By Communications Unit Sierra Leone Water Company
The Astute and Dynamic Managing Director of SALWACO Ing George Lamin Vandi has led a delegation of professionals/experts including personnel of the Ministry of Water Resources, consultants and contractors to undertake International inspections, quality controls, quality assurances, product training and testing in Turkey and the United Kingdom in fulfilling the mandate of the Government of Sierra Leone in providing potable and safe water supply to the people of Sierra Leone, and as enshrined in the manifesto of His Excellency the President, Rtd. Brigadier Dr. Julius Maada Bio which is also in line with the National Medium Term Development Plan 2019-2023.
Contractors of the project have received funding for the Construction/Rehabilitation of Water Supply Facilities in Six District Capital Towns (Kambia, Kabala, Magburaka, Moyamba, Pujehun and Kailahun) across Sierra Leone. Therefore, the resilient Managing Director has gone straight to work in ensuring that the promise of the Government and by extension the President is actualized in the shortest possible time.
The exercise is a quality control measure set by the leadership of SALWACO to ensure that all materials procured and utilized under the project meet the contractual requirements (technical specifications) and international best standards. This will help minimize the use of equipment, pipes, fittings and materials that are sub-standard and cannot serve the purpose for which they were designed.
The said measure is put in place to ensure value for money and improve on quality, control of the use of unwanted materials and limit the supply of project equipment that will not stand the test of time.
Over the past decades, there has been many water supply facilities constructed in Sierra Leone, but only few of these have met the test of time and can meet their demand. Therefore, the problem of frequent breakdowns and failure of materials has to be controlled from the stage of production.
It is for this reason that the SALWACO Managing Director, Ing. George Lamin Vandi, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Water Resources, Mr. Munda Sowa, a representative of the Board of Directors – Mr. Nelson Lahai, the Director of Project Management – Ing. Yankuba Jusu Tarawally, the Director of Procurement Services – Mr. Joe Gbouma-Alieu and other engineers and officials are out of the country testing every component of the project to meet international best standards before they are supplied to Sierra Leone.
