STATE HOUSE PRESS STATEMENT AFTER LIBYA VISIT BY PRESIDENT KOROMA
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PRESIDENT KOROMA AND DELEGATION RETURN FROM LIBYA |
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MEDIA ADVISORY
CODE:
SH/003/11
Bilateral ties between Sierra Leone and Libya were further strengthened over the weekend when President Ernest Bai Koroma led a high powered delegation to conclude discussions relating to a number of issues of mutual benefits. These among other things included exchange of programmes geared towards the stepping up of implementation in Sierra Leone and Libya. President Koroma and delegation held several meetings with the Libyan Leader Mauhamad Ghadafi, culminating in the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding, designed to deepen bilateral cooperation between the two countries. The Memorandum Of Understanding incorporates funding for the expansion of Telecommunications eventually leading to launching, of the Green-Net mobile telephone system next month. Funding projects in the Mining sector to allow Libya's participation in the extraction of minerals, including rutile, bauxite, iron ore, gold, oil and gas. Trade links between the two countries were also emphasized to encourage Libyan oil Companies to invest and participate in the distribution of petroleum products in Sierra Leone. The two countries also agreed that a Libyan technical team will soon arrive in Sierra Leone to work out modalities for the immediate implementation of an initiative to promote President Koroma's agricultural Commercialization strategy. Tourism was given high prominence, with both parties finalizing discussions on construction of a Five Star Hotel in Freetown. The Presidential delegation, held extensive discussions with their Libyan counterparts on long term strategies relating to economic and social developments in Sierra Leone, consistence with the government's Agenda For Change.
During the
visit, the President also took the
opportunity to highlight developments in
Sierra Leone and also dilated on plans for
the commemoration of the 50th anniversary
Independence.
A delegation
is also expected from Libya within two weeks
to identify specific areas of collaboration
for their smooth realization. The possibility of twinning the Libyan News Agency with its Sierra Leonean counterpart to promote cultural ties was also discussed.
In addition to
the fruitful meetings with the Libyan Leader
and Libyan Prime Minister Dr AL Baghdadi,
President Koroma interacted with the Sierra
Leonean community in Tripoli. |
President Ernest Bai Koroma receives another red carpet welcome in Libya
By Albert Kamara in Libya :
His Excellency President Ernest Bai Koroma and his high powered delegation including the Minister of foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Minister of Information and Communication, Minister of Education Youths and Sport arrived at the Tripoli international airport Libya on Friday the 19th November 2010. The President and his entourage were escorted by a maximum state security convoy to the luxurious “Mahera’’ Hotel where Sierra Leoneans residing in Libya waited all daylong to welcome the president they described as a Savior, Visionary and Pragmatic Leader.
During a brief conference the president had with Sierra Leoneans at the “Mahera’’ hotel conference hall on Sunday the 21st November 2010, the Sierra Leone National Community had to deliver this welcoming speech in honor of president Ernest Bai Koroma.
His Excellency President Dr Ernest Bai Koroma, Honourable Ministers of the Government of the Republic of Sierra Leone, Ambassador Abu Bakarr Jalloh, Distinguished Members of the Diplomatic Corps, Chairman Sierra Leone National Community, Council of Elders, My Fellow Countrymen and Women, All protocols observed:
I feel exceptionally honoured and privileged to carry-out such a remarkable national responsibility. Before going any further, may I invite all here present to rise and assist me in officially welcoming, to a loud applause, the President of the Republic of Sierra Leone, His Excellency Dr Ernest Bai-Koroma and his entourage in Tripoli the Great Socialist people Libya Arab Jamahiriya.
We will also like to use this as an opportunity to express our gratitude to his Excellency Ambassador Alhaji Abu Bakarr Jalloh, his head of chancery Mr. Momodu A Wurrie and the Cultural attaché Chief Mr.Muctar Kallay for their excellent cooperation with our Community and above all for given us the opportunity to welcome and conveniently talk to our saviour President Dr Ernest Bai Koroma.
Mr President, You are in our midst at a time when we are extremely anxious to wholeheartedly express our gratefulness, and admiration for your steadfastness and determination to wipe up tears of excessive depression of the people of Sierra Leone. We are highly delighted with your dramatic political and economic agenda to rescue our country out of economic problems as our country is no more ranked at the base of the human development index.
Regardless of your political, regional, ethnicity and religious orientation, you have out-rightly justified the momentum of transparency, accountability and prosecution of corrupt perpetrators in government places. You are one amongst few visionary and pragmatic leaders around the world who visibly declared your assets and explicitly brought in an office performance scale for efficient accountability, and assessment of higher government officials.
Before continuing, I would like to once again ask all here to observe a minute of silence for all our brothers and sisters who lost their lives during our country’s eleven years brutal hostility?
May their souls and the souls of all dead rest in everlasting peace
Mr President, since your election as President of the Republic of Sierra Leone more than three years ago, the people of Sierra Leone are rapidly experiencing diverse uplifting gestures of developments, under your competent and indomitable leadership, you have swiftly made considerable progress in providing clean and affordable electricity in the capital Freetown that once described as the darkest city on earth, while currently undertaking to make electricity easily reach all provincial areas in our country by speedily facilitating the completion of the Bumbuna hydro-electric project, which previous administrations absolutely fail to archived.
