After the Sierra Leone House of Parliament would have ratified the US$476 million investment by Arise Integrated Industrial Platforms Limited (ARISE IIP) to operate and expand the 200km Pepel Rail and Port in iron-ore-rich northern region; the mining industry in Sierra Leone would never be the same again.
This is because in every African country where ARISE IIP has invested, it has provided equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants without regard to age, religion, tribe, region, or sexual orientation in accordance with the laws of that country. This policy governs all areas of employment at ARISE IIP, including recruiting, hiring, training, assignments, compensation, benefits, discipline and terminations.
ARISE IIP believes that the employees of an organisation are its true assets. So, it puts a strong emphasis on employee growth and development. It believes that opportunities for growth expand their knowledge, skills and abilities, and enable them to apply the competencies they have gained to new situations. For this reason, ARISE IIP has created the Future Leaders Programme, a four-month programme designed for African post-graduates of leading universities willing to participate in shaping the continent’s economic future.
For the past few years, ARISE IIP has experienced a remarkable expansion across West Africa with tailor-made industrial zones accelerating the continent’s industrialisation. Its primary focus has always been the creation of industrial ecosystems committed to generate high local value-add along with sustainable growth.
In Sierra Leone, the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) on 17 January 2023 signed a lease agreement with ARISE IIP for the development, expansion, and management of the Pepel Port and Pepel-Tonkolili Railway. This agreement is now said to be a game-changer as “the annual surface rent agreement will increase from $20,000 annually to $250,000. Safroko Limba, Makari Gbanti, Bake Loko, Loko Masama, and Kamasondo chiefdoms will receive US$50,000 each,” said the Minister of Mines Timothy Kabba.
Mr Kabba added that, “Leone Rock has a concession of six to seven billion metric tons of estimated 12 billion metric tons at the Tonkolili mines. The rail infrastructure doesn’t extend far enough for new players to take the rest. We will create new opportunities for iron ore exploration and bauxite with Arise IIP.”
With this new development, it is now clear that the Arise IIP deal with the Government of Sierra Leone will be of immense benefits to hundreds of thousands of ordinary Sierra Leoneans.