Transport Ministry validates New Transport Sector Policy
7th April,2022 at the Bintumani Conference Hall, Aberdeen Freetown.
The Ministry of Transport and Aviation and its Agencies have concluded a one-day National Transport Sector Policy Validation Workshop geared towards addressing the current, future needs and constraints that will contribute to the socio-economic growth, economic competitiveness and human capital development of the country.
In his opening remarks, the Chairman who doubles as the Deputy Minister of Transport and Aviation, Rex Bhonafa thanked every participant for making it a point of duty to grace the occasion.
He said that the workshop was a record making occasion as the first ever National Transport Sector Policy that would act as a driving force towards achieving a resilient and sustainable transport sector in the country that would stand the test of time and age.
Declaring the purpose of the workshop, the Senior Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Transport and Aviation, Alhassan Kondeh thanked the leadership of the Ministry and the Technical Team for putting together a Transport Sector Policy that would not only provide strategic direction for the sector but would also help actualize the manifesto commitments of His Excellency President Brig. Rtd. Julius Maada Bio.
‘’As a sector, we should work towards actualizing the Ministry’s vision of ‘a resilient and sustainable transport sector ‘that contributes to socio-economic growth, economic competitiveness, and human capital development in the country” Permanent Secretary Kondeh maintained.
He noted that the policy has ambitious programmes that might require some form of reforms at sub-sectoral level, adding that the sector is challenged with poor quality of transportation combined with the general poor state of the road network among other factors such as urbanization, low enforcement of traffic regulations, and uncontrolled urban trading are impeding effects on the transportation of goods and passengers within the country.
He expressed the Ministry and its agencies commitment in changing the current situation in the country’s transport sector.
He called on all participants to make dispassionate contributions to making the policy a robust document with proffer solutions to further propel the sector to actualizing its desired vision.
The Minister of Transport and Aviation, Kabineh Kalloh, in his keynote address reiterated the manifesto promises of His Excellency Brig. Rtd. Julius Maada Bio on transport sector during election campaign, adding that the manifesto promises are in line with the Medium Term National Development Plan(MTNDP) of Cluster three of which the New Transport Policy validation was done in cognizance of the immense potential envisaged in fully implementing of the Medium Term National Development Plan (MTNDP).
‘’With this policy we foresee achievements of higher levels of modernization of the sector, employment creation, sustained economic growth and human capital development’’ Minister Kalloh noted.
He implored all participants from various agencies to critically look at the policy document with their agency in mind and consider if the policy would propel them towards achieving the Medium Term National Development Plan (MTNDP)of Cluster Three.
He expressed his elation in the process of developing the National Transport Sector Policy over what he described as a transparent, participatory and inclusive approach which involved all relevant stakeholders, drawn from the implementing agencies under his supervision.
He thanked the Ministry Technical Team for their hard work and dedication in putting together this all important National Transport Sector Policy document that would contribute towards socio-economic growth, economic competitiveness and human capital development of the country.
Power-point Presentation was done by the Ministry’s Transport Advisor and climaxed with the final adoption of the New Transport Sector Policy by all participants.