By Ishmael Bayoh

This week, with President Bio’s development agenda, is brought to you with an added value of pictorial evidence. Still not tired because of the electioneering period, the government of President Bio continues to implement groundbreaking developments beneficial to the people of Sierra Leone. This week from May 15th to May 18th, 2023, highlights some of those developments.

■The Hon.Vice President of Sierra Leone, Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh launched the All-of-Government and All-of-Society Presidential Taskforce on Mental Health. Health is a complete state of Physical Mental Wellbeing & not just the absence of disease and infirmity.

■ On Wednesday May 17th, 2023, a delegation from the Saudi Fund for Development  (SDF) held a meeting with the Sierra Leone Water Company, (SALWACO) to deliberate on projects that would commence in a few months from now. The Saudi Fund project has a number of projects in Sierra Leone, including the 100 solar boreholes project for which SALWACO is the Implementing Agency.

■ His Excellency President Dr. Julius Maada Bio, on May 15th, 2023, turned the sod for the start of work of the American International University at the 34 Military Hospital. The ultra modern facility will include a teaching and training facility, state-of-the-art audio-visual classrooms, and laboratories incorporating new technologies for training, library, and other student services.

■ The Health Minister, Dr. Austin Demby over the weekend, also held fruitful discussions with Stanford University/World Fed of Neurological Societies & Mission Brain for the establishment of neurosurgery capabilities and capacities at the University of Sierra Leone Teaching Hospital at Connaught.

■ While the health and deputy finance ministers were seeking development cooperation, the foreign minister, Prof. David Francis and the Finance Minister, Sheku Fatmadi Bangura, held successful business meeting in China and secured in principle commitments from over ten business and engineering firms for the construction of the Lungi bridge.

■ President Bio toured Koinadugu and Falaba Districts in the Northern Province from Thursday, May 18, to end on Saturday, 20, 2023. His tour took him to Dogolyia and Mongor and was received by thousands of supporters.The President launched the kabala- krubola- kono road that links farmers to markets and enhances the growth of agriculture.

■ The funds for the construction of the $50 million modern referral hospital have been secured from the Saudi Development Fund. Officials of the Saudi Fund and the Health Minister paid a visit on the land in Lungi where the construction will be done.The loan agreement was initiated on thursday, 18th May 2023, by the Deputy Minister of Finance, Bockarie Kalokoh, and Abdulrahman Alharbi of the Saudi Development Fund. The new hospital will be critical to the overall government priority to increase access to good healthcare services as part of the government’s Human Capital Development Programme.The loan is concessional, which shows that the government of Saudi Arabia is committed to its bilateral relationship with Sierra Leone. The hospital will be a 150-bed capacity that will provide quality health and medical care services with general surgery, operation rooms, emergency wards, paediatrics, inpatient wards, obstetrics and gynaecology, nursery and technical and administrative units, and will be completed by the end of 2025.