 On 5 May 2007, Harding was given an "award of excellence" by the "Bookish Klan of the Milton Margai College of Education and Technology, Goderich Campus, for his "immense contribution to National Development" particularly in his capacity as Minister of Transport and Communication during which tenure Sierra Leone has witnessed "an impact growth" in telecommunications".On 3 June 2007, a helicopter owned by Paramount Airlines crashed at Lungi International Airport outside of Freetown, killing 22 people, including the Togo Minister of Sport, Richard Attipoe.The 22 people were returning from a football match in Freetown where Togo beat Sierra Leone 1–0 in African Cup of Nations qualifiers.