By: Sulaiman Storm Koroma.
In 2016, the government of Sierra Leone awarded China Railway Seventh Group (CRSG) a significant highway project valued at $1.4 million under a finance, build, operate, and transfer agreement. However, 8 years later, concerns have arisen regarding the lack of transparency and accountability in the execution of this project.
A source working at the toll gate told me that the ticket they are selling to the public has no duplicate. The absence of duplicate copies of tickets used for toll collection raises suspicions about the accuracy of reported earnings. Single-copy tickets without duplicates make it challenging to cross-reference the actual revenue collected with the stipulations outlined in the agreement, casting doubt on what has been collected to what is left.
It was interesting to the writer to find out that the elusive English version of the loan agreement further clouds public knowledge about the actual funds acquired by CRSG. The loan agreement between CRSG and the Chinese financiers is only available in Chinese, making it difficult to ascertain the actual amount received for the project.
A source who requested anonymity said that according to the contract, CRSG is obligated to provide yearly financial updates to the Ministry of Works, but has failed to do so, as the Ministry of Works has never received any financial updates since CRSG started operation, leaving the public in the dark about the financial aspects of the highway project. Adding to the controversy, I was told that the third-party agent responsible for toll collection is a subsidiary of CRSG, raising questions about conflicts of interest and proper oversight.
Meanwhile, CRSG was not only to construct the designated highway, but also, they were to build a market and hospital. Shockingly, these additional infrastructural developments are yet to materialize, raising serious concerns over contractual obligations.
A Parliamentary source intimated me that discrepancies emerged regarding the quality and value of the constructed bridge. He told me that the bill of quality indicated a significantly higher value for the bridge, compared to what was delivered, with a disparity of approximately 2 million dollars.
Sadly, while the government should be addressing the issue of transparency and holding CRSG accountable by revisiting and potentially cancelling the agreement until crucial steps are taken to ensure fairness and adherence to contractual obligations, the government is busy supporting CRSG to increase the cost of the toll tickets.