By Mohamed M. Sesay
As part of His Excellency President Dr Julius Maada Bio’s state visit to the Republic of Kenya with the quest of laying an indelible groundwork for a deeper collaboration, the Government of Sierra Leone led by the Chief Minister Jacob Jusu Saffa, working with the Minister of Trade and Industrialization, Kenya Chamber of Commerce, and the Kenya Investment Authority, organized a joint business forum to facilitate and promote trade and investment between the two countries. The business forum was attended by other government ministers from Sierra Leone and Kenya, including the Minister of Trade and Investment, Minister of Tourism from Sierra Leone and the Cabinet Secretary for Trade and Industrialization from Kenya.
Chief Minister Jacob Jusu Saffa also outlined reasons to invest in Sierra Leone, highlighting the enabling environment of peaceful and stable democratic governance, and the potentials in tourism, agriculture, and manufacturing in the country. He urged the business community to ride the diplomatic wave to foster a deeper business to business engagement. Chief Minister also encouraged Business community in the two countries to boost diplomatic tie in order to increase trade between the two nations. The trade volumes between the nations will be a key indicator of which both governments intend to track over time as marker of success of the diplomatic relations.
That timely representation by the Chief Ministry Jacob Jusu Saffa in advocating for a win-win investment corporation between the two countries, precipitated His Excellency President Julius Maada Bio and His Excellency President Uhuru Kenyatta, agreed to establish a Joint Commission for Cooperation. The occasion also informed the signing of six MOUs including; Political and Diplomatic Consultations, Trade and Investment, Wildlife Tourism, Culture and Arts, Gender, and Youth Affairs.
It is an undiluted fact that Kenya is one of the largest economies in sub-Saharan and a home to many investors from all over the world. The per capita income for Kenyans is slightly over $ 1,500 which justifies that Kenyans themselves are capable of funding projects in Sierra Leone.
The Minister of Tourism also highlighted the deeper collaboration her Ministry already has with her Kenya counterpart. She outlined the several tourism opportunities including Ecotourism, and the rich cultural and historic heritage of Sierra Leone as Tourism asset.
A key outcome from the business forum which centered around the leader of Kenya Chamber of Commerce and the National Investment Board (NIB), agreed to form a joint Sierra Leone – Kenya chambers of commerce where His Excellency President Bio met with a few promising potential investors.
