President
Kabbah Returns From Burkina Faso
By Marian Samu
Monday,
30th May 2005:The
President, Alhaji Dr. Ahmad Tejan Kabbah has
returned to Freetown after a two day official
visit to Burkina Faso where he attended the
seventh ordinary session of Conference of Leaders
and Heads of State of the Community of Sahel-Saharan
States (CEN-SAD) in Ouagadugu from the 1st-
2nd June 2005.
Upon
arrival in Ouagadugu, Burkina Faso on Tuesday
31st May 2005, President Kabbah was welcomed
by President Blaise Compare and senior government
officials at the Ouagadugu International Airport.
Sierra
Leone, however, had earlier on established official
links with CEN-SAD thereby achieving an observer
status, this largely due to President Kabbah's
manifested interest in activities that promote
peace, stability and economic development in
Africa. Sierra Leone has now become a full member
of CEN-SAD.
In
his acceptance statement at the summit, President
Kabbah said that, our most recent history as
a country has demonstrated the need to pool
potentials and energies for developing synergies
that will further enhance South-South cooperation,
especially in these days of increasing globalization.
I
must say that, over the years I have been very
much impressed by the laudable objectives of
CEN-SAD, which include the establishment of
a comprehensive economic union that emphasizes
investments in the agricultural, industrial,
social, cultural and energy.
I
am equally impressed by the fact that this Organization
has been holding regular sectoral consultations
aimed at strengthening the institutional framework
for integration. I am informed that several
discussions have been held on issues relating
to trade, health and environmental issues, the
development of transport and communications,
as well as human resource development.
I
also note with great satisfaction that this
Organization has given utmost consideration
to issues of regional security and the enhancement
of Regional Economic communities.
These
are matters that are at the heart of the Government
and people of Sierra Leone. We as a nation realize
the enormous potentials and opportunities that
exist for cooperation with other countries in
achieving these objectives. It is because of
this that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and
International Cooperation was mandated in June,
2004 to officially request the Sierra Leone
be accepted as a member of CEN-SAD. I am very
happy that no objection has been notified regarding
this issue, and I am more than please to have
my country as a member of this brotherhood of
nations.
On
behalf of the government and people of Sierra
Leone I do formally accept Sierra Leone's membership
of this august body and pledge to work assiduously
towards achieving its goals and objectives.
Let
me conclude by saying that my country has tremendous
potentials for investment in the trade, agriculture,
energy, and tourism sectors. It is hoped that
cooperation in the development of our capacities
to harness these resources will be of mutual
benefit to our peoples.
Earlier
in the opening session President Obasanjo of
Nigeria, President Tumani Turay of Mali and
President Blaise Compare of Burkina Faso spoke
respectively on the establishment of a comprehensive
economic union based on a strategy implemented
in accordance with a developmental plans that
would be integrated in the national development
plans of member states, which include investment
in the agriculture, industrial, social, cultural
and energy fields.
It
will be recalled that the first ordinary session
of the Conference of Leaders and Heads of State
of the Community of the Sahel and Saharan states
was held in Sirt, Libya on 14th April 1999,
with the participation of Libya, Burkina Faso,
Mali, Chad, Sudan and Niger. The State of Eritrea
and Central African Republic joined the community
during that session; membership into the Community
increases at every session, making its present
status of (24) countries.
-End-
