SLIEPA CEO Honoured as He Receives the National Development Award

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Sierra Leone Investment and Export Promotion Agency (SLIEPA), Mr. Sheku Lexmond Koroma, has yesterday 21st December 2020, been honored with the “National Development Award’ by the Diaspora Focus, for ‘Boosting Investment and Creating Market Linkage’ at both local and international levels. This ceremony occurred at the SLIEPA Head Office at Tower Hill, Freetown.

When presenting the award, the CEO of Diaspora Focus, Dr. Emmanuel Stafford, stated that the institution was honoured for its transformative work and capital support to nation building through the leadership of Mr. Koroma. He said that, they give awards to top class and best performing institutions thus, fifty-(50) institutions were awarded this year.

According to Dr. Stafford, Diaspora Focus was established in United Kingdom to unite Africans in the diaspora and to support those returning home to reintegrate our countries to nation building. He added that, they recognize people and institutions the world over for their outstanding performances through socio-educational projects, hence Diaspora Focus Magazine, conferences, workshops, pageantry, award ceremonies, etc.

CEO Koroma received the laurel on behalf of his Agency with delight and gratitude to the Diaspora Focus and he dedicated it to his staff with the adage saying “it takes a whole village to raise a child”; hence, the unflinching support of his staff is the source of his strength for such institutional achievement. He encouraged everyone to continue working as a team to keep attaining the Agency’s goal thereby making more wins.  Mr. Koroma, went on to appreciate the President, Brigadier (Rtd.) Julius Maada Bio, for giving him the opportunity to serve his people and contribute to national development under the New Direction Government.

Despite the restrictions and limitations caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, SLIEPA has been conspicuous in the pursuance of its mandate of investment promotion, export development and providing specialized aftercare services to its stakeholders locally and internationally.

At the Agency’s Head office, the team has been engaging potential and existing investors and exporters on a range of issues such as investment and export facilitation and promotion, and providing aftercare services to our valued investors and exporters.

The Agency has also embarked on series of field activities nationwide, such as visits to existing exporters in a bid to promote their products or provide market linkages geared towards expanding the country’s export base, regular checks on small businesses along the export value chain and to assess their export readiness, investment mapping through engagement with Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), District Councils, District Offices and Chiefdom Councils, and as well as rollout of media engagements.