Statement by HE President Ernest Bai Koroma at the OIC, Istanbul, Turkey, 11-09-09:
P r o t o c o l s: As-Salaam-Alaikum    I am very happy to be amongst fellow heads of state of the Organization of the Islamic Conference. Continued consultation and cooperation amongst nations of this august body is the best way forward to meeting the common challenges confronting us.
Distinguished Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, we need to cooperate in order to more robustly uphold the cherished religious values of peace, perseverance and service. Governments are constituted to secure justice, safeguard the weak against the strong, and advance humanity. It is the duty of every government to live up to these ideals. God grants some of us authority over others that we may use our strength, knowledge and resources to the glory of His Name and the betterment of His creation. Our membership of this august organization must be guided by the urge to cooperate with each other to meet these divine ideals.
Today, many member states of the Organization of the Islamic Conference are living through turbulent economic times. For those of us in Africa, at least, the global crises did not begin with, or in any way experience the bank closures in America. First, there was the food crisis that saw the global price of rice, our staple, double in less than a year. Then came the fuel crisis, with oil prices climbing to prices that put enormous strain on our already limited resources. And, finally, there was the financial crisis that plunged the whole world into recession.
These shocks threatened to reverse the modest gains we have been making. Mineral exports in the first half of 2009 fell by more than a third from the same period in 2008, and our diaspora remittances fell by 30%. Ordinary Sierra Leoneans have been hit hard by high fuel and food prices. But, we weathered the storm.
In 2007, I took power in a successful transition of Government that was met without the violence or large-scale protests that have too often accompanied elections elsewhere. According to the World Bank, political stability and our citizens’ ability to hold government to account has improved faster in Sierra Leone than in almost any other country in the world. We are becoming better known by the people who visit our country for our citizens’ friendliness, tolerance and hospitality, and our capital city now recognised as one of the safest in Africa.
My government has a clear plan to transform Sierra Leone. This plan is set out in what I call my Agenda for Change, which focuses on agriculture, energy, road infrastructure and human development. We are already making good progress:
- in energy, the long awaited Bumbuna Dam has been completed, providing up to 50MW of clean, affordable and sustainable hydro electricity to Freetown and the surrounding areas;
- in agriculture, we have deployed over three times more tractors, power tillers, and combine harvesters than last year, while the land ploughed for rice cultivation is up by 35% since last year. In recognition of our efforts, we have been named champion of agriculture in the continent by AU/NEPAD;
- in infrastructure, core road building projects are making good progress and will be completed before the end of 2012; and
- in health, maternal mortality has fallen by around 30% in the last three years.
Wherever you look in Sierra Leone, you see untapped opportunities, many of which we will be showcasing to private investors at our first international Trade and Investment Forum to be held in London on November 18th.
From mining to infrastructure, agribusiness to renewable energy, tourism to fisheries, our economy has great potential. The foundations have been laid; Sierra Leone is now ready for significant, high return investment. Coming from the private sector myself, I can promise international investors that if you are willing to commit to investing in Sierra Leone, you will find the country stable, rewarding, and exciting.
None of this belies the challenges that lie ahead. If the food, fuel and financial crises have taught us anything, it is to expect the unexpected. They have also taught us that we live in a complex and interconnected world, and that no country can hope to insulate itself completely from the challenges faced by others.
My call therefore is for greater cooperation amongst members of this august organization to meet these challenges. First we must fight poverty. I reiterate here the words of Ali Ibn Abi Talib (God’s blessing on him) ‘If poverty were a human being, I would have taken my sword and slain it, for poverty is next to unfaith.’ We must fight poverty if we seek to advance our cherished values.
Second, we must act on our commitments; we must go beyond words to implement our ideals. Our religious traditions advise that acting is a stronger form of faith than mere words. Let these traditions guide us as we act to confront the ravages of poverty that confront our people. It is our duty, as members of the Organization of Islamic Conference to robustly confront the affront to our cherished ideals that terrorism poses.
I thank you for your attention.
ShukranStay with Sierra Express Media, for your trusted place in news!
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