It has been revealed that one of Sierra Leone’s development partners, the World Bank has expressed gross dissatisfaction over the construction of a-300 bedroom hostel or boarding home in Kaniya village in Kaillahun District worth approximately Le 4.4 Billion.

Meanwhile, giving the resounding disapproval of the quality of work done on the said hostel, the Public Relation Officer (PRO) of the Anti- Corruption Commission (ACC) has confirmed a-90% completion of the works with only 10% still in progress, but unfortunately, the sponsor of the project, the World Bank maintains that work done on the project structures are substandard, not safe and unfit for purpose.

Commentators are of the view that the project was undertaken in the Kailahun District to score political gains in an area that hasn’t the population to fill the proposed school spaces, noting that it would have been of immense benefit had been constructed in densely populated communities in the country so that it could have a long-lasting usage and benefit to posterity.

The said project is implemented under the President Bio’s first term flagship programme the Free Quality Education (FQE).

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A confirmed anonymous source has disclosed to this press that the World Bank has instantly withdrawn itself from the project for reasons of poor quality, safety and unfitness for purpose.

The source further revealed that the hostel project was awarded to Unique Solutions Company Ltd in March 2022 and funded by the World Bank with a contract value of Le 4,473,718,230 (Four Billion, four Hundred and Seventy-Three Million, Seven Hundred and Eighteen Thousand, Two Hundred and Thirty Leones). It is alleged that the project has been abandoned by the Project Coordinator, Ambrose T. Sesay and the Programme Manager, Mohamed Kallon for almost two years now.

It was based on these allegations that the ACC sprang into action to investigate and to come out with their findings confirming the approximate 90% completion of the works.

Meanwhile, due to the poor standard of the works done on the project structures which ultimately has rendered the project works as sub- standard, unsafe and unfit for purpose, a suggestion is now being proffered for an alternative use that is far away from what it was originally intended for.

The project aim was to provide much-needed accommodation for the intended pupils.

The project was a joint partnership with Irish Aid, the Department for Foreign International Development, the World Bank and the Commonwealth Foreign Development Office, focused on enhancing educational infrastructure and improving access to quality education for pupils in Sierra Leone. It is not gainsaying that girls in Sierra Leone are still facing high dropout rates after completing primary schools.

Pending works that appear to constitute the 10% estimated unfinished works by the ACC include, the construction of a perimeter wall and the fixing of gates, installation of a solar-power electricity system, construction of an out-door kitchen and a dining hall, construction of a playground, a canopy and concrete benches.

The project was also aimed at mitigating the high rate of Gender- Based Violence against girls in the Kailahun Pujehun Districts, which has largely resulted in a concomitant high rate of drop outs of girls in the two districts.

Reports have also indicated that development partners had earlier expressed reticence in supporting a project that could house only girls under such circumstances, but that the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE) had given assurances of working to make the project as a model in the mitigation of Gender-Based Violence against girls.

The design of the project includes four dormitories, WASH facilities including eighteen (18) toilet cubicles and sixteen (16) shower points, an infirmary, a reading area, a reception, and a newly constructed well with a submersible pump.