EMPOWER AFRICA PRESS RELEASE, November 20, 2019… Empower Africa is pleased to announce the success of its first Agriculture Trade Mission to Sierra Leone, which took place on November 5-7. The Trade Mission included a diverse delegation of 10 leading international agribusiness executives who met with over 200 local attendees consisting of the private sector, NGO’s, and senior leaders of the Sierra Leone Government. The mission analyzed many challenges and opportunities in the country and outlined specific commercial agriculture projects that could develop and diversify the economy and enhance food security.

Key addresses during the trade mission were given by Ezi Rapaport, founder, and CEO of Empower Africa; United States Ambassador Maria E. Brewer; European Union Ambassador Tom Vens; the Honorable Joseph Ndanema, Minister of Agriculture and Forestry; Mr. Alhassan Kargbo, Deputy Director Public Affairs at Sierra Leone’s Anti-Corruption Commission; Dr. Abu Karim, Presidential Advisor for Trade and Investment, Joe Demby, Presidential Advisor for Economic and Financial Policy, and Sheku Lexmond Koroma, CEO of the Sierra Leone Investment and Export Promotion Agency.

In the words of Abubakarr Kaikai, Sierra Leone’s Special Envoy for Trade and Investment: “We are ready to actualize the potential of our land and are seeking to partner with agriculture companies who can support local farmers and invest in strategic projects. Empower Africa’s Agriculture Trade Mission offered us a unique opportunity to meet and network with representatives from international agribusinesses. This mission has accomplished something that has not yet been done in Sierra Leone. Our coordinated effort reflects our new government’s strong desire to strengthen the private sector and attract genuine investors to invest in win-win opportunities for them and our country.”

In support of the government’s vision of a thriving agriculture market, Empower Africa facilitated conferences, networking events, 1:1 meetings, and in-depth tours of locally established agriculture companies.

Ezi Rapaport, Empower Africa’s Founder & CEO, stated: “Sierra Leone has fertile soil, abundant water, tariff-free access to many developing countries like the US and EU, and approximately two-thirds of the population already work in agriculture. Despite these favorable conditions, 85% of its 5.4 million hectares of arable land lie uncultivated and most of Sierra Leone’s food is imported.

Now, President Bio’s recently announced National Development Plan and National Agriculture Transformation Plan aims to expand Sierra Leone’s agriculture sector with the goal of diversifying the economy and advancing human capital development.

We are delighted that our Trade Mission was a success and we see the agriculture sector as the engine for economic growth. We have identified many lucrative commercial opportunities and Empower Africa will now be following up with delegates and attendees to outline and facilitate select strategic projects. This is a pivotal moment in the country’s history and we are confident that by investing in human capital and by creating ethical, transparent and efficient trade, Sierra Leone will be a major contributing force in the world.”

The mission closed with a warm reception and an intimate roundtable discussion with Hon. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh, Vice President of Sierra Leone.

To view images of the trade mission online visit empowerafrica.com/event-gallery

Empower Africa Media Contact: info@empowerafrica.com

About Empower Africa:
Empower Africa is a values-driven business that seeks to accelerate sustainable economic development in Africa. For more information about Empower Africa, please visit empowerafrica.com

EMPOWER AFRICA PRESS RELEASE, October 31, 2019…Empower Africa is excited to announce that it will be leading an Agricultural Trade Mission to Sierra Leone November 4-7, 2019 to enhance food security and help drive sustainable economic development. A detailed itinerary can be accessed online here.

Sierra Leone has fertile soil and abundant water, and approximately two-thirds of the population already works in agriculture. Despite these favorable conditions, 85% of arable land lies uncultivated and most of Sierra Leone’s food is imported. Businesses that bring the right seeds, fertilizers, and farming techniques to Sierra Leone have a great opportunity to build profitable partnerships while contributing to the country’s long term economic prosperity.

President Bio’s recently announced National Development Plan aims to diversify the economy with the goal of stimulating human capital development. This plan has opened a window for agriculture companies to enter into mutually profitable projects in Sierra Leone.

This Trade Mission offers agriculture companies a unique chance to explore and build an in depth understanding of the commercial opportunities in Sierra Leone. Participants will also interact with local agriculture businesses and representatives of the Sierra Leone Government while building important business relationships during planned conferences and networking events.

Empower Africa’s Director of Agriculture, Maoz Aviv, will lead a highly specialized delegation of international companies who have a broad range of agriculture expertise. Maoz is a leading global agronomist and brings with him over twenty years of experience in a wide variety of agricultural activities.

Highlights from the itinerary include onsite visits to local agriculture operations, a full day conference and networking events which include one-on-one meetings with local business representatives and government officials.

Following the Trade Mission, Empower Africa will assist the participants in cementing the connections built during the trip and in laying the foundation for long-lasting business relationships in Sierra Leone.

This Trade Mission is part of Empower Africa’s larger strategy of facilitating mutually beneficial business ventures in order to drive sustainable economic development in Africa.

“We are encouraged by President Bio and the Sierra Leone Government’s ‘New Direction’ focused on human capital development. We believe that there is currently a unique window of opportunity for the private sector to drive sustainable economic development in Sierra Leone and agriculture is a vital sector that will enhance food security and help jumpstart the economy. Our Agriculture Trade Mission this November 4-7 will explore strategic commercial opportunities for the private sector and the country, and we call on industry leaders to join us on our mission.” – Ezi Rapaport, Founder and CEO of Empower Africa.

“We thank Empower Africa for its ongoing support and for organizing this important Agriculture Trade Mission. We take this opportunity to invite genuine investors and leading agriculture companies to Sierra Leone. In line with our Government’s ‘New Direction’ focused on human capital development and our plans to diversify our economy, our Ministry of Agriculture has recently released our ‘National Agriculture Transformation Plan’. This plan outlines many commercial opportunities in the agriculture sector and our government is committed to working with the private sector and international investors that can assist with our country’s development efforts. Sierra Leone is open for business.” – Mr. Abubakarr KaiKai, Special Envoy Trade and Investment, Government of Sierra Leone

View the full itinerary and learn about the Trade Mission here.

Empower Africa Media Contact: info@empowerafrica.com

About Empower Africa:

Empower Africa is a values driven business that seeks to accelerate sustainable economic development in Africa. For more information about Empower Africa, please visit empowerafrica.com