Chinese Ambassador Wu Peng on Friday 1st February signed a twenty nine million eight hundred thousand United States Dollars ($29.8m) agreement with Minister of Foreign Affairs Alie Kabba on Economic and Technical Cooperation between the two Governments geared towards a fishing harbor project in Sierra Leone.

Chinese Ambassador Wu Peng extended felicitations for the Chinese New Year to the people of Sierra Leone saying this Lunar calendar is celebrating the year of the Pig, which resembles wealth and prosperity. He said 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 maintained, China agreed to provide the assistance to explore and implement a fish harbor project. “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 is a step in the right direction.

The Chinese government has decided to support Sierra Leone in the development of a fishery industry, as a result of request made by President Bio.” Minister 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 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 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.”

The Foreign Minister praised China for its continued support and major investments in Sierra Leone especially the Jui hospital in the health sector, the ultra-modern Foreign Affairs Ministry building 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.” Minister Alie Kabba said this project will definitely improve the fishing sector and boost the economy in the coming years.

Source: Awoko