The Minister of Information and Civic Education Chernor Bah made an unannounced visit to the Sierra Leone Broadcasting Corporation’s (SLBC) transmitting facilities at Leicester Peak to assess and understand the ongoing activities at the site.
The Minister was accompanied by his Deputy Minister Yusuf Keketoma Sandi and other senior staff of the Ministry of Information and Civic Education.
The unannounced visit is intended to conduct an on-the-spot check on the facilities; the operations of the SLBC transmitting and communication relay station at Leicester Peak and to assess the nature and operations of other players hosted on-site.
While the site is owned by SLBC, portions of it are leased to other broadcasting stations and operators of communications systems like mobile telephone operators, internet service providers(ISPs), and the state-run Sierratel.
On arrival at the site, Minister Bah toured all the facilities of SLBC and other players operating on the site including those co-locating on SLBC facilities or with others. He engaged workers and engineers on the site to understand the modus operandi of the various facilities.
The Minister promised to look at the existing contracts to explore any possible review that will ensure the Government realizes meaningfully from the proceeds of the facilities.
Wrapping up the tour, the Minister informed workers on site that, he would further engage various stakeholders to improve their working environment, especially their exposure to radiation. “The safety and welfare of workers are paramount under my watch,” he stated.