Vice President of Sierra Leone, Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh, has engaged the Sierra Leone Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture and urged them to step up to their responsibilities and become a mover of commerce and economic progress in the country.
“I requested a meeting with the Chamber of Commerce. The purpose was first to encourage them to play a more proactive role in the economy, particularly in President Julius Maada Bio’s FEED SALONE programme, and secondly to strengthen the dialogue between the private and public sectors. These two initiatives are Instrumental to the ongoing development in Sierra Leone,” he said.
He told the leadership of local organisations, businesses and companies, at his Tower Hill office in Central Freetown, that that he was seriously concerned about the near absence of the organisation in discussions about the country’s trade, industry and commerce over the years.
Dr. Juldeh Jalloh said that he was aware of internal issues facing the Chamber and their implications for winning the respect of Government and the support of ordinary members, adding that those challenges were, however, not insurmountable.
In other to be able to play their rightful role in the development of the country’s economy, the Vice President called on them to be prepared internally by embracing exemplary corporate governance. He noted that good internal democracy and corporate governance would earn the Chamber of Commerce the respect it deserved from third parties and win the cooperation of members.
“All developed market economies have strong Chambers of Commerce to get to where they are today. The support Chambers of Commerce provide in these countries should also be providing in Sierra Leone, including debating economic policy proposals, proffering trade and economic policy options and experimenting with member-benefit trade promotion schemes.
“The greatest value of any Chamber of Commerce in a country is the business policy and practice outcomes that it eventually influences. The discussion was fruitful, and the takeaways are for the Chamber of Commerce to have a technical working meeting with the National Investment Board and the Ministry of Trade and Industry. Also, I prompted the leadership team to keep abreast of the investment landscape and improve corporate governance within their institutions,” the Vice President said.
Representatives and organisation leadership in attendance described the meeting as very cordial and pledged their commitment to re-awakening the Sierra Leone Chamber of Commerce to live up to its duties, including to support trade and economic development in the country.
The different speakers on behalf of the Chamber of Commerce variably told the meeting that institutions had gone through periods of inertia and low energy, adding that they were committed to ending that going forward, beginning with engagements like the one with the Vice President.
