_As New Freetown City Council Complex to house Ministries, Departments and Agencies…_
Bio’s Government Goes Contrary to Agreement with South Korean Government
By Hassan Mohamed Kamara

As government resolves to officially open the Korean funded New Administrative Freetown City Council Complex in November this year, news filtering in is that the government of His Excellency President Julius Maada Bio has resolved to let the council’s proposed administrative building house some government Ministries, Department and Agencies. 
The move, which is a complete contravention of the 2013 finance Agreement signed by the Government of Sierra Leone with Korea Eximbank for the construction of a new Freetown City Council building complex, has created some disappointment and dissatisfaction as the financers of the over USD 60 Million (sixty million dollars) project are believed to have insisted that the project is for the sole administration of the Freetown City Council and not to house other MDAs.

The total cost for this administrative building was initially $44,700,000.00 plus an additional request by the Freetown City Council of $4,130,000.00. Work on this building commenced on the 12th October 2017 and it is expected to end on the 11th November 2020. It is now 99.27% complete.
Leaked information, however, from the Bio’s administration is that the government wants to move most of its ministries from the traditional Youyi Building in Brookfields, Freetown, to the new Freetown City Council Administrative Building. 
This is in complete violation of the agreement between the Government of Sierra Leone and the Korean Government as the building was built specifically for the administration of the Freetown City.

Here is the basic plan of the new Freetown City Council complex whish was funded by the South Korean government. Information provided courtesy of the Sierra Leone embassy in Seoul, South Korea:  Basement Floor (Electrical room, mechanical room, etc).  Floor 1 (Exhibition and Administrative halls).  Floor 2 (40 desk computer lab complete with a lounge)  Floors 3 and 4 (Auditorium linked to annex car park at Floor 3 via a corridor)  Floors 5 and 6 (Conference Hall, Mayor’s Parlour, Deputy Mayor’s office, offices for support staff and visitors’ gallery)  Floor 7 (18 offices, Meeting Room, Archiving Room for FCC personnel)  Floors 8 to 12 (Additional office accommodation)  Floor 13 (Four mayoral state of the art guest suites)  Floor 14 (Sky Lounge, fitness facility, kitchen and canteen complex)  Annex Building (six-floor car park connecting to rear of auditorium at the third floor)

However, this plan is currently being altered by the Government of Sierra Leone to get Ministries occupy a significant portion of this building. That plan is contrary to the agreement signed with the Koreans. Hence, it is been recorded that the Korean officials are extremely dissatisfied and disappointed with the move by the Bio led government.
Furthermore, serious concerns have also been expressed in various quarters about the future maintenance and upkeep of this landmark structure, as it is understood that there are no plans currently by the Government of Sierra Leone regarding the maintenance of the Complex.