Catch the latest interview with R. Stefan Templeton on the Sierra Leone Broadcasting Station as he discusses dredging and the sand mining industry. He advocates for river dredging to extract minerals for the construction industry that are environmentally sustainable and responsible in order to spur Sierra Leone’s infrastructure development.
Currently, the construction sector in Sierra Leone uses sand from the beaches. This is detrimental to the country as it contributes to coastal erosion for which there is no national legislation to protect against. Templeton notes that mining for beach sand erodes the coasts which undermines the territorial integrity of the country.
Second, using beach sand in building construction does not meet the international standards for building material and can lead to substandard building security. Sierra Leone has witnessed building collapses in recent months. Templeton says that river sand has the optimal contents for concrete adhesives for long-term building stability and he advocates for a change in the sand mining industry to protect Sierra Leone’s long-term economic growth.
Interview Part 1
Interview Part 2
