By Mabinty M. Kamara
Sierra Leone and India on Sunday October 13 signed a raft of agreements geared towards strengthening bilateral ties between the two countries.
The deals, in the form of Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs), were sealed following a meeting at State House between President Julius Maada Bio and visiting Indian Vice President, Vankaiah Naidu.
Mr Naidu is leading a delegation comprising top ranking Indian government officials, including the Minister of State for Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries, Sanjeev Kumar Balyan and a Member of Parliament, Ramvichar Netam.
The visit is part of a two-nation Africa tour that also taking the Indian delegation to the East African archipelago of Comoros.
Mr Naidu’s three-day state visit in Freetown began on Saturday, and he is expected to meet with Speaker of Parliament Dr Chernor Abass Bundu today (Monday October 14), before departing the country.
About four MOUs were signed at State House, involving the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Agriculture, Finance, and Tourism.
Specifically, they include an agreement for a credit line of US$30million for an irrigation development project. There was also a credit line for a water project, food processing, infrastructure, and ICT. Among other things, India will seek to extend its India Center for Excellence in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to Sierra Leone and build a new Presidential Office Complex in Freetown.
India is already a major contributor to the economic growth of Sierra Leone through commerce, ICT, health service delivery and industrial development.
The West African country is home to thousands of Indian nationals who are mostly involved in business. Indian is also a very popular destination for health tourism for many Sierra Leoneans.
Vice President Naidu said in a statement that the two countries shared a warm and friendly relationship based on common values and shared visions, adding that the relationship was nurtured on the principles of mutual respect and understanding.
Whiles praising Sierra Leone for upholding democracy through the conduct of a peaceful election and peaceful transition of power, the Indian VP said the future for Sierra Leone is bright.
“I am confident that under the leadership of President Bio, Sierra Leone will tread the path of growth and development,” he said, and expressed hope that the relationship between the two countries will grow in the coming years.
“Indian is already closely engaged with Sierra Leone as it contributed to ensuring peace and security in Sierra Leone,” he added, noting they were one of the first countries to contribute troops to the United Nations Mission with the deployment of 4000 Indian military personnel.
“To today, we reinforce our commitment to solving regional issues of common interest. Sierra Leone, under the leadership of President Bio, has embarked on economic transformation and growth and in this direction, India will continue to support the government of Sierra Leone,” VP Naidu said.
“We will also encourage Indian companies to extend their footprint to your country in the coming years. We are committed to being a reliable partner to Sierra Leone,” he assured.
Mr. Naidu then thanked Sierra Leone for supporting India’s candidature at the United Nation.
President Bio, on his part, assured the Indian delegation that his government would nurture the “promising relationship” that leads to mutual respect and charitable partnership.
“I acknowledge the great satisfaction with varied degree of agreements and Memorandum of Understanding to be signed between us today and also to say that it is a step forward in creating the path for increasing engagement between India and Sierra Leone and implementing the guiding principles for developing as partners,” he said, prior to the signing of the agreements.
Vice President Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh said in a short statement that as a government they look forward to strengthening the relationship and deepening corporation in various fields and sectors through the various MOUs and agreements signed.
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