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The following information has been reproduced as part of our database, it does not constitute any endorsement from ISRIA. To know the exact origin of this information, please click on 'view original source' at the end of the page.
The Secretary General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, officiated Sierra Leone Investment and Donors Conference which was organized in partnership between Sierra Leone, the United Kingdom, the OIC and other stakeholders on 19 November 2009 in London. The conference provided a platform for the development of Sierra Leone, investors and donors organizations to support the new development plan prepared by the government for the period 2009-2012.
H.R.H Prince Charles visited the venue of the conference and discussed with the heads of delegations of the OIC Member States and financial institutions participating in the conference. He also toured an exhibition on Sierra Leone.
In his statement at the conference, the OIC Secretary General thanked the president of Sierra Leone, H. E. Mr. Ernest Bai Koroma, who was present at the Conference, for his resolve to put his country on the right track by upholding the rule of law and seeking every opportunity to advance the well-being of his people. He commanded the active cooperation between the OIC and the United Kingdom represented by the Department for International Development (DFID) to help the government of Sierra Leone develop its huge economic potential. He also paid tribute to DFID for its unflinching support on the ground and its initiative in trying to find a common response hand-in-hand with the OIC to tackle Sierra Leone’s post conflict developmental issues.
The conference was preceded by a special session on Sierra Leone on 18 November 2009. A number of OIC Member States and financial institutions participated in the session to support a development plan submitted by the government of Sierra Leone entitled "Agenda for Change 2009-2012". The plan focussed on four strategic priority areas: enhancing national electricity; developing the national transportation network; enhancing productivity in agriculture and fisheries; and sustaining human development, notably health, education and water. The participants affirmed OIC Member States’ commitments to continue support to Sierra Leone.
The participants of the conference, who exceeded 500 companies and individuals, endorsed the priorities and principles of the Agenda for Change and noted some of the risks associated with its implementation. They noted that the Agenda has been developed through substantial national dialogue and has broad support and encouraged stronger partnerships, prioritisation and aid effectiveness. They called for the need for an appropriate aid architecture including the organization of aid coordination meetings which would lead to a more effective and efficient implementation of the Agenda for Change.
On the sidelines of the conference, the OIC Secretary General had a bilateral meeting with President Koroma. He discussed with him ways and means to enhance bilateral relationship between the OIC and Sierra Leone. The Secretary General praised the Sierra Leonean President for the good governance and the role model his country displays and expressed his readiness to visit Sierra Leone in his next visit to the African continent.
For his part President Koroma expressed his appreciation for the participation of the OIC and the increasing number of OIC Member States’ donors in the conference. He also stated his firmness to continue fighting corruption in his country and reiterated his support for the initiatives undertaken by the OIC in the field of development. They also discussed the OIC Sierra Leone Fund and Sierra Leon’s participation in the meeting of OIC Member States’ consortium of Financial Institutions which will be convened in Khartoum in January 2010 to discuss financing projects which will be presented by the government of Sierra Leone.
The Secretary General also met with the UK Minister of State for International Development, Gareth Thomas, with whom he discussed development in Sierra Leone, peace and security in Africa and bilateral cooperation between the OIC and the UK. The meeting was concluded by signing an Memorandum of Understanding on Sierra Leone between the OIC and the UK.
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