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The Sierra Leone Local Content Agency (SLLCA) has on Friday April 12, 2024 paid a familiarization visit to the Sunbird Bioenergy Sierra Leone Limited (formerly Addax Bioenergy Sierra Leone Limited), at the Mabilafu, Mara Chiefdom in the Bombali District.   

In his welcome address, the Associate Finance Manager of the Sunbird Bioenergy Sierra Leone Limited, Patrick Tucker said that the visit of the Agency shows a very good recognition to their company, adding that they are pleased to work with the Agency.  

The Director General of SLLCA, Mr. Fodeba Daboh disclosed that the Agency’s visit is just a familiarization visit. “We are here to listen to your concerns and challenges with regards Local Content issues,” he said, noting that many time Multinational Companies take the work of the Agency as an institution that Police them.

He said that the Agency’s mandate cut across every sector, pointing out that that the Agency’s mandate is to create sufficient linkages between foreign Companies and the local businesses.

He disclosed that they want to localize Sierra Leone’s economy thereby making it as a local content economy. He said that they want to see Sierra Leonean employees in managerial positions.

He said they believe in localization and value chain development. He said that they do not settle for low standards.

He disclosed that the Agency is working on a Critical Skills Database where Sierra Leoneans at home and abroad can upload their skills and curriculum vitae, adding that Multinational companies will login to the Agency’s website and search for the relevant skills they need for their companies which will prevent Multinational companies from bringing experts in country to do the same job that a Sierra Leonean can do.

He commended Sunbird Bioenergy Limited for submitting their Local Content Plan, noting that the Company do not need to submit another Plan until after three years. “However, they need to enter into a partnership agreement with the Agency so that the Agency will monitor the implementation of their plan,” he said. 

DG Daboh told them about the Local Content Audit which is conducted once every year to ensure their compliance level.

He said that they regulate to ensure compliance to Local Content laws, noting that quiet recently, the Agency has approved the Local Content Plan for Sunbird Bioenergy Sierra Leone Limited.

He disclosed that local content is about job creation for Sierra Leoneans, noting that the President Julius Maada Bio has declared 500,000 jobs for Sierra Leoneans which the Agency will coordinate and facility the space so as to actualize what the President has said.

“So, we are here today to meet with this Company to see their facilities and staff,” he said, noting that the Agency will come again at any time this year to evaluate the compliance rate of Sunbird.

The Director General of Sierra Leone Local Content Agency (SLLCA) on Thursday, February 8, 2024, received the “Most Outstanding Local Content Agency Across Africa, at the Pearle Beach Resort and SPA, FLIC EN FLAC in MAURITIUS.

The awards ceremony was part of the African Governance Conference and Awards organized by both the International Governance Secretariat and the Business Executive Media Group in Ghana and partners under the Theme: “Utilizing the Dividends of Good Governance in a Post-Covid Africa and Preventing the Occurrence of Coup D’états in Democratic Africa”.

The awards ceremony was well attended by African leaders, business owners, and innovators across Africa, among others.

Some of the awardees are the Minister of Industry in Ethiopia, the Minister of Foreign Affairs in Burundi, the Director General of Medical Supply Agency of Kenya, and the Minister of Finance and Budget in Djibouti, among others.
The award scheme has been conceptualized to identify and publicly recognize sovereign institutions from all across Africa, multilateral institutions active across the continent, and private enterprises that have made exemplary contributions to good governance on the continent about political governance and socio-economic development.
The Director General thanked God and the organizers for recognizing them at a continental level.
He dedicated the award to the President of the Republic of Sierra Leone, Dr. Julius Maada Bio for allowing him to serve, and also to the entire team at the SLLCA ranging from the Directors, Managers, and all other staff of the Agency.
He also dedicated the award to his family and the local entrepreneurs. “I believe this will allow us to do a lot more, for the fact that we have been recognized for the outstanding Local Content in Africa, doesn’t mean we will stop doing more, but rather this is a wakeup call for us to redouble our efforts,” he said. “We will not rest until all that we are trying to address in here is fixed, that is, the Africa that we want.”
He disclosed that they want to ensure that they don’t settle for substandard as an African Union, adding that he believed that they can do more in developing the Africa that we want through good governance.

DG Daboh making a statement during the Summit

The Director General of Sierra Leone Local Content Agency (SLLCA), Mr. Fodeba Daboh, and other senior government officials recently attended the seventh International Summit & Exhibition for Applied Education and TVET at the Hunan International Convention & Exhibition Center, Changsha in China.

The summit on Wednesday, August 16, 2023, to Friday, August 18, 2023, was hosted by the International Transnational Education Association (ITEA) and co-hosted by the International Cultural Communication Center Malaysia (ICCCM).

