A new company known as Leonkhain Holdings Company Sierra Leone Limited (LHC-SL LTD) is a leading Sierra Leonean general merchandise and high-tech dredging and sand mining company with strong links with the Ellicott Dredge and Sand Mining LLC in the United States of America.
According to the Chairman of the board and CEO of the company, Mr. Sam Khay Sesay LHC – SL LTD and its international partners from the US, UK and Nigeria have consented to invest in a first class dredging and sand mining machinery and equipment business to serve as a premiere service provider in the areas of sand mining, dredging and environmental protection for the private sector, government ministries like the Ministry of Transport and Aviation, its new airport terminal, agriculture and mining sectors of the country.
Mr. Sesay was addressing a press conference over the weekend at the company’s head office situated at Fourah Bay in Freetown.
He said with this new development, the company will create job opportunities for thousands of youths, starting with two hundred in the western area, noting that as the company expands its operation in the north and south, they will employ more youths around the country.
The CEO stressed the need for the dredging of the rivers to make them navigable to access those strategic production locations.
He said construction industry needs a huge quality of sand supply throughout the year to meet its target on schedule.
Mr. Sesay noted that presently the sand mining industry is not well organized in the country and supply is sometimes inadequate during the rainy season.
With the introduction of the Ellicot Dredge from the USA by Leonkhain Holdings Company, which has the capacity to draw from the sea bed a minimum of 400mt of sand every day i.e., 400 truck loads per one machine in the first year, another machine will be procured to double production by 2014 to meet the country’s demand.
The CEO said they will acquire land on lease in their operational areas to stockpile sand supplies to serve clients throughout the year regardless of season.
He recalled that recently, his company conducted a baseline survey in the western rural area, northern and southern provinces.
He informed that the western rural area which hosts the capital city of Sierra Leone has a population of over 2 million people with a demand of over 1.5 million tons of sand per annum.
This quantity of sand in this area alone can amount to USD 24.4M. A similar amount can also be obtained in the northern province where we have the private sector with fast growing towns with more than 1.5 million people and mining companies – London mining, African Minerals and ADDAX Bio Energy that have a huge demand for sand for their infrastructural development.
Mr. Sesay said in the near future, these companies need to develop the River Rokel water way for the export of their products, noting that the river should be dredged to make it navigable for batches and ships to reach delivery points.
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Source: SEM, June 13, 2013