President Julius Maada Bio has today signed a memorandum with the Republic of China that will add value and boost investment into Sierra Leone’s fishing sector. The signing ceremony, held at State House, was witnessed by a high-level delegation from China, headed by the country’s Vice-Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Yu Kangzhen, who signed the memorandum on behalf of his government.
Mr Yu said that Sierra Leone and China had enjoyed a fruitful relationship since the bilateral tie between the two countries was established in 1971. He recalled that the relationship between the two nations deepened to become a strategic one that would continue to cover many areas from trade, agriculture, fisheries, security among other sectors.
“In order to foster investment in the two countries and live up to trends in the international arena, the two countries have to sign such agreements that will allow us to invest in the fishing sector. This is a huge milestone and one that symbolises a high-level of corporation between the two countries. We are grateful for your support and we believe that with your corporation we will be able to develop the two countries,” the Chinese Vice- Minister of Agriculture said.
He added that China would start by sending fishing vessels that would help to conduct research in the country’s fishing sector.
President Bio said, “One of my areas of economic diversification is the fishery sector. This is because we believe that if the right investment is made the sector will be able to serve as a strong base for our local revenue generation drive. This signing symbolises our desire to encourage further investment into our country and as we go about our development process, we will want to add more value to our fishery products even before they are brought to the market for sale.”
19/6/18
Wednesday June 20, 2018.
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