SLIEPA and partner dialogue on product packaging
The Sierra Leone Import and Export Promotion Agency (SLIEPA) and other partners in the trade sector on Wednesday 20th January this year concluded a one-day consultative meeting to dialogue on ways to increase on the country’s export competiveness through improved product packaging at the Hub Hotel, Wilberforce, Freetown.
During the meeting, an international consultancy group Treglor Global Consultancy presented their findings on the needs assessment on the sustainment of packaging in the country that was launched in September last year.
Speaking at the consultative meeting, the Chief Executive Officer of SLIEPA, Raymond Kai Gbekie, said the event was organized to look at the report so that all local players involved in it will make input into the final document.
He explained that the whole idea of the project is to develop the export arm of the nation and to also increase export as opposed to the importing so that the country will have a balance of payment in trade.
Mr. Gbekie also noted that over the years the nation had huge deficit in that part.
According to him, SLIEPA is mandated to bring investment into the country, facilitate and diversify them, noting that at present the world is moving into a new phase.
The SLIEPA boss also said as a nation, we need to make sure all products have comparative advantage over other products, noting that it is for the sole reason that Government through the Commonwealth Secretariat is concentrating on this product.
Addressing participants at the ceremony, the Commonwealth representative to the project, Olayinka Bandele, said the project is a response to Government’s call to develop the trade sector under the ‘Agenda for Prosperity’ development programme.
She explained that the project of standard packaging is part of the trade liberalization to encourage our local products into the international market and promise that the Commonwealth will support the project to the end.
Olayinka Bandele noted that SMES/exporters require support to raise their technical understanding of international requirement for packaging of goods for increased competiveness by ensuring compliance with international standards.
According to some of the findings and observations in the report, the vast majority of some products for export are gari, smoked fish, honey, cocoa beans and natural food supplement.
However, there are serious challenges for the packaging of these products as the report recommended that in order to improve on the packaging of local products, the Government must promote farm productivity for export opportunities. Stakeholders must also develop a national code of professional packaging designers; diversity rang of packaging materials, increase SME access to packaging equipment, increase knowledge in packaging strategies and to increase quality of processed food.
The report further recommended that in order to increase export competiveness, the country must first and foremost face the twin challenges of moving agriculture from subsistence to commercial level for high and sustainable raw material supplies.
Several participants at the meeting made meaningful contributions to the report.
By Ayodele Deen Cole
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