The Sierra Leone United Boat Owners Association (SLUBOA) at Kissy Dockyard, in the east of Freetown on Friday, May 6, 2022 appealed to the government to provide them with boats to efficiently improve their sand mining operations and lessen their constraints.
They said that the boats would be meant for sand mining for the country.
According to Alhajie Gibril Fofanah aka Alhajie Multi, the secretary general of the association, the number of sand miners had exceeded the total number of the boats available at the mining site. “Only 15 boats are available for over 500 workers, and that has affected our operations. We are not mining enough sand and this is affecting the payment of our staff and the labourers,” he said.
He explained that sand mining is creating employment for many. “Through sand mining, we were able to rebuild Kissy community after the whole community was burnt during the war,” he said.
He said that since they started operation, they had employed over thousands of youths.
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Fofanah said they are also contributing to national development by paying dues to the Freetown City Council and licence fees for their boats to government.
According to Fofanah they supply quality sand to over 36 communities in Freetown.
“But with all these help we are rendering to the government and the nation, we have not received any support from the government,” he said.
“We United Boat Owners Association is appealing for more boats, Horse power machines and other sea equipment,” he said.
Abu Bakar Kamara alias Lego, the chairman of the workers at the mining site, said that even though increment in the fuel prices has been affecting their operations, they would have felt less agony if there were enough boats.
“We used to pay le 9,000 for a litre of fuel but has rapidly increased to le 15,000. To access sand, we usually use 22 litres of fuel per trip,” he said.
By Ibrahim S.Bangura