RMFA Deputy CEO Highlights Major Challenges and Achievements in Road Maintenance
The Deputy CEO of the Road Maintenance Fund Administration (RMFA), Bashirr Sheriff, has outlined critical challenges hindering the administration’s road maintenance efforts and highlighted their achievements during a recent engagement with Parliament’s Sub-Appropriation Committee chaired by Hon. Ambrose Maada Lebby.
The Deputy CEO made the remarks in an exclusive interview after a Parliamentary scrutiny session on RMFA’s budget allocations and activities on Friday, December 6, 2024.
Sheriff emphasized the need for harmonization of legal frameworks governing road maintenance, citing conflicts among the RMFA Act, the Sierra Leone Road Authority (SLRA) Act, and the Councils Act. These conflicts, he noted, have created tensions in determining roles and responsibilities, with multiple agencies often overlapping in their mandates.
“We recommended to Parliament the harmonization of these acts to streamline responsibilities and reduce conflicts,” he stated. Sheriff also pointed out that other entities such as SCADEP, Agriculture, and NaCSA undertake road maintenance without coordinating with RMFA, despite the latter being the national custodian of road maintenance. He recommended that a percentage of donor funds be channeled directly to RMFA rather than through other agencies.
Another major challenge involves the SLRA’s vehicle registration and licensing system. According to Sheriff, there is no concrete data on the number of vehicles registered and licensed annually. “What SLRA provides to RMFA is just about 10 percent instead of the 70 percent stipulated in official documents,” he disclosed, citing an informal agreement as the basis for this discrepancy.
Additionally, the RMFA’s funding from road user charges is insufficient. Sheriff revealed that Sierra Leone collects just 3 US cents per liter of fuel, the lowest rate in Africa. He proposed increasing this to 20 US cents to boost road maintenance funds. He also criticized mining companies for failing to pay road user charges, calling for stricter measures to ensure compliance.
Despite these challenges, Sheriff expressed pride in RMFA’s achievements. He noted that the administration collaborates with SLRA and 22 local councils to implement road maintenance projects. RMFA’s approach involves assessing community needs, verifying them on-site, and disbursing funds in tranches, with transparency and accountability being central to their operations.
“Parliament commended us for our transparency and accountability,” Sheriff said, emphasizing that no council has reported non-receipt of funds. He assured that efforts are ongoing to enhance public awareness about RMFA’s functions, including providing communities with details about contractors and project costs to foster oversight.
In addressing urban potholes and feeder roads, Sheriff mentioned that RMFA is collaborating with Pavifort in the Western Area and tackling provincial roads, such as the Masiaka-Kenema connection. He also highlighted plans to decentralize the contractor selection process by engaging local contractors, which he believes will empower communities and improve project outcomes.
To improve road maintenance operations, Sheriff proposed: harmonizing legal frameworks to eliminate role conflicts; increasing road user charges and ensuring mining companies contribute to the fund; stablishing new funding sources beyond budget allocations; enhancing collaboration with implementing partners to provide timely information and avoid project delays.
Sheriff concluded by calling for stronger oversight of SLRA’s revenue collection processes and timely updates from councils and technical teams to streamline project monitoring and execution.
As Sierra Leone grapples with a road network spanning 11,300 kilometers, RMFA’s leadership remains committed to addressing these challenges and ensuring better road conditions nationwide.
