By Politico staff writer
The Ministries of Finance, Agriculture and Works have signed a 30 million dollar grant contract with Sino-Hydro Bureau 9 JV Construction Company for the construction of the Gendema and Matru Jong bridges in Kenema and Bonthe Districts respectively.
The agreement will also see the construction of four bridges in Kailahun, Karene, Kenema and Bonthe districts which are all bridges that will replace crossing points used by manual cable ferries.
The project according to officials is a continuation of component two of the Smallholder Commercialization and Agribusiness Development Project (SCADeP) under the Ministry of Agriculture.
The World Bank grant is geared towards enhancing inter -district linkages and market access improvement which is said to be a milestone for the government of Sierra Leone. It is also said to foster economic growth and agricultural productivity in those parts of the country.
The Manowa, Karene, Gendema and Matru Jong manual cable ferry crossing points are located in agriculturally productive areas in the country with potentially heavy volumes of traffic that are currently hampered by old and derelict ferries that only accommodate at most two vehicles at a time for ferrying produce across those rivers.
In the rainy season, almost all of the ferries are noted to have often grounded due to the rise of the water levels and the heavy currents that have on many occasions resulted to catastrophic outcomes for passengers.
Beyond market access improvement and agricultural productivity, the construction of these bridges will add to the strategic national artery of roads, improve access to Healthcare, and promote education, security and many more.
SCADeP is a project under the Ministry of Agriculture that seeks to promote access to finance for farmers, market access improvement and improving the capacity of State and Non-State actors along the project’s value chains of rice, cocoa, oil palm, poultry and onion.
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