Sierra Leone’s Ambassador to China on Monday 26th September, 2016, signed a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding with Henan Guoji Industry Group Co. Ltd and China Development Bank, Henan Branch, on the establishment of long-term cooperation with the primary objective of complementary advantages and mutual development.
The cooperation is expected to focus on, but not limited to housing projects, industry and trade zone, infrastructure projects and other engineering projects like energy and water in Sierra Leone.
The tripartite MoU requires the China Development Bank to provide funding, Guoji playing the coordinating role whilst the Sierra Leone Government is to provide the enabling environment for effective project execution.
The signing on the part of Henan Guoji Industry Group Co. Ltd and China Development Bank, Henan Branch, is in direct response to, and implementing their national strategy call of ‘Going Out’.
Speaking at the ceremony in Zhengzhou, Henan Province, HE Alimamy P. Koroma said, the event was “an important milestone since my assumption of duty as Ambassador.” He paid lustrous tribute to Henan Guoji for contributing to Sierra Leone’s growth over the years.
Guoji, he said, he has known and worked with when he was trade minister and later infrastructure minister, and was therefore optimistic the MoU would produce the expected result for the good of all the parties but more so for Sierra Leone.
The signing, Ambassador Koroma said, came to fruition as a result of continued discussions and negotiations amongst the three parties, expressing warm, sincere and heartfelt appreciation to all those who made it possible.
He thanked Guoji for “the brave and bold step the company took just after the war in Sierra Leone to go and invest.” He assured of government’s fullest support to their company’s operations in Sierra Leone.
Speaking further, Ambassador Koroma thanked China Development Bank for supporting the development efforts of Sierra Leone, by being part of the MoU.
“We welcome China Development Bank and we look forward to a growth in the cooperation and partnership that would increase investment and cooperation level between the two countries”, Ambassador Koroma said.
Speaking on behalf of China Development Bank, Vice President of the Bank, Li Gang said, the signing ceremony was a clear manifestation of their support to the Chinese President’s call on companies to go global, also thanking the embassy for demonstrating preparedness and support to the process.
Sierra Leone, he said, has demonstrated high level of determination for growth and development, which he said, was the base for their cooperation with the country’s embassy in China and Henan Guoji.
“The signing is the first step of cooperation amongst the three players and we hope the expectations could be realized soonest”, Vice President Li Gang said, assuring further that with the support of Sierra Leone, the outcomes would be successful.
Attending the signing ceremony were officials from Henan Guoji including the group‘s Chairman, Mingzheng Xu, officials from China Development Bank and Sierra Leone’s deputy ambassador to China, Madam Kumba Alice Momoh.
China Development Bank is one amongst the number of policy banks of China and raises funds for large scale infrastructure projects.
Henan Guoji on the other hand is a global enterprise with overseas investment and ventures in countries like Guinea, Mozambique, Sierra Leone, Tanzania and Zambia and has the support of the provincial government in Henan.
John Baimba Sesay
Information/Press Attaché
Sierra Leone Embassy
People’s Republic of China
