The United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) has donated equipment to the Environment Protection Agency Sierra Leone (EPA-SL) for the establishment of four new Centres of Excellence across the country. The donation will also strengthen the existing centre on the campus of the Polytechnic Kissy in Freetown.

This collaboration between UNIDO and EPA-SL builds on the success of the first centre established in 2019 with funding from the Montreal Protocol. The new centres will be equipped with recovery machines, cylinders, leak detectors, and other tools to assist refrigeration engineers and technicians in complying with the Montreal Protocol’s regulations on ozone-depleting substances.

According to UNIDO’s Country Representative, Madam Mariatu Abionor Swaray, the donation will not only benefit technicians but also provide valuable lessons for addressing other environmental challenges. UNIDO is the implementing agency for the hydrochlorofluorocarbons phase-out management plan (HPMP) project in Sierra Leone, while the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) handles the non-investment component.

The Director of Research Policy and Innovation at EPA-SL, Sheikh Ahmed Tunis, expressed gratitude for UNIDO’s ongoing support in transitioning to environmentally sustainable practices. He assured that the equipment will be used for its intended purpose and benefit the technicians it was donated for.

The Registrar of the Freetown Polytechnic, Kissy Campus, Mr Sowa, also received a portion of the donation. He echoed similar sentiments of appreciation and pledged to utilize the equipment for the benefit of students and the country’s human resource development.

This donation is seen as a significant boost for Sierra Leone’s efforts to build a more sustainable future and improve the skills of its workforce.