By Saio Marrah
The Chief Executive officer of the Kingho Investment Compan, Gilbert Zhao, has said that the name of Kingho Investment Company, which is the parent company of Kingho Mining, Railway, and Port Company, has now changed to Leone Rock Metal Group (LRMG) , with the aim of giving it a Sierra Leonean identity.
Speaking at their Head Office in Freetown, on Tuesday 19th October, 2021, the CEO of the LRMG noted that they are one of the largest resource investment companies in West Africa. He also told journalists that all documents bearing the Kingho Investment Company, their previous name, remain valid.
He also pointed out that to show their commitment to sustainable investment in the country, during the Ebola outbreak in the country and the Mano River Union member states which saw a massive drop in the price of iron ore price that pushed bigger companies to shutdown operation in the country, their company held on and even increased investment by bringing the Tonkolili Iron Ore mine back into production. He added that they reactivated the railway and the Pepel Port.
According to him, the company has employed over two thousand Sierra Leoneans with respectable and meaningful jobs, accounting for 98 percent of the entire workforce of the company.
“Leone Rock Metal Group currently has an investment of over 148. 62 Million US dollar in Sierra Leone. We have exported over 1 million tons of Iron Ore between March 2021 and now. We have made payment of over 76. 4 Billion Leones to the government of Sierra Leone. We have made significant investment exceeding1.8 Billion Leones into the community through our CRS projects covering health, agriculture, education, water and sanitation and also support the Sierra Leone Police and Military in various ways”, he said
He spoke about the safe working conditions and environment for their employees, that include medical insurance and monthly motivational incentives, which he said have improved their employee retention ability.
The President of the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ), Ahmed Sahid Nasralla, noted that since the establishment of the company in the country, it has always respected and maintained a good relationship with the media.
Copyright © Politico Online 20/10/21
