Indeed there is a lot to think through, Ayo.  And we will continue to evolve in thinking and actions.  

 

According to you...

I wouldn't worry about competition - according to the
Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper the need in 2005 was
for 350,000 affordable houses. Tellingly, the PRSP
does not mention land tenure reform (unless i missed
it).
 

We are not too worried about competition but more so interested in having us do what is best for our country, and if S/Leoneans pose a competitive bid, ceteris paribus, they should be seriously considered for the bid.  And if their proposal out bids the others in terms of cost, time-to-market - i.e. speed of building the houses (12 a day), etc, then it is a no-brainer as to where the contract should go.  

A lot of times we tend to miss the importance of having charity begin at home and we should be wary of that as a nation. 

 

The PRSP may fall a little short at the estimation of the affordable homes needed in Sierra Leone at 350,000 (it is really more like 500,000) but as you can see (especially those who had initially thought the 200,000 homes were too much) there is a great and real need for this.  The PRSP may also have unintentionally missed the Land Tenure Act but it is imperative to our success with this project.

 

Most of these questions would be answered at the event planned for this Saturday, April 14, 2007.  PEACE Clubs initiative from 12:00 noon to 4:00 p.m. at the Mirage Hall, in Silver Spring , MD (1401 E. University Blvd Hyattsville, MD 20783 ).

 

Attached are FAQs you had mentioned the other day, which is part of our plan and will accompany our marketing materials.  We are going to offer it here for your perusal.  You can offer any comments to me in private and we will address it if we can.  Otherwise we would let you know we can't!  More information will be provided to keen speculators who are willing to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).  NASSIT received our proposal today and have acknowledged receipt of it.

 

We plan to help rebuild Salone -- And we hope more of our compatriots can join us on this project and the many others that will be springing up in due time.  But this goes beyond just talking and playing lip service.  This is a real project that we believe can help SL's economy big time. 

 

Salone

Nah wi ohl yone!

 

Amadu Massally
 

On 4/10/07, Ayo Johnson <ayoj2@yahoo.com> wrote:

thanks, but all i've said is there's a lot to think
through, amadu! which i'm sure you all know anyway...
but the land tenure thing is a big one. It seems that
with the laws being the way they are now, the homes
will have to be offered at 75 year maximum leases if
in the provinces if everyone is to be on a level
playing field. But there's an opportunity to change
that to a longer term with the constitutional review
process. I think the scale of the project represents
an opportunity to pressure the government in the right
direction regarding land tenure reforms.

There's also the question of the impact on local
government structures. With the devolution process
producing mixed results, or still in transition with a
lot of capacity problems creating new communities
could represent an opportunity to model how local
government could work - or it could be seen as a
political threat on the local and national level.
It also occurs to me that it may be best in the
initial stages to put a few thousand houses in
existing communities, as opposed to constructing new
ones. For one thing, we get more time to work through
the complex issues of creating new societies. Not
being negative here, but the history of creating new
human settlements from scratch is spotty. But at least
we can learn from others' mistakes.

I wouldn't worry about competition - according to the
Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper the need in 2005 was
for 350,000 affordable houses. Tellingly, the PRSP
does not mention land tenure reform (unless i missed
it).

a

--- Amadu Massally <amadu.massally@gmail.com > wrote:

