Government of Sierra
Leone (GOSL) Town Hall Meeting Haimerl
Center, Columbus, Ohio
November 22, 2008
Hosted by the
Sierra Leone Club of Columbus, Ohio
(SLCCO)
At a well-attended town hall meeting held at
Haimerl Centre,
Columbus,
Ohio
on November 22,
2008, Sierra Leoneans saw the manifestation of their
President’s seriousness in his call for Sierra Leoneans to return
home, invest in and take control of their country’s future.
Delivering this message on behalf of the president was a
top-level delegation comprising of Dr. Michel Sho-Sawyer, Director
of the Office of Diaspora, Mr. Raymond Kai Gbekie, Director of
Sierra Leone Investment and Export Promotion Agency (SLIEPA), Mr.
Raymond Moshe Roberts, Director of Banking, Sierra Leone Commercial
Bank (SLCB), Mr. Michel Collier, Director of Banking, Rokel
Commercial Bank, and headed by no less a person than the Hon. Alpha
Kanu, Minister of Presidential Affairs in the President’s Office.
Mr. Sheku Mesali, First Secretary of the Embassy of Sierra Leone,
Washington
DC represented Ambassador Stevens
at the meeting. Also present were Messrs Daryl R. English and Earl
M. Switenky of Purio Environmental Water Source, Inc., Canada (www.puriowatertech.com),
who gave a presentation on their water purification system.
Hon.
Alpha Kanu answering questions from the audience.
On his left is Abass Bangura, President SLCCO and on his
right is Dr. Michel Sho-Sawyer, Director of Diaspora Affairs
Chaired by Mr. Thomas N. Senessie,
Secretary of the Sierra Leone Club of Columbus, Ohio, the meeting
was opened with Christian and Muslim prayers. The president of the
Sierra Leone Club of Columbus, Mr. Abass Bangura welcomed the Hon.
Minister and his entourage to Columbus, and expressed his appreciation to
His Excellency, Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma for sending such a
high-powered delegation to visit Sierra Leoneans in
Ohio.
This, he said, cements the fact that just as Ohio plays a pivotal part
in the election of American presidents, so are Sierra Leoneans in Ohio a force to reckon
with in the development their country.
Mr. Bangura also welcomed other Sierra Leoneans from Cleveland, Cincinnati and other surrounding vicinities in
Ohio that graced the occasion.
The
first presentation was by the Mr. Sheku Mesali, who informed
attendees that the Embassy was in the process of constructing a
database of all Sierra Leoneans in the
USA, and urged those present to
fill out the forms he circulated. He expressed the importance of the
Diaspora to the development of our country.
The next speaker was SLIEPA’s
Mr. Raymond Kai Gbekie who gave
a brief historical background of the agency (it came into
being with an Act of 2007), and an overview of its functions and
role: to initiate information management for investors and
co-ordinate relationship between the public and private sector;
encourage local and international investment; set standards for big
investments and establish codes to protect them, and register new
businesses to help remove all bottlenecks that frustrate
investments. Plans are underway to publish an investment guide and
build SLIEPA provincial offices.
Gbekie also informed the audience that
Government has invited UNCTAD to review the investment standards in Sierra Leone and harmonize them with
international ones. Furthermore, he noted, in the first quarter of
2009, Sierra Leone
will host a national investment forum, to include participants from
the local and international community.
SLIEPA is working to raise the standard of products export.
News about the banking system was what most
people in the audience were yearning to hear about, and the two
representatives were not shy about sharing the services and
attractive opportunities available to Sierra Leoneans in the
Diaspora who want to invest in their beloved country. ‘The banking
system is sound,’ Raymond Moshe-Roberts confirmed, and ‘Sierra
Leoneans can do banking with the SLCB in absentia.’ That same
message was echoed by Michael Collier of Rokel Bank. Both banks
offer high interest savings, checking, and foreign currency
accounts, and hope to entice Sierra Leoneans abroad to remit money
through the banking system. Mr. Collier also disclosed that Rokel
has ATMs around the country; issues debit cards for point-of-sale
use, and will soon issue VISA credit cards to be used worldwide.
