By Joseph Momoh, Daily Scope Reporter\
tgThe National Disaster Management Agency and the Sierra Leone Ports and Harbours Authority have agreed to deepen cooperation to align ongoing port expansion with national disaster preparedness efforts.
Senior officials from both institutions met at the Queen Elizabeth II Quay for high-level talks focused on improving coordination between infrastructure development and emergency planning.
SLPHA Director General, Yankuba Askia Bio, said cargo volumes at the Port of Freetown have surged in recent years, putting significant pressure on existing facilities. To address congestion, he said the Authority has activated the Inland Container Depot at Hastings as an interim measure while awaiting completion of a permanent expansion.
Bio noted the Hastings facility operates on leased land and will be relocated once the main expansion is complete. He added that a second Inland Container Depot is also under construction at Koya to further boost cargo handling capacity.
Port throughput has risen by more than 300 percent, Bio said, stressing that decongesting the quay is critical for efficiency and government revenue. “The more cargo we handle, the more revenue we generate for the government,” he stated.
The meeting also addressed concerns raised by NDMA over the Hastings ICD’s proximity to the Agency’s proposed Emergency Operations Center. Bio proposed a joint inspection involving NDMA, SLPHA, and the Resilient Urban Sierra Leone Project to assess the site and recommend practical solutions.
NDMA Director General, John Vandy Rogers, said the EOC is a strategic national facility designed to strengthen disaster prevention, coordination, and response. He recalled that NDMA was created in 2020 following the August 14, 2017 mudslide and emphasized the need to maintain adequate buffer space around the center.
Rogers clarified that the Hastings depot is separate from the EOC project but urged careful planning to ensure both facilities can operate without undermining each other.
The engagement ended with both agencies pledging sustained dialogue, joint planning, and closer institutional cooperation to ensure that port development and disaster risk management advance together in support of economic growth and national resilience.
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