President Ernest Bai Koroma yesterday received members of the ECOWAS sub-committee ICT and expressed happiness in seeing that the committee was busy carrying out its mandate in preparation for the heads of state summit in December.

"We have come a long way in terms of achieving the set targets, but we are not there yet," he noted.

Koroma said more commitment needed to be shown in turning the ideals into concrete achievements stating that Sierra Leone was one of the leading countries in domesticating the ECOWAS proposals.

The president said this country was still committed to meeting the ultimate objectives of the sub-regional group while he thanked the sub-committee for addressing the all-important issue of information technology.

"Information is power. And there is so much the sub-region can gain in furthering our ideals as spelt out in the Dakar Action Plan," he said. The President reiterated his government's commitment to fulfilling all that the sub-regional bloc stands for.

The team comprised delegates from Liberia, Burkina Faso, Togo, Gambia, and Sierra Leone. They were introduced by Sierra Leonean female MP Victoria Saidu Kamara, while the vote of thanks was given by Deputy Minister of Finance and Development Dr. Richard Conteh.

Meanwhile, the president has received a letter of support from the President of the United Nations Security Council, Mr. Le Luong Minh, on the Sierra Leone government's efforts in handling the cocaine saga.

Dated 22 July 2008, excerpts of the letter read thus: "I take this opportunity to refer to my earlier presentations to the Security Council on the threat increasingly being faced by West Africa as a hub for the illicit trafficking of cocaine from South America to Europe.

"The recent large seizure of cocaine in Sierra Leone is yet another instance of how drugs and organized criminal networks can serve to hamper efforts to maintain sovereignty and integrity.

"I therefore believe that the Security Council's support will be crucial to bolster the ongoing admirable actions by the Government of Sierra Leone to develop effective and sustainable security systems..."