The Sierra Leone Investment and Export Promotion Agency (SLIEPA) established by the Investment Act 2007 to promote Sierra Leone as an investment destination and add value to traditional and non-traditional Sierra Leone products on Friday hosted a day’s working visit at their office at Standard Chartered Bank Building with Africa Practice West Africa Senior Consultant- Tim Newbold being their host.
This major leap comes barely a week after having an induction and orientation session with staff. Tim Newbold is in Sierra Leone from his Ikeja-Lagos branch office to have a working day visit with SLIEPA on investment initiatives across Africa and beyond.
Africapractice is a specialist strategic communications consultancy firm based in London with branches in America, Africa, Asia, and Europe, having in-depth knowledge in politics, economics and financial issues. As a leading sub-Saharan agency, Africapractice has engaged African economies and investment communities in Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, and Nigeria, among other countries with sustained and continued results stemming from the buoyancy of these economies due to private sector participation.
Sierra Leone is seeing increased interest on the global field, as the peaceful transition of government and the democratic elections last year provide the much needed political stability. The country has substantial resources that will attract major investors, given the right publicity.
Africapractice has developed the idea for an event that can be replicated in key markets in Africa, the UK, the US, and the Middle East, to bring together influential players, potential investors and to start the debate about the country as an exciting and growing opportunity. Africapractice aims to create and manage a new kind of event, using its expertise in communications and creativity as well as its experience in working with African governments on Foreign Direct Investments.
The Chief Executive Officer of SLIEPA, Adeyemie Rodney-Sandy, welcomed Tim Newbold for choosing Sierra Leone as a partner especially at a time when Sierra Leone is building her image in the diaspora and attracting investment opportunities worldwide. He went on to say that the short to medium term plan for SLIEPA is to organize a Domestic Investment Forum, a road-show partnership conference with Africa practice for West Africa investment markets, and a Commonwealth investment forum due in Sierra Leone next year followed by other International Investment programs.
Presenting the investment structures of SLIEPA, the Director of Investment Promotion, Raymond Kai Gbekie highlighted the structural areas to include investment policy review, the Sierra Leone investment guide, investment code and incentives, information database, among others. He went further to say that most of these documents will be completed by the end of the year which will further instill investor confidence in the attractive business environment.
On his part the Director of Export Development, Henry Yamba Kamara spoke on the need for a national export strategy and an export guide which will be completed by the end of the year. Tim Newbold assured SLIEPA on a functional partnership and extended a free consultancy to SLIEPA at anytime with a view of building and improving the investment capacity of SLIEPA. Tim has since left for Lagos through London where he will brief his Managing Director on the discussions and strategies needed to execute the various investment initiatives.
By Ophaniel Gooding
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