The Summit is a joint Development of National Vocational Education Standards and National Qualifications Frameworks collaborative project with The Gambia, Sierra Leone, Rwanda, Cambodia, and Pakistan.

The Sierra Leone delegation comprises the Deputy Minister of Technical and Higher Education Mr. Sarjoh Aziz-Kamara who delivered the keynote address, Chief Technical and Higher Education Officer, Dr Josephous Brimah, the Acting Director of National Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), Abdul Senesie and the NCTVA representative, Mr Abdul Rahman Sesay.

In his keynote address, the Deputy Minister of Technical and Higher Education, Mr Sarjoh Aziz-Kamara said that His Excellency President Julius Maada Bio’s Big Five changer for sustainable economic development and social process is in line with the objective of this summit. He emphasized that developing middle-level manpower through TVET can help achieve the “Big Five”.

In his address, the Director General of the SLLCA, Mr. Daboh explained that the Agency’s key priority and strategic focus is skills development and strengthening the capacity of local enterprise.

DG Daboh believed that a skilled workforce could create a pool of Sierra Leonean professionals’ workforce ready for immediate use by multinational companies.

He added that the Agency has built and will continue to build a robust network between local firms and their international counterparts.

“It is against that background that we are working diligently with the Ministry of Technical and Higher Education and its affiliate Agencies like NCTVA and Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) to develop our middle-level manpower and also to curb the persistent skills mismatch between schools and colleges and employing firms,” DG Daboh added.

He disclosed, “So far, we have developed a scorecard for companies registered in Sierra Leone which makes adherence to Agency laws easy and enticing.

OPPORTUNITY SALONE PROJECT: BACKGROUND AND TARGET BENEFICIARIES

Opportunity Salone Project is part of a larger EU funded Jobs and Growth Programme implemented by a number of partners that aim to stimulate job creation by improving the investment climate through enhanced access to finance, improving rural transport infrastructure, and upgrading human capital through general and vocational training and education.

Opportunity Salone aims to contribute to more decent job creation in terms of quantity and quality for beneficiaries who reside mainly in rural areas in Sierra Leone through inclusive value chain development focused on SMEs and cooperatives, and feeder road maintenance to improve access to markets.

The project will be implemented over a 4-year period in the following districts: Bo, Kenema Bombali, and Port Loko.

The overall development objective of the Programme is to contribute to large scale job creation and job quality improvement in sustainable enterprises for unskilled and semi – skilled youth, women and persons with disabilities. In promotion of its objectives, the Programme is pursuing 3 major outcomes:

1. Enhanced, conflict-sensitive, agricultural value chain and entrepreneurship development for SMEs, youth, women, and persons with disabilities.
2. Improved feeder road maintenance contributing to resolve infrastructure bottlenecks to immediate job creation.
3. Improved business environment for entrepreneurship development and feeder road maintenance.

PURPOSE OF THE CALL FOR APPLICATIONS

The SLLCA has secured funding from the ILO Opportunity Salone Project to support Small Local Businesses that are into production and sale of BEAUTY PRODUCTS and those into the production and sale of BREAD, PASTRY and CONFECTIONERY PRODUCTS.

As mandated by law, SLLCA was set up by government to promote the use of local resources in all economic endeavors. Therefore, the agency would like to promote the use of PALM KERNEL OIL in the production of beauty products and high-quality CASSAVA FLOUR in bread and other bakery products. This is because most of our locally produced beauty products are currently made from imported ingredients and almost all our bakery products are made from imported wheat flour.

Therefore, promoting the use of locally available PALM KERNEL OIL and high-quality CASSAVA FLOUR in these two sectors will help cut down on the importation of these ingredients hence contributing to macroeconomic stability.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

To be eligible for this call, your business MUST fulfil ALL the following criteria:

1. Be in at least one of the following product lines stated above.
2. Be located in one of the target districts stated above.
3. Be able to assemble the equipment you need to produce your product, without reliance onthe project for support.
4. Be able to attend an interview, and if selected, be able to attend a one-day training sessionon business competition pitching and basic entrepreneurship.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE

If you are interested in taking part in the competition, please do the following:

1. Collect the application form at the District Council Office in your district or from the Local Content Agency Office at #21 Steward Street (3rd & 4th floors), Off Sanders Street Freetown. Or download the form from the agency’s website: www.localcontent.gov.sl
2. Carefully fill the application form, making sure you provide all the requested information and supporting documents.
3. Return the completed form to the District Council Office where you collected it, or to the Agency’s Office in Freetown or send it to the agency’s email address: info@localcontent.gov.sl
4. If required, contact the following numbers for further enquiries: +232 76 942 230 /033 589 678/ +232 76 610 468

PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING

1. Deadline for the submission of all completed application forms is close of business on 31st August 2023. No application will be considered after this deadline.
2. Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted for interview.End