On Friday, August 23 and Saturday, August 24, His Excellency President Julius Maada Bio will be handing over sites for the construction of new facilities, including classrooms, dormitories, pavilions and rehabilitation of existing ones at the Bo and Kenema Government Secondary Schools respectively.The multilateral project, which is designed as the Education Sector Support Project (ESSP) is a $65 million portfolio funded through support from donors including BADEA, Islamic Bank for Development, OPEC Fund for International Development, and the Saudi Fund for Development. This intervention is part of President Bio’s Human Capital Development initiative and a manifestation of his commitment to delivery.
The project will construct 7 new and renovate 24 facilities at the Bo Government Secondary School, construct 10 new and renovate 24 facilities at the Kenema Government Secondary School.
The construction work is expected to generate over 1,000 direct and indirect jobs at each location. These jobs will create employment and earnings for the locals. The purchase of construction materials—cement, iron rod, and others by contractors is estimated to inject over $4 million in local economies of Bo and Kenema.
Beneficiary and supervising ministries for the project are the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education and the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education.
The Project Fiduciary Management Unit, in the Ministry of Finance is tasked with the responsibility for managing the fiduciary activities of the Project.