By Mustapha Sesay
A group of Dutch investors on Tuesday signed several MoUs with officials of the government of Sierra Leone and some local companies aimed at fostering economic ties between the Netherlands and Sierra Leone.
The signings were done during a one day Round Table Economic Growth and Private Sector Development conference held at the Radisson Blu hotel in Aberdeen.
The Dutch delegation is on an Economic cooperation tour of the three West African nations hardest hit by the Ebola epidemic - Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea. Freetown is the first leg of the tour party which is headed by the Netherlands Minister of Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, Lilianne Ploumen.
Ms Ploumen told the conference that she`d made a promise to President Ernest Bai Koroma in 2014 when he visited the Netherlands at the time of Ebola outbreak that she would organize a trade delegation to the country to help out with investment during the post Ebola recovery period. She said they were in the country to help harness its potential to regain its place in economic development after the effect of the epidemic.
The Dutch government official said they were not only concerned with strengthening the economy of the country but also they were determined to help improve and sustain its healthcare system.
This is because only healthy people can build a stronger economy, she said.
The Netherlands delegation involves 30 individuals representing different companies who are looking at the prospect of investing their money in areas such as agriculture, energy, waste management and mining.
Mrs Ploumen said an initial list of 15 participants grew to 30, indicating a growing interest in investing in the region. She disclosed that 15 more potential investors were on a waiting list.
"We are here not for the quick win, but to contribute to the inclusive economic growth of Sierra Leone and notably invest in the youth of the country," she said.
Agreements for two health projects, as well as several MoUs were signed between the visitors and some local company representatives.
One such agreement was between VEKA Shipbuilding Company in the Netherlands and the Freetown-based IML for the construction of two ferries for the government of Sierra Leone.
The waste management company Masada also inked a deal with the Waste Transformers of the Netherlands.
President Earnest Bai koroma dedicated most of his speech at the conference on the potential for investment in Sierra Leone, singling out mining and tourism sectors as having huge potential.
The President also assured of conducive environment for the private sector to operate, noting that his government believed in the crucial role the latter plays in economic development.
"We created economic fundamentals that were attractive to investments and even before the Ebola outbreak, we were referred to as the most transformed country in the world so we had it all in terms of economic good governance," Koroma said.
The President then noted that though the country was not yet out of the woods in the fight against the epidemic, the presence of the delegation in the country gave hope and showed the rest of the world that Sierra Leone was now opened for business.
(C) Politico 09/07/15
