By Kadiatu Sankoh
Minister of Information and Civic Education, Chernor Bah, commenced a significant official visit to Beijing, China, following a formal invitation from Diming Printing, a leading force within the Chinese printing industry. Minister Bah leads a high-level delegation that includes Andrew Kamara, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Information, and Mr. Salifu Suma, the Government Printer of Sierra Leone.
The core objective of this visit is to explore and solidify a strategic partnership between the Government of Sierra Leone and Diming Printing. This potential collaboration holds the promise of fundamentally transforming Sierra Leone’s Government Printing Department and driving the comprehensive modernization of the nation’s entire printing and publishing infrastructure. Minister Bah emphasized that this initiative aligns with the government’s broader agenda to enhance efficiency, transparency, and accessibility in information dissemination and official documentation.
Diming Printing, recognized for its advanced technologies, extensive scale, and global operations, has reportedly expressed strong interest in establishing a significant operational footprint in Sierra Leone. This move signals substantial opportunities beyond mere commercial engagement. The envisioned partnership focuses heavily on critical areas, including the transfer of cutting-edge printing technologies, substantial investment in local capacity building through specialized training programs, and the stimulation of private sector growth within Sierra Leone’s print and allied industries. Such developments could lead to improved quality and affordability of printed materials, ranging from government gazettes and educational textbooks to commercial publications.
The Sierra Leonean delegation’s agenda in Beijing includes in-depth technical discussions with Diming’s leadership and engineers, site visits to state-of-the-art printing facilities to observe best practices and advanced machinery in operation, and the formulation of concrete steps towards finalizing a mutually beneficial cooperation framework. Minister Bah highlighted the visit as a crucial step towards leveraging international expertise to empower local institutions and foster sustainable development within a vital sector for national progress and civic education.
This visit also underscores the ongoing economic and technical cooperation between Sierra Leone and China, adding a new dimension focused on media, information management, and industrial modernization. The outcomes are anticipated to contribute significantly to Sierra Leone’s efforts in building a more robust and technologically adept information ecosystem.