Japan grants ¥360,000,000 food aid to Sierra Leone

On Friday 15^th March 2013 their Excellencies Alhaji Osman Foday Yansaneh, High Commissioner of the Republic of Sierra Leone and Mr. Naoto Nikai, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Sierra Leone, signed the Agreement / Exchange of Notes by which the Government of Japan grants Food Aid to Sierra Leone to the tune of three hundred and sixty million Japanese Yen (¥360,000,000)

In his remarks the Ambassador of Japan stated that the grant was as a result of a request from the Government of Sierra Leone to which Japan was positively responding.

The Ambassador emphasized that it was the policy of the Government of Japan to contribute to the Agriculture and Food Security sector of the economy of Sierra Leone, among others.

He assured High Commissioner Yansaneh of his Government’s continued support to the socio economic and infrastructural development of the Republic of Sierra Leone.

In his response, High Commissioner Alhaji Osman Foday Yansaneh on behalf of His Excellency the President, the Government and people of Sierra Leone expressed thanks and appreciation to the Government of Japan for the laudable gesture.

High Commissioner Yansaneh reiterated the excellent bilateral relations existing between Sierra Leone and Japan and commended the Japanese Government for its continued support to the development aspirations of Sierra Leone.

He recalled the various areas in which the Government of Japan is currently contributing in Sierra Leone, viz Agriculture and Food Security, Education, Energy and Water Resources, Rural Development and Sanitation Training and Human Resource Development etc.

High Commissioner Yansaneh urged the Government of Japan for more support in various other sectors especially energy and infrastructure to meet His Excellency the President’s avowed agenda for prosperity. As a debt ridden country, High Commissioner Yansaneh intimated that the Government of Sierra Leone would welcome any form of debt relief from the Government of Japan.

In a related issue, the Embassy of Japan has informed that the Government of Japan has provided ¥1,397,000,000 for the “Urgent Improvement of Power Distribution System in Freetown”. The formal signing of the agreement for the said grant is expected to take place in the near future.

Meanwhile High Commissioner Yansaneh presented a copy of the President’s Agenda for Prosperity to his counterpart.

He concluded by assuring the Japanese Ambassador that the grant will be judiciously utilized so that the intended objective will be achieved.

Present at the signing ceremony were Mrs. Nasratha Bakie Remoe-Doherty, Counsellor and Head of Chancery, Mrs. Adama K. Tucker and Mr. Alusine S. Yilla both First Secretaries in the High Commission of the Republic of Sierra Leone.

By Osman Benk Sankoh

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STATEMENT BY HIS EXCELLENCY MR OSMAN FODAY YANSANEH HIGH COMMISSIONER OF THE REPUBLIC OF SIERRA LEONE ON THE OCCASION OF THE SIGNING CEREMONY OF THE EXCHANGE OF NOTES FOR THE JAPANESE FOOD AID GRANT – FRIDAY 15^TH MARCH 2013

Your Excellency Naoto Nikai, Ambassador of Japan

Ladies and Gentlemen

Once again on behalf of His Excellency the President the Government and people of the Republic of Sierra Leone, I am deeply gratified to sign this Exchange of Notes extending yet another grant for Food Aid amounting to three hundred and sixty Million Yen for the people of Sierra Leone.

Your Excellency, for the last 5 years since the APC Government came to power, your Government has contributed immensely to the socio-economic development of Sierra Leone. This is about the 4^th Exchange of Notes in the last five years by which your Government has granted both project and non project grants to the Government of Sierra Leone. This is a manifestation of the excellent bilateral relations existing between our two countries.

Your Excellency, I wish to take this opportunity to express the appreciation of the Government of Sierra Leone for the various socio-economic and technical cooperation projects sponsored by the Government of Japan through JICA. Government acknowledges your contribution in the areas of Energy, Agriculture, Education, Water and Sanitation, Training and Human Resource Development.

In particular I wish to express in advance His Excellency’s profound gratitude to the Government of Japan for its decision to provide ¥1,397,000,000 for the “For Urgent Improvement of Power Distribution System in Freetown”.

I wish to also take this opportunity to further solicit the continued support of the Government of Japan for President Koroma’s agenda for prosperity. As a debt ridden country, Government looks forward to any form of debt relief in the near future by the Government of Japan.

In conclusion, Your Excellency. I wish to assure you that the grant will be judiciously utilized so as to attain its intended objective.

I thank you.

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