BY: MOHAMED SAHR
His Excellency President Bio of the Republic of Sierra Leone has returned from his maiden visit to the socialist Republic of Vietnam in the bid of strengthening political and economic ties on Monday 21st March 2022.
When meeting his Vietnamese counterpart President Nguyen Xuan Phuc, both presidents discussed political and socio-economic ties, as Vietnam remains a flying economic root in Southeast Asia. Like Sierra Leone, Vietnam has had a gruelling history entailing a prolonged period of war that which they have surmounted these challenging as well made outstanding progress towards restoring economic development.
President Bio’s ardent desire to make Sierra Leone a food self-sufficient country has made Vietnam an impeccable example to emulate from. The President’s delegation ranged from the First Lady and other high profiled government officials, including the Chief Minister, Minister of Finance, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Minister of Planning and Economic Development, Minister of Trade and Industry and Ambassador Ernest Ndomahina.
Amongst President Bio’s delegation were Sierra Leonean private sector operators who are solely responsible to foster business-to-business between Vietnam and Sierra Leone in particular.
The key engagements hinged on holding bilateral meetings with President Nguyen Xuan Phuc, his Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and the National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue. In the provision level, President Bio held talks with the Secretary and Governor of An Giang province. They held discussions on heightening the bilateral relations between Vietnam and Sierra Leone.
His Excellency President Bio held talks with the leadership of the Vietnam Academy of Agricultural Sciences (VAAS) and the Rice Research Institute in order to gain insight into how Vietnam has employed science and research to amplify agriculture and rice production. Adding that with these bilateral relations, Vietnam would provide expertise in boosting Sierra Leone agriculture.
Sierra Leone and Vietnam agreed in principle to intensify political ties and to collaborate at the multinational levels as well as at the United Nations and the Africa Union.
President Phuc assured Sierra Leone of cooperation to boost productivity in the agricultural sector. Further that, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh solicited Vietnamese research institutions to work with Sierra Leonean institutions to provide expertise and share technologies especially around rice production.
The Sierra Leone delegation also engaged threads of private businesses in Vietnam, including shipping companies, banks and logistics institutions to understand how to facilitate trade between the two countries. Also, Vietinbank and TP bank which are the largest trade financing institutions in the country profusely expressed willingness to establish corresponding bank arrangements with Sierra Leonean banks to ease swift payment challenges in trade between the two countries.
Sierra Leone and Vietnam witnessed signed Memorandum of Understandings to fan government-to-government collaboration and with Vietnamese private institution and companies especially An Giang Import Export Company (ANGIMEX) which served as one of the biggest rice processing factories and exporters in the Mekong Delta in terms of supporting Sierra Leone through the establishment of state-of-the-art rice processing factories in Sierra Leone.
Nam Viet Corporation (NAVICO) assured to support the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources by establishing large scale commercial fish farming in Sierra Leone. Noting that FPT, the biggest technology giant in Vietnam affirmed to support the digital government and digital economy drive through the Directorate of Science Technology and Innovation of Sierra Leone.
The Chief Minister organized a business forum in Hanoi in collaboration with the Vietnamese Chamber of Commerce for Sierra Leone private sectors to exchange ideas and network of which the forum provided an opportunity for the President Bio to engage with existing investors.
