Sierra Leone’s Ministry of Planning and Economic Development (MoPED) together with the ECOWAS is planning to construct a sanitary pad factory in Kono.

This development surfaced during the Ministry’s engagement with ECOWAS Sierra Leone Commissioner, Professor Fatou Sow Sahr.

Both parties held fruitful discussions on the actualisation of the factory in Eastern Sierra Leone. ECOWAS’s Principal Programme Officer for Gender, Salimata Thim emphasised the importance of the factory and urged that they should employ innovative and proactive approaches for them to execute the project.

“Sierra Leone, Côte d’Ivoire and Senegal will jointly oversee the project,” Thim said. She added that the project is an affirmation of their commitment to implementing policies that enhance women’s empowerment across the region.

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Meanwhile, the Minister of MoPED, Kenyeh Barlay expressed gratitude to ECOWAS for their work in Sierra Leone.
“I pledge my ministry’s full support in collaborating with ECOWAS to implement this project, aligning it with Sierra Leone’s Medium-term National Development Plan (2024-2030) and the ECOWAS Big Five Game Changers,” the minister said.

Barlay added that the project will also create job opportunities for youths in the country, contributing to broader youth empowerment goals. She reaffirmed MoPED’s commitment to leading the coordination process, working closely with the Ministry of Gender and other key stakeholders.

The project is also believed to be aligning with ECOWAS’s women’s economic empowerment goals, marking their 50th anniversary.