By Hassan Y. Koroma
The Parliamentary Committee on Transparency and Accountability (TAC) last week summoned commercial banks and other corporate bodies that received funds from the Government of Sierra Leone to minimize the impacts of COVID-19 on market prices.
In his address the Committee’s chairman, Hon. Dickson M. Rogers who also doubles as the Chief Whip, commended the banking sector; saying that despite the price hikes on various commodities the country did not experience shortages of those commodities.
Hon. Rogers maintained that such a fate could not have been achieved by the decision of the government alone but the various institutions that participated in the processes.
He maintained that the funds were being provided for business entities to ensure that commodities were not only available but affordable so that the people could not feel the burden of COVID.
The Opposition Whip, Hon. Hassan A. Sesay, said they wanted to know the interest rate on the creditors and the mechanisms put in place to monitor the process and the level of compliance to ensure that the funds were retrieved for the purpose of running the state.
In his response the Rokel Commercial Bank General Manager (GM), Dr Ekundayo Gilpin, stated that the beneficiaries must have the ability to pay the banks with credible collaterals before they would be given credits, adding that that had been achieved so far.
Other members of the Committee were also concerned that though the goods were available but the prices were too high, making them unaffordable for common folks.
This session was held last Wednesday at Room No.1, Parliament Building, Tower Hill, in Freetown.