The Ministry of Finance in collaboration with the Ministry of Works and Public Assets and the Sierra Leones Roads Authority has on Tuesday 21st May 2019, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with CSE construction company on the completion of the Lumley – Tokeh Road Project. The signing of this MOU could not have come at a better time than now after residents along the peninsular have been crying for this road to be completed.
In his statement, the Minister of Finance stated that the portion of the road that is yet to be completed was abandoned by the past administration after they were unable to complete the Lumley – Tokeh for the past 10years. Minister Saffa continued that the in initial Waterloo – Lumley projected was commissioned by the late Tejan Kabba Lead SLPP government that completed the waterloo to Tokeh stretch.
He noted that the initial estimate for the completion of the remaining 7.7km of the project (Baw Baw – Tokeh) was 28 million dollars but after a joint physical evaluation of the road and review of the scope of work the cost was reduced to 21.7 million dollars. The Minister of Finance Jacob Jusu Saffa furthered that this road is very significant in terms of economic diversification by supporting the expansion of tourism and fishing sectors and also creating access to other parts of the country.
“It should be noted that this revised cost in no way compromised the design, standards and overall engineering integrity of the road structure and its attendant elements and ancillaries,” says the Financial Secretary Sahr L. Jusu.
The Financial Secretary furthered that the project will be funded by the Government of Sierra Leone with an agreed payment plan that will see the Government make a down payment of 7 million dollars in May/June this year and subsequent payments will base on work done certification by SLRA.
This 7.7km road construction is expected to be completed in July 2020 with the contractor CSE commitment to start full mobilization after the signing and work to commence after the down payment that is expected to be made in the next few days.
It could be recalled that the Government of Sierra Leone and CSE entered into an agreement in 2009 for the construction of the Lumley-Tokeh road. CSE completed construction from Lumley to Baw Baw, and since then, work on the road came to a halt because of a lack of funds and non-payment from the Government of Sierra Leone to CSE; which left 7.7km of the road (from Baw-Baw to Tokeh)still incomplete.
By MoF Communication