The Civil Society Consortium on Accountability and Service Delivery has called on the Government of Sierra Leone to lift the temporal ban on timber transportation and give consideration to Domestic Board Sellers Association.
The National Coordinator of the Civil Society Consortium, William Sao-Lamin told a news conference in Freetown on Monday that if the ban continues to be enforced 800,000 people, including dealers in timber planks could lose livelihoods and the cost of boards locally would climb sharply.
It could be recalled that on May 21, 2020 the Ministry of Works and Public Asset issued a press release informing Law Enforcing Institutions of a Periodic Annual Temporary Ban on Timber Transportation from 1st June to 30th September 2020, including the Institutions, Associations and individuals involve in Timber logging, trade and export in the country to prevent undue damage and degradation of Feeder Roads and Culverts, which normally is the case at that particular period in the year which can significantly impede the free movement of goods and services across the country.
“The Civil Society Consortium calls on government through the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Ministry of Environment, Environment Protection Agency, Local Councils, Ministry of Works and Public Assets, its enforcing institutions, to kindly rethink its decision in the interest of Domestic Boards Sellers Association, Construction Companies, Carpentry Shops, and the general citizenry from that of the Large Scale Exporters of Timber in the country in addressing this issue.”
Sao-Lamin said that the CSO Consortium acknowledged the tremendous efforts made by government in ensuring that the state manages and protects its natural resources and environment.
“As civil society we are quite aware of the fact that our forest cover in Sierra Leone over the years has been serious destroyed by illegal mining, slash and burning, timber logging and trade, which has gradually resulted to land degradation and deforestation in so many communities in the country. As civil society consortium, we will always support government initiatives in ensuring that the necessary laws enforce in terms of protecting our environment and natural resources for the benefit of every citizenry,” he said
The National Coordinator said, “Moreover, we will like the relevant Ministries, Local Councils and Chiefdom authorities to institute a strategy that will address the damaging of culverts, bridges, feeder roads and identify the types of vehicles that will ply those roads during the designated period as highlighted in the press release instead of instituting a general ban.”
The Civil Society Consortium called on government through the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Ministry of Works and Public Assets to critically think of lifting the ban or give consideration to Domestic Boards Sellers Association taking into consideration the following listed below: the Domestic Boards Sellers Association has created jobs for over 800,000 young people nationwide; direct beneficiaries that solely depends on this business as their source of income is over 700,000; indirect beneficiaries as far as the trade of boards is concerned. “Every citizen direct or indirectly benefits since we make use of timber in constructing our dwelling houses and other different types of furniture in our various homes and communities; and the Domestic Boards Sellers Association has over the years contributed to local revenue generation from chiefdom, district and at national level through the various taxes as prescribed by government,”the consortium also sated.
Sao-Lamin said that the Domestic Boards Sellers Association has over the years contributed immensely in minimizing illegal timber trade by paying taxes at national and local levels, adhering to government regulations and policies and contributing to afforestation by replanting trees in designated places identified by Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, EPA-SL and the Local Councils.
“We are of the strong believe that as a civil society consortium if the above issues proposed by our institution are listened to, with a proper monitoring system constituted, we will be able to address the issues highlighted above,” concluded Sao Lamin.
23/6/2020. ISSUE NO.: 7851