The Moscow Chamber of Commerce was visited by the representative delegation of the Republic of Sierra Leone, headed by the newly appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. David J. Francis, on an official visit to the Russian Federation.
Opening the meeting, the MCCI’s President, Mr. Vladimir Platonov, pointed out that the Chamber, acting on the basis of the Law of the City of Moscow "On the Moscow Chamber of Commerce and Industry" closely cooperates with the Moscow Government in protecting the interests of businesses and their promotion to international and regional markets. The MCCI’s members are actively involved in the development of such important areas of the capital's economy as transport, ecology, tourism and high technology.
One of the priorities of the Chamber is international activity. The MCCI works closely business communities of African countries. "During the Economic Forum “Russia-Africa",in Sochi, a Memorandum of Cooperation was signed between the MCCI and the Ministry of Trade and Industry of Sierra Leone.
Together with PFUR (Peoples Friendship University of Russia), the Chamber implements the International Employers Club project, promoting employment for foreign graduates of Russian universities, including those in African countries, with the help of partner organizations.
Mr. Mohamed Yongavo, the Ambassador of Sierra Leone to the Russian Federation, introducing the Sierra Leone’s delegation, emphasized that this is the third time Mr. J. Francis is coming to Russia. He is a supporter of strengthening and developing ties and relations with Russia.
In his speech, the Minister noted that when planning the visit of the delegation to Russia, at the recommendation of the Ambassador, one of the important points of the program was a visit to the Moscow Chamber of Commerce. This is not accidental, because the MCCI has been working with partners in Sierra Leone for several years.
According to Mr. J. Francis, the private sector plays a major role in the development of trade and economic relations, and the Chambers of Commerce and Industry are the main instruments of cooperation between Russia and Sierra Leone.
In addition to the Memorandum, another important factor in expanding trade relations and increasing investment activity is the approaching anniversary in 2020- the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the USSR and Sierra Leone. "Sierra Leone is a country of unlimited opportunities, so it is no coincidence that the country's leadership has proclaimed the transition to economic diplomacy," stressed the minister.
The mining industry, agriculture, fisheries, and hydropower were named among the promising areas for cooperation.
Mr. Sergei Poroshin, a member of the Board of Directors of the Bureau of Marine Projects and Technologies, and Mr. Alexei Polyakov, a member of the Board of Directors of the “SpetsAvtoInform”, presented the projects, planned for implementation in Sierra Leone.
The Ambassador, Mr. Yongavo noted that the Embassy is aware of these projects and supports them. The Minister of Foreign Affairs also pledged his support for the said projects upon his return to Sierra lLeone.
The Vice-President of the MCCI, Mr. Vardanyan, in his speech, underlined the readiness of the Chamber to cooperate with Sierra Leone, noting the important role of the Commission on Foreign Economic Cooperation with partners in Africa (Sub-Saharan Africa) and the role of its Chairman, Mr. Konstantin Anastasiadi.
According to Mr. Vardanyan, the MCCI has held two significant online events on African issues. These are the International tele-bridge "Moscow-Africa" and the International Festival "I want to work in Africa", which were broadcasted to many African countries. Promising areas for the MCCI in work with Sierra Leone are food industry, ecology, mining, tourism, high-tech, including the chemical industry and urbanism.
The Vice President also suggested considering holding an online conference in the near future to present the economic potentials of Moscow and Sierra Leone.