Attendees responded to all of this with great enthusiasm.
The Director of the Diaspora Office, Dr. Sho-Sawyer, reached out
both physically and linguistically by delivering his presentation
away from the podium, and in a mix of Krio and English. He provided
the president’s rationale for the setting up of his Office, based on
the example of Ghana which has
benefitted extensively from remittances and investments from its
Diaspora. The Sierra Leone
government, with UNDP support, is encouraging Sierra Leoneans to
return home. Sho-Sawyer informed the audience that 50 professional
positions have been identified, of which, 35 are to be filled by
Sierra Leoneans and 25 could be filled by foreigners. He emphasized
that the review process is highly transparent and impartial.
Remuneration is competitive, and other perks include duty waivers
for a 40-foot container (with personal effects) and one private car.
He stressed that his office is open to Sierra Leoneans and
friends of Sierra
Leone who want invest in the
country, and urged the audience to visit the website of the office
at diasporaaffairs.gov.sl.
The eloquent speech delivered by the Hon. Alpha Kanu marked the
high point
of the evening. He reiterated the important role Sierra Leoneans in
the Diaspora can play in nation building. Hon. Kanu noted that the
country is dependent on donor funding, an unreliable and untenable
situation that the government hopes can be turned around through
investment from this untapped source. He urged Sierra Leoneans to
form consortia partnerships and invest in ventures in the country.
He highlighted areas of investment such as, the Road Transport
Authority, Sierra Leone Ports Authority and commercial banks.
Commenting on the energy sector, he announced that the Bambina
hydro-electric project will be completed in 2009, and that on
January 7, 2009 there will be the turning of the soil for similar
projects in Port Loko, his home district, and Moyamba in the near
future. On other
positive developments, he cited the steps toward good governance
being taken by the government, including the declaration of assets
by all public officials and enforcement of ethical codes of behavior
through strengthened anti-corruption laws, all of which have earned
Sierra Leone the status of ‘best country to do business in West
Africa.’ He briefly touched on the fluctuating price of food in the
country and said that by 2011, Sierra Leone
will be self-sufficient in rice production. Hon. Kanu received
resounding applause and a standing ovation.
Hon. Alpha Kanu,
Minister for Presidential Affairs addressing the audience
The meeting could not be concluded without giving the stage to the
chairpersons of the APC and SLPP chapters in Columbus, Ohio,
Edward Bangura and Umaru Dumbuya respectively.
The Sierra Leone Club of Columbus, Ohio is a diverse
organization that encourages different viewpoints in its activities
and embraces other organizations, regardless of tribe, religion or
political affiliations.
Question time was lively and the audience wanted answers on a wide
variety of issues. One on infant mortality was answered by the
Minister, wherein he quoted an example of the initiative of a Doctor
in the Koinadugu District to minimize infant mortality.
The Doctor’s initiative has been successful and doctors in
other districts are hoping to emulate his initiative, no home
delivery. On another on insurance for investments in
Sierra Leone, the SLIEPA director
pointed out that his organization is putting modalities together for
the coverage of investments, with local and foreign insurance
companies. Mr. Michael Collier reiterated that there is the presence
of insurance and re-insurance with Lloyds' Bank at Rokel Commercial
Bank for all investments.
Someone wanted to know what measures government was taking to
mainstream the informal business sector. This will slowly be
absorbed into the formal sector with the movement of financial
institutions to the provinces and adult education, the Minister
responded. On question
about the deplorable condition of feeder roads in the country, the
Hon. Minister quoted a paragraph from the National Budget of 2009 in
which, government
addressed the issue by allocating funds to that sector.
The meeting ended on a high note and Sierra Leoneans in the Diaspora
expressed optimism about the present government’s commitment to
making Sierra Leone
regain her past glories.
By
Emmanuel S. Leigh
Public Relation Officer
Sierra Leone
Club of Columbus, Ohio
