By Kemo Cham
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi began a tour of West Africa Saturday with meetings in Freetown.
Mr Wang, in a joint press conference with his Sierra Leonean counterpart Dr Samura Kamara, stressed China's commitment to help the country fully recover economically.
Sierra Leone was the first stop of a tour that was to take Wang to Liberia and Guinea. The visit was meant to give him first hand idea about progress on the ground in the fight against the epidemic that has killed over 3000 Sierra Leoneans since May 2014.
China has been at the forefront of the fight, flying in millions of US Dollars worth of medical relief items. The Chinese also deployed health and military personnel who have not only battled the virus on the ground but have helped trained local staff on infection prevention measures.
China has also built one of the most advanced laboratories in the West Africa region for Sierra Leone.
Wang was in the region in response to invitation by the foreign
ministers of the three countries worst affected by Ebola, said Dr Kamara who held a closed door meeting with the Chinese envoy prior to the press conference.
Kamara told journalists that they`d discussed bilateral as well as multilateral relations, including China`s plans for the countries in their post-Ebola recovery plan.
"Apart from the political relationship, there is a new wave of
relationships between China and Sierra Leone," said Kamara, citing
investment opportunities in the country.
Mr Wang himself said he wanted to see what plans the leaders of the
three Mano River Union countries had for their post-Ebola recovery.
"The main purpose of my visit is to see things on the ground and hear
from leaders on their plan...," he said, speaking through an interpreter.
"I am also here to send a message to the international community that
China is not only in Sierra Leone to help it end Ebola but it will
stand by it throughout its economic recovery process," Wang said.
Wang also stressed China`s leading role in the global response to the epidemic, which he said was a demonstration of its commitment to its
"friends in need."
"When all international routes were closed, China was the first
country to send medical aid through chartered flights, passing through
three continents and covering over 10, 000, km."
This, he stressed, demonstrated China's willingness to help.
The visiting FM then announced further supports to Sierra Leone revolving around five main sectors - Health, Infrastructure, mining,
agriculture and fishery. They include support to help Sierra Leone and other African countries strengthen their diseases control systems, with focus on research on tropical diseases. Specifically, China will increase its input into the Sierra Leone health sector.
In the area of mining, which is already dominated by Chinese companies, Mr Wang said the communist government would encourage more investments with the focus on creating jobs and increase revenue for the government.
China will also increase its quota of scholarship to Sierra Leoneans
for studies in China, and more high level workshops will be designed
with the aim of increasing Sierra Leone's human resource capacity,
Wang said.
In terms of infrastructure, the top priority will be completion of a
US$300M airport project, Wang said.
The much anticipated construction of the Mamamah Airport is poised to fix a perennial problem faced by travelers between Lungi and Freetown. China is funding the project which is said to have been delayed by the Ebola epidemic.
Foreign Minister Wang remarked that his experience in the "bumpy ride" from Lungi to Freetown on Saturday emphasised the urgency of completing the new airport.
(C) Politico 11/08/15
