{"id":15402,"date":"2023-03-11T18:14:18","date_gmt":"2023-03-11T18:14:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/sierra-leone\/all-news\/sierra-leones-president-julius-maada-bio-meets-uk-foreign-secretary-who-signs-mou-on-trade-and-investment-with-gosl-says-agreement-will-drive-growth-prosperity-development"},"modified":"2023-03-11T18:22:43","modified_gmt":"2023-03-11T18:22:43","slug":"sierra-leones-president-julius-maada-bio-meets-uk-foreign-secretary-who-signs-mou-on-trade-and-investment-with-gosl-says-agreement-will-drive-growth-prosperity-development","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/sierra-leone\/all-news\/sierra-leones-president-julius-maada-bio-meets-uk-foreign-secretary-who-signs-mou-on-trade-and-investment-with-gosl-says-agreement-will-drive-growth-prosperity-development","title":{"rendered":"Sierra Leone\u2019s President Julius Maada Bio Meets UK Foreign Secretary Who Signs MoU on Trade and Investment with GoSL, Says Agreement Will Drive Growth, Prosperity, Development"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Sierra-Leone. <\/strong><\/span>His Excellency President Dr Julius Maada Bio has met United Kingdom\u2019s Foreign Secretary, The Rt. Honourable James Cleverly, on his way out after signing a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, with the government to improve trade relations between the two countries.<\/p>\n

Appointed Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs on 6 September 2022, the former Conservative MP was visiting the country, the birthplace of his mother, when on International Women\u2019s Day in Bo he announced a new strategy to help women and girls.<\/p>\n

\u201cTrade drives growth. It drives prosperity and development. Women\u2019s empowerment is the best tool when it comes to lifting millions of people out of poverty in the world. The MoU will enhance the trade and investment relations between the UK government and Sierra Leone. It will help transform the very long relationship between the two countries.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt will unlock exciting new international business opportunities in Sierra Leone and 64 other countries worldwide. It will not only cover duty-free export for businesses from Sierra Leone into the UK, but it will also ensure much easier ways of selling Sierra Leonean goods to the UK, with greater opportunities for businesses in textiles and palm oil businesses,\u201d he informed.<\/p>\n

He told the President that he was grateful for the warm welcome he received during his visit to the country and expressed hope that the agreement would help transform and strengthen the bilateral relationship between the two countries.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe British government wants to see Sierra Leone become a middle-income country, with more investments coming into the country from UK firms and entrepreneurs growing their own businesses. The two countries have a long history, but by also doing business and trading together, they can develop a genuine relationship. The UK will be very supportive of that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

In his remarks, President Julius Maada Bio assured the UK Foreign Secretary of his government\u2019s commitment to fully implementing the MoU in the interests of his government and the people.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can rest assured that my government will do whatever we can to ensure we achieve those aspirations. That is the essence of a government: to make sure the business climate, the incentives, and everything that we have to make sure that we have an ecosystem that is conformable as far as businesses are concerned.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy government wants to make sure we attract the best businesses. With the relationship between the two countries, it is easier to do business with the UK. So, that is why we are excited about the MoU and we are hopeful that your visits to Sierra Leone will help keep the relationship and expand beyond what it is at the moment,\u201d he noted.<\/p>\n

He acknowledged the difficult times around the world but expressed hope that as leaders they could comfort, protect, and secure their people\u2019s interests by taking into consideration the global hike in prices.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a government and people of Sierra Leone, we are excited about your visit, the signing of the Sierra Leone-United Kingdom Memorandum of Understanding on Trade and Investment, and the launch of a bilateral trade and investment forum,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>\n\r\n