Last Wednesday, Management of the Sierra Leone Ports Authority engaged the Commissioner-General of the National Revenue Authority (NRA) & Team on clearance processes of goods, port security, and safety at the Freetown Port, Queen Elizabeth II Quay.
The General Manager of The Sierra Leone Ports Authority, Dr. Abdulai Fofana, said the Customs department of the National Revenue Authority and the Sierra Leone Ports Authority complement the clearing processes at the port.
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We are quite aware of our roles. It’s about how each entity supports each other in the clearance processes.”
On security, Dr. Fofana said security at the port is key in the clearance processes due to external consequences on ports that do not comply with international security best practices. He furthered that his management has made considerable strides to upgrade security at the port, referencing The Authority’s security pass mark on the International Port Security assessment few years back.
On his part, the Commissioner-General of the National Revenue Authority, Dr. Samuel Jibao said security best practice compliance at the Port is doable and urged stakeholders on the Port operations to embark on both physical and economic security.
SLPA Deputy General Manager, Yankuba Askia Bio urged stakeholders to review the existing clearance processes at the port, considering international security and safety best practices.
The meeting discussed the port’s security processes and stakeholders’ inputs to ensure international security and safety compliance at the Freetown Port. The meeting also discussed recommendations of previous meetings on operations at the Freetown Port including setting up a working committee that will review the existing security, enforce the use of personnel protective equipment, introduction of manual release system at the port as an alternate to electronics release system, consideration of reopening the CFE gate at the Freetown Port and host of others. The working committee, which constitutes legal representations from each entity plus additional three other representatives each will submit a report to serve as a pathway to address the emerging concerns at the port.
