Saudi Arabia Assures Sierra Leone in Post – Ebola Recovery Plan

Sierra Leone’s Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has said that his country attaches great importance to its brotherly and friendly ties with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. (Photo: Ambassador Kargbo and team with the Governor of Riyadh)

Ambassador Alhaji M.S. Kargbo made the remarks early this week during courtesy calls on the newly appointed Governor of Riyadh Region, His Royal Highness Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Abdul-Aziz, and the Deputy Foreign Minister, His Royal Highness, Prince Abdullah Bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud at their respective offices in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia.

His Excellency the Ambassador said the two countries have enjoyed very close and long-standing relationship based on mutual trust and shared values. During their meetings, they exchanged cordial talks and discussed issues of common interest between the two countries. Among the discussions, were the desire of both countries to foster greater bilateral relations between the two sister countries and the immediate eradication of the deadly Ebola virus in Sierra Leone.

The Ambassador thanked them on behalf of the President, His Excellency Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma, the Government and people of Sierra Leone for Saudi Arabia’s solidarity and support in the fight against the virus since it struck last year.

He informed that the number of new Ebola cases in Sierra Leone has dropped drastically and that the Government is now developing a Post Ebola Recovery Plan.

Ambassador Kargbo and team with Deputy Foreign Minister

The envoy said the Government is seeking the support of Saudi Arabia to deliver on this plan. The Plan, he added, will deliver on four major priority sectors –first, restoring the health centers and second, education; third, livelihoods and social protection; and fourth sustaining service delivery through expanding government’s fiscal space, and revamping the private sector.

Responding, the Princes assured of Saudi Arabia’s commitment to support Sierra Leone’s Post-Ebola development programmes as encapsulated in the Post Ebola Recovery Plan and they hoped and prayed that the economy will soon be rejuvenated after the outbreak.

It would be recalled that the late Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdul-Aziz al-Saud donated $35m (Thirty Five Million United States Dollars) in December 2014 for the fight against the Ebola Virus Disease in West Africa.

The Saudi based Islamic Development Bank (IDB) has also reinforced the health sector in Sierra Leone by making available to the Government of Sierra Leone the sum of $ 10m (Ten Million United States Dollars).

According to Cocorioko online newspaper, it came into fruition Friday, April 17, 2015 when Dr. Kaifala Marah, Sierra Leone’s Finance and Economic Development Minister and Dr. Ahmad Mohamed Ali Al-Madani President of IDB signed a “health sector system strengthening financing highly concessional loan agreement”.

The Ambassador was accompanied by the Head of Chancery, Umaru Dura, First Secretary, Salamu Koroma and the Press Attaché.

At the Foreign Ministry, the Deputy Minister for Protocol Affairs (Chief of Protocol), Mr. Azzam Al Qain, Director General, General Administration for African Countries, Mr. Khalid Mufti, witnessed the meeting and top ranking officials attached to the Governor’s office were also in attendance.

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