First all let me apologise, cos i left early yesterday and arrived late today. Ah tire. There's about 4-5 speakers per session and 4-5 sessions per day. Its a bit difficult to stay focused especially when some are effectively making a sales pitch. There's a lot of talking in this forum. Anyway...
Day 2 was the official opening by his Excellency the President. It was interesting seeing his intelligence guards in action. Before he spoke we heard the Minister of State in Ireland talk about Irish experiences in the past 20 years or so not being disimilar to the current situation we find ourselves in today (lack of tax payment, curroption etc). This is always good for inspiration but he also cautioned that overcoming their difficulties was a matter of hard work and dedication and not by good luck or some miracle. His govt promised an additional Euro7m to the govt depending on certain criteria being met (you should know the drill by now). He also paid glowing tribute to Kadie Sesay for her persistence in making sure he attended the forum. He said SL has a great ambassador in Kadie Sesay. I must say she always impresses.
His Excellency then made his speech which outline a lot of progress the govt have been making with regards security and economic growth. His speech was really packed with information but i fear the most of it probably didn't sink in as he delivered it like a man tired. Also i personally think it would have been good for him to deliver it standing up and with a bit more enthusiasm. He was delivering to an audience to which body language means a lot and is understood. I guess 10 years in charge of SL will take its toll eh?
Apparently Obasanjo was supposed to make an entry but he had being held up in New York due to an emergency... of course later in the day we heard Charles Taylor had gone missing.
After that we heard speeches from John Mbonu (Managing Director, Sierra Leone Brewery) and Mr Bernard Sisay (Marketing Director, Celtel). Both companies are big investors in Sierra Leone and provide employment to many. Apparently by the end of June Celtel would have invested $70million in Sierra Leone. Interestingly they acquired the license in 1998 - a period of intense insecurity in Sierra Leone. Brewery had their entire factory burnt down during the war but that didn't put them off coming back!
After that session, i headed off home.
Day 3 was tourism day. Minister Okere Adams made an enthusiastic speech full of energy. You cannot fault him on that. Whislt we also heard about the Mape Project which has been proposed. This is a huge dream.. hotels, golf courses, spas - the full monty. We also heard an expert on Eco-Tourism who is currently carrying out research on behalf of the world bank. Great thing about Eco-Tourism is that the investment required to kick things off his not huge. Anyway i asked Hon. about the Peninsula Road - apparently they have received the money and will tender bids - this was slightly confusing as i heard from another reliable source that he knew the person who won the contract. I was probably confused and tired at that point so don't quote me.
Also asked about the airport transfer issue - to which he confirmed that they currently have someone who wants to come in with a couple of hovercrafts. I asked about the cost of hotels and if concessions will be made to hoteliers.. also about the coperation between his department and the conservation society - i think i asked too many questions though and had more still. :) Anyway, like i said you cannot fault the man for energy and optimism. He also mentioned -again- that Sierra Leone is the safest country in Africa.
That was it really - i had other arrangements in the morning so could not make the morning session. I can sense your disappointment. Sorry gotta run off to Octopussy Wine Bar (its just started raining - wierd weather these days!!). If you ever stop by at Octopussy you have to cheeck out the name of their cocktails. Hilarious - clever though.
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