I understand what a lot of investors and citizens are going through with the ferry and other means of transport in SL. I have been to SL several times myself and the two ferries are not seaworthy at all. They are not well maintained andI think the operators are more concerned with their pockets and SUVs rather than a good service for the people. Hundreds of investors come into SL every month and I'm sure most of them see the transport sector (ferry and co) as a good investment opportunity but one of the big issue that put them off is corruption and incompetence. An investor interested in investing in this sector will need someone who his competent and ttrustworthy to manage his business and this kind of people are rare gems that are extremely difficult to find in SL. For instance, I started a little business in SL last year and I put a Sierra Leonean in charge of the day to day management of the business. I could not beleive it when I came back in few months and I realised that the particular fellow withdrew money from the business account and spent it on himself. I was not happy with the situation and I made some adjustment. The first thing I did was to remove his name from the authorised signatory to my business account and I made sure he doesn't have access to the company's fund anymore. I left SL after few weeks and I came back after 10wks to check on my business. To my greatest surprise, the same guy was able to lobby with the bank of officials and cleared 95% of all the money in my account. I could not beleive how a bank can release fund to someone that does not have his name on the account. This is my own experience (in SL) as an investor and God knows hundreds of investors that has gone through similar stuff with SL citizens.

This is really pathetic.Lungi airport to freetown could sometimes take as long as 24 hours, and there are hardly any hotel facilities at Lungi airport, so most passengers sleep on their suitcases at the ferry terminal.Half the times, the ferry runs, only for Government officials.

What I have to say is my hope that the authorities would read and act on it. In response to Mr. Coles observations as indicated above, it is also shameful not only to foreigners but for Sierra Leoneans in the diaspora as myself. I first came back to Sierra Leone beginning 2000 to help the country to bring the war to an end. I observed the deplorable conditions at the only international airport at lungi and the manner passengers struggle to reach their final destinations in the mainland, Freetown. A close acquintance of mine who is also a highly professional individual saw me on a flight and came up to where I was sitting to discuss the then current situation of the country more so what improvements are needed to end the suffering of passengers at Lungi airport. This individual is currently a high profile minister in the present governement. My recommendation to him then was to reconstruct the Lungi - Port Loko highway, and the highway that leads to mile Siaka junction. I believe that this is the most cost effective measure especially at this time when funding is difficult and our resources are insufficient. The past and present government cannot maintain one ferry boat not even talking about several. Maintainance of equipment and machines is very poor in Sierra Leone. With the re-construction of the highway, passengers from and to Lungi airport know that it will take no more that two hours from Lungi/Freetown to get to the airport. This will solve the problem. The highway I am talking about used to be very much usable in the sixties after independence. Why can't we reconstruct it again? The distance from Abuja international airport to city centre, Abuja is about 25 Miles and access to and from the airport is easy and accommodating. In Liberia, the distance from Roberts International Airport to centre city, Monrovia is 36 miles and access to and from the airport is easy and accommodating. These are just two good examples I have given you. So please, government authorities where are you? Honorable Ministers and parastatal organizations where are all of you to hang heads and make this possible? Businessess and tourists would be happy to use the roads and make the roads available to see the country side before arriving in Freetown. The philosophers say to look is one thing; to see what you look is another; to understand what you see is yet still another but to act on what you understand is all that matters. I have looked at the situation and I am asking the authorities to act on the deplorable situation with this little advise I am sharing with them. David J. Coker