President Ernest Bai Koroma on Tuesday officially presided over the re-opening of the Bintumani Hotel, one of Sierra Leone's prestigious hotels.
The ceremony comes after over a decade of refurbishment by the new management under a Chinese company called Beijing Urban Constructing Company (BUCG).
The ceremony which was held at the hotel complex in Aberdeen, west of Freetown, was also graced by Vice President Victor Bockarie Foh, Chinese Ambassador Zao Yanbo, other government officials, as well as some dignitaries from the private sector.
President Koroma said in his key note address that the opening of the hotel was a significant step towards the development of the tourism industry in the country, noting that this was especially significant as it comes at a time when the country was entering the end the first phase of the Ebola recovery program.
"I believe that today's opening will be a clarion call to all investors that Sierra Leone will rise again," the President said, recalling how the country and citizens suffered stigmatization and isolation during the outbreak of the Ebola virus disease which lasted over a year and killed thousands of people.
"In the first phase of the Ebola recovery program, we prioritized the stimulation of the private sector as an engine of socio-economic growth," Koroma said. He went on to note that the re-opening event was a testimony of government's collective effort to meet it recovery plans and a testimony of the country's resilience to work collectively with other private sector members to implement development projects.
President Koroma explained that one of government's key objectives under the second phase of the recovery program, which is set to kick off shortly, was to execute private sector led infrastructure projects that aims at strengthening the country's economy that was badly affected by the epidemic.
"Bintumani Hotel has always witnessed the friendship between the government of Sierra Leone and the People's Republic of China," the President said, adding that his government would continue to make relentless effort to continue to strengthen the friendship in pursuit of more economic benefits for both countries.
"Our doors are open to investors that would come and partner with us to develop the huge tourist potential that we have in this country," the President said. He then applauded BUCG and the management of the Bintumani Hotel for transforming the hotel to meet international standard.
"The reopening of this hotel is therefore an important milestone not only for the hospitality industry but also for the country as a whole," he said, and then urged the management of the hotel to implement its intended extension plan.
Kadija Sesay, Acting Minister of Tourism and Cultural Affairs, expressed delight over the re-opening of the hotel.
"This is another milestone in the tourism industry as enshrined in pillar one of the Agenda for Prosperity," she said, while highlighting the "huge potential" the tourism sector had to generate revenue that could address the country's economic hardship and unemployment issues. But, said Ms Sesay, all this is only possible if the sector had all the support it needed.
Bintumani used to be owned by the Sierra Leone government, and it was popular among tourists prior to the 1991-2002 civil war, during which it lost its value.
Minister Sesay urged BUCG and the hotel management to expedite the renovation process.
Giving a background of the BUCG in Sierra Leone, David Wenguo Zhang, the General Manager of Bintumani Hotel, said the company was invited to invest in the refurbishment of the hotel by the government of Sierra Leone in 2000.
Zhang said many investors were not willing to come to the country at that time and he attributed that to the less attractive nature of the country due to the devastating impact of the war. He said his company undertook the venture because they had the confidence that the country would recover eventually.
Zhang revealed that BUCG had been working for the past 15 years with the help of the Chinese government to refurbish and improve on the facility.
Dustana Thompson, Deputy General Manager of the Bintumani Hotel, said the reopening of the hotel indicated that they were ready for business.
"It is no doubt that the hotel and hospitality industry has a significant role to play in the restoration of the Tourism sector," she said.
She thanked government officials and all other dignitaries who graced the reopening ceremony and encouraged staff to provide the best reception to its would-be customers.
The program was climaxed with the unveiling of the hotel plaque by President Ernest Bai Koroma, who was then led on a conducted tour of the hotel facilities.
The Bintumani Hotel was first built in 1980s and it derived its name from one of the tallest mountains in West Africa - Mout Bintumani, which was itself named after a renowned female chief. It was built by late President Siaka Stevens to host the OAU Conference that year.
(C) Politico 17/02/16
