The Sierra Leone Local Content Agency (SLLCA) on Wednesday March 16, 2022 held a roundtable with local entrerpreneurs at the Agency’s conference hall in Freetown.
The roundtable which was organized by the Business Development Department of the SLLCA was well attended by local entrepreneurs from the Hospitality, Agribusiness, Arts/Craft, Clothing/Textiles, Carpentry/Woodworks, and Cosmetics sectors.
The Director General of the Agency, Fodeba Daboh explained that the roundtable is in fulfillment of the mandate of the Agency to create business linkages for the domestic private sectors with the foreign direct investments. This, he noted, would create a vibrant domestic private sector and transform the economy which will be led by Sierra Leoneans in the near future.
Daboh noted that there has been several of these meetings in other sectors with discussions centered on how to help link them with multi-national companies so that they would compete at the global stage.
“Local content, as I have always reiterated is not only about employment. It goes beyond employment of our locals,” he said. “As a matter of fact, if we have a goal to make this economy a local content economy, then we need to lessen the gap. There is a clear disconnect between our big multinationals and that of our local entrepreneurs.”
He emphasized that the role of the Agency is to bridge these gaps through procurement and supply market development.
The Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, Haja Isata Kamara urged hotel owners to increase the use of made in Sierra Leone products as a way of showcasing homemade food and interior décor produced locally by Sierra Leone nationals, as “charity Begins at home”.
She emphasized that government is committed to ensure that local content issues become a priority for Sierra Leoneans. She appealed to the local business owners to add value to contents, packaging and labelling. She assured the local content Director General that she will work tooth and nail with him to achieve the local content vision.
The Deputy Registrar of Pharmacy Board, Mr. Mohamed Sesay said that the meeting would serve as an eyeopener for businesses to see the need to test their products before making it available to the public for consumption. He stressed that it is still a challenge for businesses to go through the pharmacy board before letting their products to the market, adding that sooner or later, policies will be put in place to address the situation.
Local entrepreneurs registered their commitment to the process of taking the local economy in their own hands. They commended the director general Fodeba Daboh for his relentless effort in taking the local content to another level and appealed for more support from the agency and government.
By Stephen V. Lansana