Today, 15th August, 2020 marks the second day employees from the tourism and hospitality industry continue to receive their safety net support cash disbursement from the Ministry of Tourism and Cultural Affairs with National Tourist Board in collaboration with Ministry of Finance at the Radisson BLU venue in the presence of Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), National Civil Registration Commission including the press.
The commencement of day 2 payment exercises to beneficiaries of the Tourism and Hospitality sector in the Western Urban and Rural Areas at the Radisson BLU Hotel is scheduled to end on 18th August, 2020, and the payment team will continue disbursement to beneficiaries in the provinces for the rest of the month.
Hotels with high numbers of employees were among the first to receive payment followed by the restaurant, guest houses, casino, night clubs, traveling agencies, sea transportation and local handling operators. The payment is for every tourism and hospitality facilities in the country that submitted list of their workers as requested by the Ministry of Tourism and Cultural Affairs through the National Tourist Board (NTB) and the Hotel and Tourism Association (HTA).
According to H.E. the President Rtd. Julius Brigadier Julius Maada Bio the safety net support “… will be disbursed equally and fairly right across the entire country to every Sierra Leonean who was registered irrespective of region, ethnicity and gender. So whether you are in Bo, Kenema, Makeni, Port Loko, Kabala,, Freetown, as long as you fall within the bracket of employees whose names have been submitted by their employers to the Hotel and Tourism Association (HTA) and the National Tourist Board (NTB) you will receive your fair and equal share.” The support will cover 2,363 workers in the Tourism and Hospitality Industry across the country.
The purpose of this exercise is for workers within the Tourism and Hospitality sector to get through these extremely tough times of the Covid-19 pandemic. It is also part of planning for preparedness to kick start the sector and ensures our tourism industry recover again as quickly as possible to continue its major contributions in revenue generation and job creation.
The government of His Excellence Rtd. Brig. Dr. Julius Maada Bio has demonstrated that governance is about being with the people during a trying times like this, that is why the safety net support to the tourism industry is a step in the right direction which the New Direction Manifesto is all about, it is a demonstration that this government is serious about the welfare of its people ’’Talk and Do’’
The beneficiaries of this support expressed so much appreciation and thanks to H.E the President Rtd. Brig. Dr. Julius Maada Bio and the Minister of Tourism and Cultural Affair Hon. Dr. Memunatu B. Pratt including the Minister of Finance Hon. Jacob Jusu Saffa.
They also praised the government adding that “indeed this government has demonstrated that the time for making promises without fulfillment is over and that this is the time for citizens to believe in the government of the New Direction”.
“Since I took over office in Sierra Leone, this support and attention accorded the hospitality industry by the Government is extraordinary.” Hinted by the General Manager of Radisson BLU, George Balassis who has been very supportive to host the successful commencement of the safety net support to employees in the tourism and hospitality industry.
Note that only employees whose names have been submitted by their employers to the NTB and Hotels and Tourism Association will benefit.
The Hon Minister of Tourism and Cultural Affairs and her team; the Permanent Secretary Mrs. Mariatu Browne and the Director of tourism Mr. Mohamed Jalloh.
The Deputy Minister of Tourism and Cultural Affairs Hon. William K. Robinson supervising the payment process
Ongoing verification process
A cross section of beneficiaries of the Safety Net Support
© MTCA MEDIA TEAM
