According to statehouse Communications Unit
President Julius Maada Bio of Sierra Leone has arrived in Vietnam to discuss bilateral cooperation and trade facilitation.
Monday, March 14, 2022, in Hanoi, Vietnam. His Excellency President Dr Julius Maada Bio arrived in Hanoi, the capital of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, on the invitation of His Excellency Nguyen Xuan Phuc, who initiated bilateral cooperation discussions between the two countries.
When they met at the 76th United Nations General Assembly in New York on September 23, 2021, the Vietnamese President extended an invitation to President Bio, praising his ability to maintain political and social stability in the resource-rich West African nation and thanking him for his kind words on Vietnam's development.
President Xuan Phuc formally invited President Bio to visit his country on the sidelines of the UN meeting of leaders, and expressed a desire for the two countries to establish diplomatic relations.
“I am confident that under your leadership the cooperation will grow stronger and stronger. I am looking forward to welcoming you to Vietnam,” he said some six months ago.
President Bio had accepted the invitation and noted at the time that: “I accept the invitation very kindly, and I am delighted for the series of proposals to establish cooperation between our two countries”. Both Presidents had also agreed on exploring trade and investment opportunities.
His visit will be focused on six key areas, including signing a rice supply agreement, investing in mechanized farming capacity building, and providing technical expertise to the value chain in fish production, among others.
Vietnam's exports to Sierra Leone have increased at an annualised rate of 14.6 percent over the last 18 years, from $854,000 in 2000 to $9.9 million in 2018. In the year 2020, Vietnam shipped an estimated $348 billion worth of goods around the world.
Vietnam is an ideal export hub for countries like Sierra Leone to reach members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations because of its strategic location for foreign companies with operations throughout Southeast Asia.
The First Lady Fatima Bio, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Professor John Francis, Chief Minister, Jacob Jusu Saffa, Minister of Agriculture, Dr Abu Bakarr Karim, Minister of Trade and Industry, Dr Edward Sandy, Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Honourable Emma Kowa-Jalloh, and Minister of Planning and Economic Development, Dr Francis Kaikai, are among those accompanying the President.
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