We are highly encouraged that you have totally concluded the rehabilitation of the Bo-Freetown highway that has spectacularly minimized travel time and death rate between the two prominent cities. That notwithstanding, you and your ministers have vigorously engaged in the construction of the Freetown Peninsula road and the construction of feeder roads from rural to urban areas inorder to create a conducive atmosphere for small scale farmers to easily convey their farm produce to marketing centers and market their foodstuffs to enable them sustain their families livelihood. We are also delighted for improving women’s health and diminishing infant mortality in the country and for creating an encouraging platform for free press but with maximum ethics of journalistic excellence.
Mr President, we also acknowledge your hasten and effective move for the creation of a business security in our country as a basic governmental components to grab the attention of friendly business entities from around the world, with the sole aim of creating lucrative employment and opportunities for Sierra Leoneans, and to achieve the needed investment that will significantly transform the economic situation of our beloved country. We are deeply pleased with your peaceful intervention on the Guinea political crisis and finally achieved a transition to democratic governance.
Mr President, In the face of all of these developments you and your government have achieved over the previous years, you will highly agree with me that our beloved country still experiencing complex challenges. Agriculture, ageing infrastructure, water and health, education, unemployment and, communication all are significant milestones to improve in our country.
Scores of our fellow citizen still struggle with the very basic rations of life. Poverty, disease, food shortage and starvation are still a daily reality for many of our fellow citizens. Our challenges as Sierra Leoneans in this country is to appeal to you Mr. President, and your government to unremittingly work and do more in order to continue elevating our people out of poverty-stricken atmosphere, where one and all is offered an identical opportunity.
Mr. President, as a result of diverse difficulties facing most of your nationals in this country, many have voluntarily registered to be repatriated back home by the International Organization for Migration (I O M) but with little or no progress at all, while others have belongings to send home and sustain their families livelihood at but can’t afford the high freight taxation, therefore, we are appeal to you as our only saviour to kindly help repatriates Sierra Leoneans who are voluntarily ready to go home with free flight so they will able to go invest home and help family members with what was supposed to be used for air ticket.
Mr President, this community was formed for the equal benefit of all Sierra Leoneans living in Libya. As a Community, we have been constantly taking full care of unhealthy and extremely destitute Sierra Leoneans in this country, caring for stranded and newly arrived Sierra Leoneans after going through all ordeals of the Sahara desert, Sheltering homeless Sierra Leoneans regardless the facts that housing is relatively expensive here, and in perfect collaboration with the Sierra Leone embassy officials we have been carrying out all complex burial processes of our Sierra Leonean brothers and sisters who sadly lost their lives here, And jointly commemorating our country’s independent day is obviously a national duty, to name but few…
In this regard, however, the Sierra Leone National Community which is in the verge of becoming a power-house in the midst of other African communities in the great Jamahiriya would like to formally call you Mr President and your entourage that you officially register and remain members of the Sierra Leone National Community and to compassionately help out boost the Community fund for the mutual benefits of every Sierra Leonean in Libya.
Mr President, this community would like to personally put forward the appeal of our Sierra Leonean brothers who are currently undertaking their Islamic studies in this country that you and your government help them benefit from the following:
(a) Study allowance and foreign student’s grants as their living condition as students is really deplorable in this country.
(b) To help them with air tickets after every two years to enable them visit their respective families at home.
(c) Repatriation of their books and other learning materials been supplied to them as they have little or no money to freight them home.
(d) Pleading that you and your government appeal and negotiate to the Islamic Call Society to help secure jobs for them as sierra Leonean graduates of this mission have always found it very difficult to secure jobs from this very Islamic mission and other entities out there.
Mr President, let me conclude by confessing that “Tiday betteh pass yesterday” we will relentlessly continue to dedicate our support for you and the All People’s Congress (A P C) for the benefit of our people and country.
Long live the Republic of sierra Leone; long live our liberator president Dr Ernest Bai Koroma and long live All People’s Congress, long live the leader Brother Colonel Mohamed Qaddafi and the people of the Great Socialist people Libya Arab Jamahiriya.
Thank you.
God bless you.
In response, the President Ernest Koroma expressed high appreciation for receiving his first and warm welcomed message from Sierra Leoneans in this country. He went further and expressed gratitude about the formation and objective of the Sierra Leone National Community in Libya. The savoir, visionary and pragmatic leader Dr Ernest Bai Koroma laid emphasis on the cordial relationship between Sierra Leone and Libya. He told Sierra Leoneans about the unremitting love and supports the government and people of Sierra Leone have constantly been benefiting from the Leader Brother Colonel Mohamed Qadaffi and his government and people of the Libya the Great Jamahiriya. The president also informed Sierra Leoneans about the outstanding sponsor Colonel Mohamed Qadaffi provided his government this year to send more than half a thousand sierra Leonean pilgrims for to Mecca.
The president also expressed steadfastness for his agenda for change; he disclosed his determination to improve the standard of electricity, roads, and agriculture, medical, education and employment for the identical benefits of each and every sierra Leonean. He went on to informed Sierra Leoneans about his tireless efforts to influence investors from around the world, with the aim of creating meaningful employment and opportunities for Sierra Leoneans, and to realize the necessary investment that will considerably transform the economic state of our beloved country Sierra Leone.
President Ernest Bai Koroma requested all Sierra Leoneans to uphold unity as unity is the thread line that hold the fabric of any successive country. He also called on Sierra Leoneans to maintain our country’s outstanding integrity and to refrain from lawlessness.
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