exploit the district’s food production potentials, commended the POC for its positive moves and endorsed the extension of NaCSA’s mandate.
In Kenema, the POC held discussions with the Deputy Regional Director of UNCHR’s Africa Bureau and participated in the commissioning of quarters for health personnel at the Tobanda Refugee Camp in the small Bo Chiefdom, which is being transformed into an integrated community of former Liberian Refugees and Host Communities.
Earlier on arrival in Kenema, parliamentarians paid a courtesy call on the Resident Minister, East, William Juana Smith and later inspected several community projects in several chiefdoms in the District.
Contractors who attended the three stakeholders’ meetings raised concern over the delays in disbursement of funds, as well as poor participation by some communities in providing community contribution in–kind for some projects, which adversely affect project implementation.
They lauded the field visits by the POC, noting that they provide valuable information and push to further strengthen and expand the work of NaCSA.
The eight-member POC team is now in the Southern region and will continue the monitoring visits to the Northern region and the Western area.
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