Director-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Ambassador Victoria Sulimani, has assured visiting Chinese moguls that Sierra Leone is Safe for Business and Investment.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Corporation on Monday welcomed a team of Chinese investors at their Tower Hill conference room. The team was accompanied by Sierra Leone’s Presidential Spokesman, Alhaji Alpha Kanu, who said the high-powered delegation comprised big investors from Shenzhen province in China, with portfolios that resonate with the government’s Medium Term Economic program and the Big Five Agenda.
Ambassador Sulimani, on behalf of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, called on the investors to explore untapped opportunities in the mining sector, tourism and culture, agriculture, health and investment, assuring them that the government has in place mechanisms for the protection of foreign direct investment. Ambassador Sulimani said that the business visit presents massive opportunities for partnership and investment between Sierra Leone and Chinese Investors; adding that proper arrangements have been made to facilitate their interactions and meetings with relevant authorities during their stay in the country.
“The importance of this visit cannot be overemphasized, as it coincides with the renewed mandate of His Excellency President Dr. Julius Maada Bio to consolidate the gains made in his five years, by investing in human capital development. This investment has laid a solid foundation for foreign direct investment, and we are assuring you that our investment climate is friendly and accommodating”, she said.
The Presidential spokesman said that China stands out above all other nations in lifting 300,000,000 of its citizens out of poverty within thirty years, and the tools they used are not different from the big five Game Changers. “We want to learn from that to be able to feed our people within the next five years,” he said.
Introducing the Chinese team, Eva Wu, Head of the Delegation, said that their visit to Sierra Leone was to actualize what was discussed between Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio and the President of China, Xi Jing Ping, during Bio’s recent state visit. She said that the bilateral relationship between China and Sierra Leone has existed since 1970, and such an investment platform is meant to further strengthen the bond and friendship. Eva Wu said that the delegation comprised CEOs of big technology firms, industrial players, solar manufacturers, energy, road infrastructure, mining companies and agricultural investors. The delegation expressed interest in visiting potential agricultural sites and mining areas within Sierra Leone.
