Concord Times (Freetown)
14 October 2008
As part of his role as an unpaid advisor to His Excellency President Ernest Bai Koroma, Tony Blair has this week sent a small team of his staff to support the Government of Sierra Leone in attracting private investment and working with the government to further improve on governance processes and capacity building.
The Tony Blair team will be working with key institutions such as State House, the Investment and Export Promotion Agency (SLIEPA) and selected ministries for several months.
The commitment by the former British Prime Minister follows his trip to Sierra Leone in June during which he praised President Koroma's administrative efforts and offered to support his government in delivering its agenda. The President again met Mr. Blair in New York during his recent trip to the UN.
During the meeting in New York, Mr. Blair congratulated President Koroma on a good first year in office, praising him for his tough stance on corruption, public sector reform and drug-trafficking, whilst also emphasizing that there is still much work to be done - particularly in encouraging private sector investment and the importance of delivering on the government's new strategy.
The team from the Office of Tony Blair, working under the direction of President Koroma and his Office, who they met today at State House, will support the government as it enters a critical second year. Following the meeting, a spokesman for the President said: "We welcome this initiative from Tony Blair, he is a longstanding friend of Sierra Leone and we look forward to continue working with him and his team."
Mr. Blair himself will stay in close contact with both the team and President Koroma and is expected to again visit the country in the coming months.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2008 Concord Times. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
