By State House Communications UnitHe said that for the fact that women are fully involved in the process gives credence to the government’s stance to empowering women in the country.
President Koroma stated that as women continue to do well in the military and police and the womenfolk venturing into men dominated disciplines gives hope that the government also caters for a target group that is more than half of the population of Sierra Leone. He encouraged them to continue to take up the challenge, and continued that women are more likely to comply with the law and offer greater safety which will give competition to men.
The Head of State also encouraged the female bike riders to commit themselves to the cooperative and build their businesses. “We must learn to grow business; the sky will be the limit if you show commitment,” he said. He challenged the private sector to think out of the box and bring in ideas to develop the country.
The Gender Adviser to the President Naasu Fofanah who doubles as pioneer of the programme said President Koroma has supported women’s empowerment and promoting gender issues as encapsulated in the “Agenda for Prosperity”. She said the cooperative department in the Ministry of Trade and Industry trained the female bike riders to understand how to handle cooperatives and also received training from both the Police and the Sierra Leone Road Safety Authority (SLRSA) to fully understand road signs and comport themselves in a professional manner. She stated that 18 women have been qualified and received licenses from the SLRSA, and also disclosed that the riders will have to pay a minimum of Le 30,000 (Thirty Thousand Leones) daily to the cooperative.Minister of Transport and Aviation Mr Leonard Balogun Koroma said President Koroma is the one that actualized women’s empowerment by legalizing the 30% quota for women. He said his ministry will actualize the 30% quota by hiring 30% of women drivers for the new one hundred buses that will arrive in the country, adding that they want to see 30% of women drivers in public transportation. “As we have seen them in bike riding, we will increase it in buses,” he vowed. The minister also suggested the introduction of tricycles in the public transport system and to also consider the youth in post Ebola recovery programmes.
The President of the Bike Riders Union, David Sesay thanked the president for his effort in youth empowerment, and added that such a programme could be replicated across the country to help support women’s empowerment.
