The Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Dr Alie Kabba, has signed an Agreement of twenty nine million eight hundred thousand United States dollars with the Government of the People’s Republic of China.
The Agreement on Economic and Technical Cooperation, between the two Governments, is geared towards a fishery harbor project in Sierra Leone. The Agreement was signed at the Tower Hill office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday 1st January, 2019.
Dr Alie Kabba, in his remarks, stated that Sierra Leone has strong, cordial and strategic bilateral relationship with the People’s Republic of China, which began since 29th July 1971, when diplomatic relations were established between the two countries. He added that China remains a major player in Sierra Leone’s growth effort, principally in the areas of infrastructure, health, human resource development, mining and agriculture. “The growth, in the bilateral ties between the two countries, witnessed a huge surge in 2016 when both countries decided to upgrade relations on a Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership in line with the implementation of the outcome of the Johannesburg Summit Forum on the China-Africa forum (FOCAC), which both countries saw as an opportunity to comprehensively expand and deepen bilateral, friendly as well as mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields so as to better benefit the two peoples,” Dr Kabba said.
The Sierra Leone Foreign Minister praised China for its continued support and major investments in Sierra Leone, such as health especially the China Friendship Teaching and Referral Hospital; infrastructure as evidenced in the ultra-modern Sierra Leone Foreign Affairs Ministry and the Regent-Grafton Road as well as human resource capacity building through the granting of yearly scholarships to deserving students.
“The signing of the Agreement on the Economic and Technical Cooperation between the Government of the People’s Republic of China and the Government of Sierra Leone is to demonstrate another level of friendship between our two countries,” he stated.
The Chinese Ambassador to Sierra Leone, Wu Peng, in his remarks, extended Chinese New Year sincere wishes to the people of Sierra Leone. He informed the audience that the signing of the Agreement was meant to further develop the friendly relations, economic and technical cooperation between the two countries, in response to the needs of Sierra Leone. Therefore, he maintains China agreed to provide the gratuitous assistance to explore and implement fish harbor project.
He affirmed China’s support to President Julius Maada Bio’s New Direction policy, which prioritizes development of fishery as a means of diversification of the economy. “The Chinese government has decided to support Sierra Leone in the development of fishery industry, as a result of request of President Bio,” he established.
Foreign Affairs Minister Signs $29.8 Million Agreement With China
