By Alieu Kondoh
The European Union (EU) Ambassador to Sierra Leone, Tom Vens has called on Stakeholders of the Pujehun District Council to effectively utilize the EU 45 Million Euros support given to them for the implementation of various projects.
That should they fail to use the 4.5 million Euros to implement the different projects in the districts, the EU will not provide them with the remaining funds to complete the projects.
He made this call during the launch of the EU support to CSOs and local authorities in the district by the Minister of Local Development and Rural Development, Tamba Lamina.
The EU is supporting six Districts Councils in the country to ensure that these six districts undertake development projects for themselves, with the EU providing 25 Million Euros Support to the six Districts Councils with the Pujehun District Council and the CSOs having 4.5 million Euros to be used to construct feeder roads, improve agriculture, build hotels and also support sexual and gender base violence in the district.
Tom Vens said that Pujehun was chosen because the district has plans to undertake its own development projects.
“The overall idea of the support is to make sure that they implement their own plans and also to generate their own resources to keep going,” Tom Vens maintained.
He added that the EU will be around to provide support, and that they are proving very important grounds to both the council and the CSOs.
The Chairman, Pujehun District Council, Shiek Sowa applauded the support from the EU saying that it will improve their district.
The Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Tamba Lamina in his remarks said that his Ministry is in talks with the Ministry of Finance to ensure that they give monies to chiefdoms to engage in their individual development, saying that it is part of the government manifesto.
He thanked the EU for the support to the Pujehun District Council and called on them to extend the gesture to other districts in the country.
