The Minister of Planning and Economic Development (MoPED), Madam Kanyah Barlay and the Ambassador of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in Sierra Leone, Mr. John Azuma on Monday 17th November 2025 officially handed over the site for the construction of a market in Wai Village, Sorogbema Chiefdom, Pujehun District to the contractors, Sierra Brothers Construction Services (SL) Limited.
Wai is strategically located between Sulima and the border with Liberia to facilitate trade and cross border economic integration between West African countries.
In her statement, Madam Barlay revealed that the agriculture sector aligns with government’s five big game changers like feed Sierra Leone, the engine of growth, human capital development, the wealth of any nation and appealed to parents to send their children to school.
The Minister enlightened that other priorities in the five big game changers are access to health care, the youth employment scheme to create jobs for between 500,000 youths by the public and private sectors, infrastructural development adding that the ECOWAS Vision 2050 aligns with the country’s five big game changers, underscored that this year is the 50th anniversary of ECOWAS and hoped that the market project would be completed within the stipulated time of four months.
According to the MoPED Minister, the priorities of the ECOWAS chairman, President Julius Maada Bio are to deepen democracy, ensure free and fair elections, promote economic integration and cross border trade, provision of electricity and water supply and a strong and better ECOWAS for the benefit of the people reiterating that government would reach every corner of the country.
In his keynote address, the ECOWAS Ambassador in Sierra Leone, Mr. John Azuma extended fraternal greetings from Dr. Omar Alie Turay, President of the ECOWAS Commission in Abuja, Nigeria, enlightened that ECOWAS prioritizes economic cooperation and peoples development, taking tangible steps to enhance cross border trade to empower border communities, foster livelihoods, create opportunities for women and children and affirmed that the market project is the product of collaboration between various stakeholders and that such partnerships would continue.
The Ambassador continued that the project is the beginning of a new phase to promote trade and income generating center with immense benefits for the people stressing that a market is the backbone of any economy, that the market would bring more schools to the community as well as bring people together to promote peace, security and improve their lives and reaffirmed ECOWAS’s commitment to support Sierra Leone.
When ECOWAS initiated the idea of supporting Sierra Leone, a committee was established comprising various stakeholders including representatives from the Ministries of Education, Social Welfare, Gender and Children’s Affairs, Local Government and Internal Affairs respectively.
The chairman of the event and speaker of Sorogbema Chiefdom, Mr. Augustine Zoka revealed that the chiefdom is honored to host the market, that the event is historic taking cognizance of the fact that other areas were yearning for the opportunity, assured that they would own the project for the benefit of the people for which they pledged their loyalty and unflinching support to the market project.
The project contractor, Mr. Ibrahim Kowa informed that they won the contract through a competitive bidding process, guaranteed that the project would be completed within four months, that the market would open a lot of other opportunities like good road networks and that the sufferings of women traders and farmers would soon cease.
He also disclosed that between 60-70 percent of the workers are locals thus supporting the local content policy intimating that the market would also include an office space, cold-room, stores concrete walkways, water tanks and appealed to the people for their unflinching support and cooperation.
The Paramount Chief of Sorogbema Chiefdom, Mustapha Massaquoi recalled that the choice of his chiefdom was keenly contested citing the 14 chiefdoms in the district, that they had to lobby and canvass various stakeholders for the market to be located in their community, informed that the chiefdom did not record any case of Ebola or COVID -19, that inspite of the 19 illegal crossing points in the district, there is no security threat and appealed for more development projects in the chiefdom.
The Paramount Chief also raised concern over the proposed FIFA project to construct a stadium, a Football Academy and health center in the chiefdom that is yet to kickoff for which the chiefdom had donated 100 acres of land. He appealed to the Minister to look into the matter.
Mr. Komba Momoh, Head of the ECOWAS National Office in Sierra Leone revealed that a team from the ECOWAS Commission visited some border communities in Sierra Leone, that they decided to construct a border market to facilitate trade and that after consultations with the people they unanimously resolved to have a market constructed in Wai.
He further informed that they went through the procurement process resulting in the handing over of the site to the contractor.
Highlights of the event were the presentation and decoration of the ECOWAS Ambassador and the MOPED Minister with the traditional country cloths, cultural performances, presentation of the position paper to the Ambassador and the Minister by the Paramount Chief and the vote of thanks by Musu Kabai who stated that the project would benefit more women.
