By-Kadiatu Sankoh
In the Ministry of Information and Civic Education weekly press briefing held at the Ministry of foreign Affairs conference room on the 21 November 2023, the Deputy Minister of Information, Yusuf Keketoma Sandi, said that the meeting is to update people about government’s bid to consolidate effective relationships between the Private Sector and the Public Sector, adding that a dialogue forum has been established to foster working relationships between the two sectors for national development. The Public-Private Dialogue was introduced at the press conference. Players in both sectors are going to be interfacing to improve the investment climate in Sierra Leone.
According to the Deputy Minister of Information and Civic Education, Yusuf Keketoma Sandi Esq. informed the public about the Official launching of the joint-funded Makolo to Mabang Bridge Road Project by the Honourable Vice President, Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh, on Wednesday 15th November 2023. He said the Road Project is jointly funded by the Government of Sierra Leone and the European Union.
Speaking on the Public-Private Sector Dialogue, Chief Director and Professional Head, Ministry of Trade and Industry, Emmanuel Billy Konjor, said the Private sector is the engine of the country’s economic growth and development. He noted that the Public-Private Dialogue is a platform where the Government engages the private sector for economic development, adding that the Ministry is working to ensure that the Public-Private Dialogue is institutionalized. Mr. Konjor also informed the public that the government cannot create all the jobs, and for the private sector to create these jobs, they should be involved in the policy formulation stages.
Furthermore, Deputy Executive Director of National Investment Board, Fatima Mahawa Sandi, spoke about the key mandates of the Board. She informed the public that one of their key mandates is to ensure they take care of existing businesses, in what she referred to as “After Care”, a mechanism to ensure a conducive atmosphere is created for existing businesses as a way of attracting more investments in the country. Madam Mahawa also disclosed that in 2022, when the NIB Act was passed, the Sierra Leone Investment and Export Promotion Agency (SLIEPA) Act was repealed. SLIEPA is now a Directorate under the National Investment Board (NIB).
According to the Deputy Secretary General, Sierra Leone Importers Association, Alhaji Sheriff Barrie, commended the Government for adjusting the GST registration threshold from Nle100,000 to Nle500,000 in the 2024 Finance Act. The removal of taxes on manufacturing machines/equipment. He attributed these successes as a result of Government dialoguing with the Private Sector. He called on the Government to continuously engage and dialogue with the Government.
Alhaji Barrie reaffirmed the called on the Government to reconsider taxing cooking gas. He expressed concerns over environmental concerns adding that many people will revert to charcoal for cooking, which will impact the environment. According to Alhaji Barrie, 269 tons of Charcoal are consumed in Freetown alone. So to protect the environment, Government must not tax cooking gas.
Alhaji Barrie concluded by saying that the Public-Private Dialogue must be strengthened so ideas can be shared between the two sectors.