State House, Freetown, Monday 17 June 2019 – Regional Director for World Bank, Henry Godfrey Kerali, has called at the presidency to bid farewell to His Excellency Dr. President Julius Maada Bio, marking the end of his mission to the country.
Minister of Finance, Jacob Jusu Saffa, who presented Mr. Kerali, said as protocol demanded the Regional Director had to bid farewell to the President. He said within the one-year period, the Government especially his ministry had had a very good working relationship with Mr. Kerali, adding that they would miss his clever decisions.
Henry Kerali, who has been designated for another assignment in South Asia, said it was a great honour meeting the President to formally bid farewell and at the same time to acknowledge that the World Bank would continue to support Sierra Leone. He congratulated the Government for the successes made so far.
He said during the Bio administration Sierra Leone had received quite a significant support from the World Bank, noting that going forward the Bank would continue to provide more support to the country. He also congratulated Government for the Medium and Long Term Development Plan, saying that it was a well prepared and structured document which other African countries should take as example.
”One of the biggest achievements of this administration in the first year has been the significant increase in domestic revenue. Many African countries are struggling to get increase in domestic revenue but Sierra Leone has seen an increase, which is quite a major achievement. We will be calling you to share your experience with other countries,” he said.
On his part, President Bio said his government had enjoyed working with the outgoing Regional Director, noting that he had shown commitment and dedication to working with the team in Sierra Leone. He said the improvement of the country’s portfolio also indicated that the World Bank Director had been doing his bit.
“We are interested in looking at genuine partners who are ready to work with us. We will continue to work with the new Regional Director and the rest of the team here to accomplish the remainder of the task ahead of us. We want you to know we have enjoyed working with you and we will miss you,” he ended.
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