Located some few miles from the Chiefdom headquarters business town of Fadugu, Kakoya Village has good reason to celebrate its ownership of a modernized grain store and accessories. This is so, as it is an agricultural predominant community, concentrating efforts mainly on rice production.
The people of Kakoya Village had for far too long being yearning for help in transforming their agricultural practices and subsequently the processes involved in adding value to their produce. One key move by NaCSA was the construction of a multipurpose grain store, a prototype of the agricultural business centre but with much more advanced and better accessories serving as full value-chain package – water well, toilets, drying floor, a modernized structure with a spacious store/shop housing an average two tone per hour rice mill as well as solar power for phone charging services as alternative income generating avenue for the centre.
The construction and equipping of the Kakoya grain store in 2016 was one of the several developmental projects undertaken in Koinadugu district by NaCSA through its GPC II Project with funding from the German Government. According to Chief Sorie Kamara, the construction of this modernized structure has not only raised the status of the village but significantly contributed to the socio-economic advancement of the people, especially the youths, whom were gainfully involved/employed during and after the construction process.
“We are not only grateful to NaCSA and the donors, but also to the contractor for providing jobs for our youths during the construction of the centre. Although, he brought his skilled workers, but all the unskilled works/labour was delegated to the community youths, which undoubtedly minimized unemployment among our youths. The money was not big but helped them greatly,” Chief Sorie Kamara of Kakoya explained.
One of the fortunate youths to be hired by the contractor during the construction process was Hassan Mansaray. He was hired for two weeks as a block layer. He earned Le20,000 a day.
The maintenance and sustainability of the facility is the responsibility of the community. NaCSA has instituted a Facility Management Committee (FMC), charged with the responsibility to oversee the operations of the centre. Thomas Demah, a community teacher is a member of the FMC. He explains how the centre generates income to maintain itself.
“We charge a service fee of Le 3,000 for every ten Troupence pans or its equivalent in rice. This money plus what we collect from the solar power phone charging service are saved and could be called upon when the need arises, especially for the purpose of maintenance of the centre and the equipment, more specifically the mill,” Demah reiterated.
However, not all the services are paid for. The water well services the entire village on a free of cost basis. According to Demah, although the service is free for all households have been asked to contribute towards the cleaning and maintenance of the well.
The Kakoya Grain Store is one out of the 28 projects undertaken by NaCSA through the GPC II Project in Koinadugu district for the 2017 project implementation phase. The Pro-Poor Growth For Peace Consolidation (GPC II) is a programme that came about as the result of the signing of a Financial Agreement between the government of the Federal republic of Germany and the Government of Sierra Leone, through the German Development Bank executed by NaCSA in the three K-district of Kailahun, Kono and Kono, with the aim of consolidating peace through rural employment promotion and income generation for youths.
AT/14/11/17
Wednesday November 15, 2017.