NDMA, SLPHA Deepen Partnership on Port Expansion and Disaster Preparedness

The National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) and the Sierra Leone Ports and Harbours Authority (SLPHA) have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening collaboration to enhance port operations while ensuring national disaster preparedness and resilience.
Speaking during the meeting, at the Queen Elizabeth II Quay in Freetown, SLPHA Director General, Yankuba Askia Bio, said the Port of Freetown has experienced a significant increase in cargo traffic, placing greater demand on existing infrastructure.
Addressing concerns raised by the NDMA over the proximity of the Hastings ICD to the Agency’s proposed Emergency Operations Center (EOC), Bio proposed a joint site inspection involving the NDMA, the Resilient Urban Sierra Leone Project (RUSLP), and SLPHA to assess the situation and identify practical solutions.
NDMA Director General, John Vandy Rogers, highlighted the importance of the proposed Emergency Operations Center, noting that it is a strategic national facility established to strengthen disaster prevention, preparedness, coordination, and emergency response.