Islamic Development Bank Assesses Progress of Palm Oil Production Project in Sierra Leone
Aaron Parker The mission led by Omar Davis, the Country Operations Manager of the Islamic Development Bank (Gambia-Guinea Bissau- Sierra Leone), is currently in Sierra Leone to evaluate the thirteen-year Palm Oil Production Project under the second phase of capacity building initiatives.
During a meeting at the Ministry of Finance, the Country Operations Manager stated that the mission’s objective in Sierra Leone is to assess the progress of project implementation and plan the way forward, taking into account the challenges posed by the ongoing global pandemic, global supply chain disruptions, and fiscal constraints.
He also announced that the Bank has approved a grant of $2.4 million for women and youth entrepreneurship programs, demonstrating the Bank’s commitment to supporting the country’s development efforts.
Alusine Kallon, the Project Coordinator of the Palm Oil Production Project, provided an overview of the project’s current status. He mentioned that the project consists of two components and that the solar component has been successfully completed.
Kallon updated the mission on the government’s progress in providing more than 50% of its counterpart funding. However, he highlighted that procurement issues and bureaucratic challenges at the Port have significantly hindered the project’s advancement.
Mathew Dingie, the Principal Deputy Financial Secretary, expressed gratitude to the Bank for its support and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to completing the project.
The team, accompanied by the Director of Fiscal Risk at the Ministry, will conduct inspections at the Matru Jong facility and visit the seaport to assess the project’s consignment.