The Government of Sierra Leone, through the Resilient Urban Sierra Leone Project (RUSLP), with support from the World Bank, handed over a Mobile Laboratory to the Environment Protection Agency. The ceremony, held on Tuesday, December 3rd, 2024, at the EPA-SL headquarters at 38 Freetown Road, Wilberforce Village, officially marked the transfer of the mobile laboratory vehicle to the EPA-SL.

The ceremony was graced by Francis Nkoka, World Bank Task Team Lead (TTL), Resilient Urban Sierra Leone Project, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Jiwoh Abdulai, government officials, and environmental partners, highlighted the importance of this new capability for Sierra Leone’s ongoing efforts to improve urban resilience and sustainable development.

The high-tech mobile laboratory vehicle is tailored explicitly to EPA-SL’s needs. It has advanced testing instruments and monitors greenhouse gas emissions, air, water, and soil for real-time environmental assessment. The vehicle is designed to operate in challenging and diverse terrains, extending EPA-SL’s monitoring capabilities to hard-to-reach areas and enabling rapid response to environmental incidents. In addition, it will serve as a platform to raise public awareness of environmental challenges and promote community involvement in safeguarding natural resources.

Speaking at the ceremony, the Task Team Lead (TTL) for the World Bank Resilient Urban Sierra Leone Project, Francis Samson Nkoka, thanked the technical staff of the RUSLP and EPA for their support and leadership in achieving this milestone. He noted that the Environment Protection Agency is one of the project’s support agencies. He said technology is important but only as good as those using it. The TTL emphasized the need for EPA-SL to have the right people with the right skills, dedication and commitment to manage the mobile laboratory.

The representative from the Ministry of Finance, Morie Momoh, director of the Multilateral Projects Division, expressed thanks and appreciation to the World Bank for providing such support to the government of Sierra Leone. He emphasized the government’s commitment to addressing climate change issues using technology to enhance effectiveness.  

Delivering the keynote address, the Minister of Environment and Climate, Jiwoh Emmanuel Abdulai, on behalf of the Environment Protection Agency-SL, thanked the World Bank and, by extension, the Resilient Urban Sierra Leone Project for providing such support to EPA. He admonished the agency’s leadership to leverage this technology to capture the data needed for effective policy decision-making. He noted that, with this support, the EPA-SL will be effective in getting a data system that derives decision-making and enables it to make sound policies and promptly communicate on environmental issues at national and international levels.

The Resilient Urban Sierra Leone Project, with support from the World Bank, is committed to improving integrated urban management, service delivery, and disaster emergency management in the Western Area and secondary cities of Sierra Leone. By providing resources like the mobile laboratory vehicle to EPA-SL, RUSLP aims to support Sierra Leone’s urban communities in addressing environmental challenges and strengthening their resilience to climate change. 

Francis Samson Nkoka, Task Team Lead (TTL) of the Resilient Urban Sierra Leone Project, and Morie Momoh, director of the Multilateral Projects Division, Ministry of Finance, handed over the Mobile Laboratory vehicle to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change.