February 26, 2019
By Ibrahim Tarawallie
Federal Foreign Minister of Germany yesterday spoke about his desire to see more companies from his country to come and invest in Sierra Leone.
According to Heiko Maas, such investment from companies in Germany will help in the creation of jobs, which will in turn discourage the idea of Africans using the Mediterranean Sea to better their lives.
Minister Maas, who is in the country to discuss issues around strengthening bilateral relationship between the two countries, as well as investment opportunities, told a joint presser hosted in the conference of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Corporation that there were remarkable development ongoing in the country.
He commended the people of Sierra Leone and other stakeholders for the peaceful transfer of power from one democratically elected government to another.
As a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, the German Foreign Minister spoke about their commitment to conflict management and added that there was a lot they could learn from Sierra Leone.
Earlier, Sierra Leone’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Dr. Alie Kabba, said he was pleased that his counterpart was visiting the country for the first time.
“My colleague and I have had very constructive and successful talks this morning. The Germans have a long friendly relations dating back to after independence and they have been very close to us during very difficult moments, especially the civil war when they provided logistical support,” he said.
He stated that his visit was a signal of deepening and strengthening bilateral relations between the two countries.
He disclosed that during their meeting, they discussed at length the issue of Schengen visas as a major concern to Sierra Leone and that he was pleased that Minister Maas spoke about the flexibility on the issue.
He noted that as they move forward in the coming weeks and months, more details will come out regarding the issue, adding, “I am confident that there will be some ways to ensure a sensitive approach to resolving the issue. We have also made commitment to deepening mutual beneficial cooperation, political engagements and development on trade and economic relations.”
According to Dr. Kabba, exploring opportunities in the fields of infrastructure, energy and education, which are the core priorities of the ‘New direction’ administration, were also agreed.
He also spoke about energetically promoting the establishment of direct contacts on the German side, considering the interest which German companies have shown to invest in solar energy, agriculture and the marine sector.