- January 11, 2024
- Posted by: cyril
- Category: Embassy Activities
Sheraton Hotel, Doha
Sierra Leone’s President, His Excellency Dr Julius Maada Bio, on Tuesday 21st June 2022, met with a cross-section of the Sierra Leone Community in the State of Qatar during which he inspired them to serve as ambassadors of the Republic of Sierra Leone.
His Excellency Dr Julius Maada Bio expressed delight at meeting them and thanked them for positively representing the country while in Qatar.
Informing Sierra Leoneans about his four-day state visit to Doha, he mentioned that the two countries have agreed to deepen relations by exploring trade and investment opportunities in agriculture and mining. He also revealed the two governments’ desire to establish resident missions on a reciprocal basis to follow up on development activities. The President went on to speak about his engagements with the Qatari Businessmen Association, aiming to woo investment opportunities, thereby attracting Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) to Sierra Leone.
Speaking about gains made in Sierra Leone during the past four years, President Julius Maada Bio noted that his government has made tremendous progress in the fields of education, agriculture, and health as well as fighting corruption and embarking on several infrastructure projects, despite the COVID-19 and quite recently, Russia’s war on Ukraine, which have culminated in a hike in essential commodities and a disruption in the supply chain.
“Our commitment to investing in the human capital, and fighting corruption, together with our unprecedented reforms in human rights and good governance, have attracted the international community’s attention. Under my leadership, Sierra Leone for the first time has qualified for the Millennium Challenge Compact eligibility which validated our progress so far. Together, we will continue to win,” he assured.
Her Excellency the First Lady, Madam Fatima Maada Bio also used the occasion to admonish the community to abide by the laws of the host country and serve as a shining example to other nationals, while pursuing their personal developments. She spoke about unity, reiterating the need to put aside ethnic and political division.
Members of the Sierra Leone Community expressed sincere appreciation to His Excellency the President, Her Excellency the First Lady and the delegation for scheduling a meeting to discuss pertinent issues affecting them. While commending him for the message of hope and unity, the community highlighted the challenges affecting them and pleaded for the opening of a resident mission in the State of Qatar.
The community also appealed for the construction of technical and vocational institutes in Sierra Leone, which would be the President’s legacy, so as to enable skill-based citizens to develop their requisite expertise in various areas.
They conveyed warm appreciation to the President for providing leadership in Sierra Leone during these tough times and prayed for his protection and continued good health. They also extended appreciation to Her Excellency the Ambassador, Haja Ishata Thomas, who has been making an effort to address their issues.
Cyril Barnes,
Information Attaché,
Sierra Leone Embassy, State of Kuwait.
Email: information.attache@kw.slembassy.gov.sl