By Mohamed Fofanah.
The Government of Sierra Leone, through the Ministries of Fisheries, the Environment, and Lands along with Journalists and UNDP on Tuesday visited the Black Johnson Beach to ascertain the actual location of what falls within the land for the establishment of an industrial shipping harbour and not a “fish meal” as claimed by the UK Guardian Newspaper.
On May 17th, 2021, the Guardian Newspaper erroneously reported that the Government of Sierra Leone had struck a $55 deal with China for a “250 acres” of beach and “protected rainforest” at Black Johnson. The area that falls within the 252 acres of land is savanna grassland; the rain forest is on the other side of the street.
In 2018, the Government of Sierra Leone signed a $55 million ‘grant’ with their Chinese counterpart for the establishment of the facility that will be ‘owned’ by Sierra Leone, the Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources told journalists at Black Johnson. Mrs. Emma Kowa-Jalloh revealed that this was part of efforts to fulfill the need for the establishment of the harbour.
Currently, not all vessels, especially bigger ones come to Sierra Leone. For those that do; they will have to go to other countries including Cape Verde, Senegal, and Ghana to do vessel dry-dock since the country lacks that facility, she added.
During the inspection visit, the Fishery Minister emphasized that the deal will bring along with it, facilities such as feeling onshore instead of at sea, monitoring marine activities, vessels mending, creating jobs, harmonizing the fishery sector, and increase the country’s revenue generation.
She confirmed that the Government of Sierra Leone, through the Ministry of Finance will be paying compensation for the area to legal occupants, saying that: “We are not grabbing land,” stressing that they have been visiting the area, and holding meetings with residents.
The area under discourse is ‘largely privately owned’, according to Alhaji Mohamed Rabieu, the Surveyor at the Ministry of Lands and Country Planning. He said the quantity of land under discourse that goes into the sea is about 10 acres.
Meanwhile, Rabieu revealed that several documents have been submitted to the Ministry by private individuals, with data and investigations proven that they are private properties.
Rabieu said for now they have identified only about five property owners who have unfinished structures, despite a proliferation of new ones and land grabbing, mainly fences, leaving authorities to fear that this is part of efforts to bloat the Government proposed compensation bid.
However, the Minister of the Environment, Professor Foday Moriba Jaward announced that they have not carried out any ecological study yet to determine the ecological danger this may pose as carried by the Guardian Newspaper that this deal is “a catastrophic human and ecological disaster”.
