By Alpha Abu
Saudi Labour officials and their Sierra Leonean counterparts are in advanced plans that would see hundreds of Sierra Leoneans recruited to work in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
This was disclosed by Sierra Leone’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Dr. Ibrahim Jalloh in an exclusive interview with Politico.
He said the rapid turn of events was a culmination of two agreements Sierra Leone’s Labour Minister Alpha Timbo signed on behalf of the government , with the Saudis in June last year.
The ambassador said not just domestic but skilled workers such as nurses and technicians are to be recruited in the new programmed. He said recruitment proper could start as early as February and that successful Sierra Leoneans after proper screening would be given a two year renewable contract to work in Saudi Arabia.
He said unlike poorly documented and clandestine recruitment and transporting of workers in the past, this new process will have full monitoring by labour ministry officials of both countries.
It will be mandatory for eligible workers to have an account back home and encouraged to save earnings. He said already 15 recruitment agencies approved by the labour ministry in Freetown a to partner with Saudi agencies in managing the employment procedures of the workers, are to undergo capacity assessment by a delegation from the Saudi Arabia Embassy based in Conakry, Guinea.
The agencies are to be trained on the Musaned Portal provided by the Saudis through which the entire workers’ statuses and other details will be processed. Also hospitals are to be inspected to certify those that will be conducting medical screening of workers.
According to Ambassador Jalloh, there are hundreds of recruitment agencies in the Kingdom and they would want more agencies from this country as the arrangement is that three agencies in Sierra Leone will be officially partnered with one Saudi, and based on the number here tied to the scheme, only five Saudi agencies will be working with their Sierra Leonean counterparts for now.
He also emphasised that salaries of all recruited workers will be paid into their phone wallet and that the whole process will be closely monitored by the Saudi officials who will also make themselves available to the workers in case of any breach of protocols by the Saudi agencies. He said defaulting ones in the Arabian nation have had their operations suspended.
The ambassador said it won’t be business as usual for crooked agencies in Sierra Leone that fleeced and mistreated migrant workers in the past.
He spoke about Saudi Arabia as a nation that is diversifying and strengthening ties with Africa and urged successful Sierra Leoneans recruited to show commitment as their output is important for continuity of the programme.
Dr. Jalloh took up his ambassadorial post in 2018 and narrated how personally held discussions with the deputy labour minister of Saudi Arabia about employing Sierra Leoneans back home.
Copyright © 2023 Politico Online (30/01/23)