> This is great stuff, Ayo. A lot of good feedback
> here and it seems you have
> not even really thought about this thing but just
> culling stuff from the
> head; and that appears impressive. We have thought
> about some of the things
> you have mentioned here, but not all. So quite
> frankly you are adding value
> to the cause already.
>
> I think you hit the nail right on the head with the
> following words:
> "If we can manage relationships successfully
> (and avoid the ego bombshells that have so often
> torpedoed our ideals and hopes we've got it
> made!!)."
>
> Therein lies the greatest of impediments to
> S/Leonean success. We even
> purchase goods and services from others that are
> non-S/Leonean competitors
> because we have failed to understand the *value* of
> circulating funds from
> within our own S/Leonean community. Even you and
> I may have squandered
> opportunities to work with others because of ego
> issues. We are only
> humans... But for once we are asking that
> S/Leoneans swallow their egos and
> unhealthy competitive spirit to achieve the greater
> good for our country.
>
> I have been embarrassed sometimes that NASSIT for
> example, will quicker work
> with foreigners not because they necessarily want to
> per se, but because
> S/Leoneans have not been able to present sound
> proposals to viable
> projects. Look at housing for example, where NASSIT
> has partnered with the
> Ghanaian company Regimanuel Gray, so what happens
> now if a S/Leonean company
> like TIDES can do better; in time to market (12
> homes a day), master-planned
> cities, and especially, cost? Should a
> S/Leonean-owned company that has
> envisaged a plan that makes sense and that has
> competitive advantage with
> the potential to put our country in a relatively
> better position be ignored
> because there is a relatively less favorable plan in
> place? What about land
> tenure laws and how will they impact these ideas?
> These are things we need to consider and will
> require S/Leonean support from
> across the board.
>
> Most of these questions would be answered at the
> event planned for this
> Saturday. *PEACE Clubs initiative from 12:00 noon
> to 4:00 p.m. at the
> Mirage Hall, in Silver Spring , MD ( 1401 E.
> University Blvd Hyattsville ,
> MD 20783 ).*
>
> Don't wait for someone else to come and tell you
> that it is Utopia because
> they do not believe. Come and see how the whole
> thing works... for
> yourself!
>
> - TIDES
> - TIDES Enabling Council (TEC)
> - Peace Clubs
> - SHELTER Programme
> - Investment/Financing Options
> - Mortgage
> - Overview of the business plan, etc.
>
> And bring your questions. Or ask them prior to
> Saturday either in public
> (like you have Ayo) or in private to
> saloneamadu@gmail.com .
>
> We would like to suggest that those of us who have
> shown interest thus far
> convene on a conference call shortly after our
> Saturday showdown with the
> Ambassador. I am itching to share the financials
> with you so you can get a
> better picture! All I can say for now is that if it
> works the way planned,
> even with a pessimistic outcome, there are lots of
> benefits to be
> experienced for all active participants.
>
> We keep prayng for a better Salone!
>
> Amadu Massally
>
>
> On 4/9/07, Ayo Johnson < ayoj2@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> > Cheers, Amadu. Unfortunately, I cannot make the
> April
> > 14 session but I will develop further questions
> and
> > send to you hopefully before then so they can be
> > addressed as well. May I also suggest that you
> issue
> > an open call for people to submit their questions
> and
> > concerns in advance of the meeting? Should help in
> > preparation, etc, and build relationships. Your
> report
> > of the meeting should reflect some of these
> > questions... And you can develop a FAQ as part of
> the
> > marketing and communication of the concept.
> Perhaps
> > you can also organise an online meeting...?
> >
> > I'm glad you mention minimum wage. I have been
> > thinking about developing a network (association)
> of
> > businesses which would agree to subscribe to some
> > basic principles (fair trade, minimum wage,
> minimum
> > standards above the national averages...) which
> should
> > also lift many of our people out off poverty and
> put
> > them on the path to sustainable living.
> > In the early stages of working on starting an
> export
> > oriented agribusiness based on those same
> principles -
> > should serve as a pilot to test the feasibility.
> >
> > But as with the housing project, there is so much
> to
> > think about - social and economic impacts,
> > sustainability, etc. But in general, the idea of
> > voluntarily establishing minimum standards for
> labour
> > as a starting point from which one derives pricing
> and
> > marketing structures is one that i think is not
> only
> > ethical but can be good for the bottom line.
> >
> > The numbers game is actually the easy part, in my
> > view. But I do have confidence in the collective
> > intelligence of our people to work through the
> hard
> > parts. If we can manage relationships successfully
> > (and avoid the ego bombshells that have so often
> > torpedoed our ideals and hopes we've got it
> made!!)
> >
> > anyway... more later
> >
> > - a
> > --- Amadu Massally < amadu.massally@gmail.com

> <amadu.massally% 40gmail.com>>
> > wrote:
> >

> > > Ayo: Thanks for the support buddy! A guy like
> you
> > > can play several roles
> > > but we would like to use the skills set that is
> most
> > > relevant to the project
> > > and enjoyable to you at the same time. So just
> know
> > you
> > > that we're on! There
> > > is a lot of work to be done, including
> convincing
> > > S/Leoneans everywhere and
> > > the key stakeholders on the ground. Pulling
> > > investors together is always a
> > > plus, and I know you have a lot of contact not
> just
> > > in the Caribbean but
> > > globally, and we would like to leverage on such
> > > partners/associates/friends
> > > etc. And this holds true for every other Sierra
> > > Leonean.
> > >
> > > We believe we have a plan to include even some
> of
> > > the poor who may have no
> > > hope today. Of course we will not be employing
> all
> > > the millions that need
> > > jobs today, but with the construction of the
> pilot
> > > phase alone and the area
> > > appropriated for agriculture we will definitely
> be
>

=== message truncated ===

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