January 17, 2022
The Ministry of Trade and Industry has on the 13th January commenced a three day retreat at the Makeni City Council Hall.
In welcoming the Ministry to the City, the Deputy Mayor of Makeni City Council Mr. Santigie B. Mansaray expressed delight at the Ministry’s decision to host the Trade Retreat in Makeni. He welcomed the Minister of Trade and his delegation and wished them a successful deliberation. “Makeni population is predominantly traders, so I am happy that this retreat is held in my city,” he said.
The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Trade and Industry Mr. Sahr Augustine Sheku said the retreat was supposed to be held last December but due to other assignments it was shifted to January. He called for continued transparency in the work of the Ministry and stressed on how COVID-19 impacted the work of the Ministry.
He added, “Last year was challenging and we are using this retreat to ensure we reflect on our work over the past years and develop a framework for the implementation of our policies and programs.”
In his keynote address, Minister of Trade and Industry Dr. Edward Hinga Sandy, expressed delight for holding such a retreat to meet as family in order to take stock of the activities in the previous year and forge a new plan for the current year.
The Minister said that considering the global and national outlook, the Ministry has accomplished considerable milestones despite the challenges of COVID-19 on the global scene which has impacted negatively on the economies of developing countries, Sierra Leone not an exception.
Dr. Sandi added, “the increased cost of doing business has had its negative ramifications on prices of essential goods such as rice, cement, iron rod, petroleum products etc. This situation has been exacerbated by the increasing cost of frieghts and containers which are critical tools for international trade. Back home in Sierra Leone, we take solace in the fact that we have been able to maintain stability in the prices of essential goods and have not experienced shortages as most other countries. This is mainly because of the several strides we have been making in developing policies and strategies that have attracted private investment across the trade and manufacturing sectors.”
The Minister disclosed that they have also embarked on the resuscitation of the Koindu International market for which a high powered delegation of technical personnel led by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Trade and Industry visited Koindu to undertake the land, survey, develop the design of the new market and generate BOQs which will be presented to the Chinese through the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development.
The Minister applauded the significant role agencies under his purview have played in promoting trade in Sierra Leone over the years. He mentioned Sierra Leone Local Content Agency, SMEDA, SLPMC, PMB, PRA, SLSB, SLIEPA and other players in the trade sector for their role in promoting trade in Sierra Leone.
Dr. Hinga Sandi concluded by formally opening the retreat and wished every participant a successful deliberation.