President Koroma Honoured in London in THE TIMES CEO SUMMIT AFRICA

The Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Dr. Samura Kamara, returns home today from London where on behalf of President Ernest Bai Koroma  on March 19, 2012, he delivered the Keynote Address at the  CEO SUMMIT AFRICAin the Savoy Hotel  organized by the prestigious and influential THE TIMES newspaper.

PRESIDENT ERNEST KOROMA

In the international conference which was attended by celebrated world leaders like former British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, former Nigerian President, Olusegun Obasanjo, Zimbabwean Prime Minister, Morgan Tsvangirai, and a host of CEOs in finance, industry, entrepreneurship, and inventors from every continent in the world, but, especially in Africa, Dr. Samura Kamara showcased the impressive strides of the Koroma Presidency in infrastructure, energy, agriculture, etc.; he spoke of the 50 % percent rise in GDP for Sierra Leone in 2012; the Free Health Care system for lactating mothers and under-5 children; and the billions of dollars investment that has been attracted by his country over the past four years in the mineral resources sector, agriculture, and tourism.

It was in the apparent recognition of Sierra Leone as one of the model countries making the most dramatic developmental progress in Africa that THE TIMES newspaper, one of the most influential publications in the world, picked President Koroma to deliver the Keynote Address in the august meeting attended by some of Africa’s biggest and brightest business CEOs and entrepreneurs, as well as global leaders in finance and investments; and politicians who are potent opinion leaders – like Dangote Industries, Lonhro, Paramount, Goldman Sachs, Standard Chartered Bank, Emvest Agricultural Corp, Quality Chemical Industries, London Stock Exchange, etc.; and Hon. Henry Bellington, British MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Chuka Umunna, MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Business, Innovation & Skills, Patrick Orr, Chairman, British Council for Africa, U.K.,

The inspiring words of Prime Minister Tony Blair at the CEO SUMMIT AFRICA which I excerpt below typifies the Sierra Leonean situation under the leadership of President Koroma: “….. Africa is changing for the better, the perceptions of Africa are also changing for the better. There is a new sense of hope and confidence, an optimism, and an expectation that is based on evidence not dreams. Above all, I am noticing in my frequent visits there that there is anew generation of leaders in politics, business and civic society who don’t simply have a new competence about how they approach their tasks; but a new attitude, a new frame of thinking, a new way of looking at their own situation…”.

The conference sponsors were Bank of America-Merrill Lynch, of the world’s largest financial institutions; The Dangote Group, the Nigerian-owned company with a turnover in excess of $3billion, whose founder was listed last year by Forbes magazine as the wealthiest African; the London Stock Exchange; one of the world’s leading oil and gas companies, BP; Virgin Atlantic, Britain’s second largest carrier serving the world’s largest cities; and Oxford Analytica, a firm that does global analysis and draws on a worldwide network of experts to advise clients on their strategy and performance.

Oswald Hanciles

Special Assistant to the President (Media Outreach

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By Daily Mail