Ambassador Foh calls for more CADFund investment in Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone’s envoy to China, His Excellency Victor Bockarie Foh has, on Wednesday 14^th August strongly advocated for more Chinese investments to be taken into Sierra Leone, when he encouraged the China-Africa Development Fund (CADFund) to do more in Sierra Leone because “the government will offer beautiful good investor climate and when CADFund put their money into Sierra Leone the Chinese friendship and cooperation with Sierra Leone will grow from strength to strength”

Speaking during a meeting with the Chief Executive Officer of CADFund, Ambassador Victor Bockarie Foh informed Chi kianxin, that the government of President Ernest Bai Koroma is one that cares for the poor “a government that cares for everybody, we don’t discriminate amongst our people…” whilst asking that CADFund, through Hanan Gouji in Sierra Leone, invest in the area of affordable housing project, amongst other areas of potential investments. “Such a housing project will be attractive to the government of sierra Leone”, he assured.

China, Ambassador Foh said, is Africa’s future, when it comes to development. “I am therefore appealing that CADFund gives much stronger support to Sierra Leone as we are a nation with challenges in the areas of housing, agriculture, health and education”, he said, adding that the country needs medical attention “as the health care delivery system is a priority for government …” President Ernest Bai Koroma, Ambassador Foh informed, wants to leave a legacy of development in Sierra Leone and given what is now being done through the prosperity agenda, “ CADFund fits in remarkably well”

Speaking from the sub regional perspective, Ambassador Foh expressed strong belief that east and southern Africa regions are getting great attention from CADFund. “We are therefore appealing that some of this attention be shifted to include more West African countries”, he said, whilst thanking CADFund for having Ghana as a representational country in West Africa and for allowing them take “some portion but I believe sierra Leone, small as we are, that identified china as a sleeping giant over forty two years ago when the rest of the world did not realize the potential and greatness of china, that type of country should benefit more attention from Chinese investment…”

Speaking further, Ambassador informed the CADFund chief that the doors of the Sierra Leone Embassy have been opened widest “so that Chinese investors could go to Sierra Leone where the investment climate is good, where Chinese companies’ legitimate interests will be protected and where government to government, Private Public Partnership and all forms of business will be very well protected”

Specifically paying tribute to Hanan Gouji, a company presently operating in Sierra Leone and who are partners with CADFund, Ambassador Foh said, the company has asked government to grant them the land they are occupying at the moment in cline town for the construction of an industrial complex “we are looking at CADFund to help them develop that project”, he stated and further informed CADFund of how government is “encouraging Hanan Gouji to acquire huge acreage of land around Freetown so that they could develop housing complexes for a national housing scheme…”

He expressed happiness to be informed that CADFund is partnering with Hanan Gouji,a company, he said has been in sierra Leone for over 10 years and “ a very good company and dependable partners… with them CADFund can have very good results” Ambassador Foh also thanked CADFund for taking “Sierra Leone as a strategic country to invest and we can only encourage CADFund to invest even more in the country”. He ended by saying there are a number of Chinese companies that are operating in sierra Leone in various fields covering mining hydro power, roads construction, infrastructural construction for housing, rural electrification, and telecommunication, amongst other areas.

In his statement, Chi kianxin informed Ambassador Foh that they “pay much attention to investment in sierra Leone and also in Africa as a whole”

CADFund, he disclosed, has a joint venture investment in Sierra Leone with Chinese partners like Hanan Gouji Group. He expressed their wish and commitment to invest more in Sierra Leone and also expressed optimism that with the presence of Ambassador Foh in China CADFund will strengthen its “cooperation and investment in sierra Leone”

Giving a brief background, Chi kianxin informed Ambassador Foh that CADFund was established in 2006 as one of the eight measures announced by the Chinese Government along the objectives of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation. He explained further that CADFund is the first equity investment fund in the country, primarily focusing on investment in Africa, with an aim of enhancing China-Africa economic cooperation and promotes Africa’s development through direct investment.

He disclosed, they are an equity investment agency that has invested about 2.3 billion dollars in Africa with over 60 projects in 30 African countries and with representational offices in four African countries; South Africa, Ethiopia, Ghana and Zambia.

The agency, he went on, focuses its attention on infrastructure development as well as in the areas of transportation, electricity, railway and manufacturing sector. CADFund has often focused its investment opportunities in industrialization and urbanization, he said.

Meanwhile, with apparent commitment on the part of CADFund to invest more in Sierra Leone, both Ambassador Foh and Chi Kianxin discussed issues of cost and land ownership on the request for investment housing project by Ambassador Foh.

Ambassador Foh was accompanied by his core staff in the Embassy, including the HOC, Paul Minah, Financial Attaché, Amara Koroma and the First Secretary, Augusta Akibo-Jones.

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