Salone mission join AFFORD in boosting investment

“I am privileges and honoured to welcome you all to the ABC Trade Mission Promotion Meeting, the centrepiece of which is to help enhance Sierra Leone Development Agenda in the form of Trade Promotion and Foreign Direct Investment attraction.”

Those were the words of Sahr Prince Demba, Minister Counsellor and Head of Chancery at the Sierra Leone High Commission in the United Kingdom, while addressing a group of Potential investors mainly Sierra Leoneans and other nationals this evening in a trade mission promotion meeting organised by AFFORD Business Centre (ABC).

The meeting was geared towards encouraging Sierra Leoneans to take leading roles in boosting investment in Sierra Leone with AFFORD providing business consultation and coordination link with business companies in Sierra Leone.

The Head of Chancery said the Sierra Leone government is cognisant of the engines of growth for global economic development and therefore in its Agenda for Prosperity, the government underscores the importance of trade and foreign investment.

He said history has shown that trade and investment have been major contributing factors for the economic development of major industrial powers.

Demba who was welcoming guests at the well-attended meeting, recalled that in recent times Sierra Leone’s trade and investment potentials was brought to light by leaders from various countries at the Sierra Leone Trade Investment Forum held in London in 2009.

Counsellor Obai Taylor Kamara, who spoke on the topic ‘Trade Requirements trade requirements, business and investment opportunities in Sierra Leone, said his country is going through what he described as a ‘fantastic transformation,’ making reference to first, the Agenda for Change and then the Agenda for Prosperity.

“The Agenda for Change brought about major positive changes – from the incredible energy improvement to the improved road infrastructure,” Counsellor Taylor Kamara highlighted.

He said there is still a long way to go for Sierra Leone with lots of challenges ahead, noting that there may be corruption in the country but the government is making great strides in addressing that issue making specific reference to the Lungi International Airport where CCTV cameras are now been installed.

Taylor Kamara said there are lots of business opportunities in Sierra Leone and called on all to take advantage of the current situation.

Meanwhile, the Director of ABC Toyin Dania, while introducing the ABC package options and travel dates earlier, said unemployment rate in the country is about seventy percent and one of her organisation’s objectives is to address that issue.

Toyin disclosed that Sierra Leone is among the top ten best economic performing African countries, according to the March 2013 rating and encouraged all to focus on Sierra Leone.

She said her organisation will serve as a link between people wanting to go and invest into Sierra Leone and business companies in the country.

AFFORD, among other things, will arrange bookings, hotel reservations, logistics, transportation and fix up pre-arranged meetings with a number of companies and institutions including the Chamber of Commerce, according to Toyin who urged the gathering to “get on the plane lets show you Sierra Leone.”

Michael Vincent, a prominent Sierra Leonean businessman in the airline business spoke on his experience and partnership in Sierra Leone and endorsed AFFORD’s initiative whilst also encouraging Sierra Leoneans generally to come out and take the destiny of their country into their own hands especially in the business sector.

“Sierra Leone is open for business and I can guarantee you’ll never regret it if you go there and invest your money,” Vincent said.

There were other speakers including Ghanaian Director of Arumas Health Service and Travel clinic who cautioned the need for vaccination and health advice for people travelling to Sierra Leone and assured that her organisation could provide the basic health information and treatment required before travel.

There was a question and answer session that was followed by networking and registration for the trade mission to Sierra Leone.

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