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"We know we have problems in Africa, but we aredealing with them. When I tell you that in my country therate of poverty is 54%, it gives a terrible image. Butwhen I add that a few years ago it was 70%, it showsthat we are really working on turning it around.”

So says Joaquim Chissano, Chairman of the 15-member strong African Union and President ofMozambique. Commendable words, given that hiscountry is one of the poorest in the world and poverty isactually increasing in some Western countries.

Success stories in Africa are seldom reported. TheAfrica Partnership Forum is a dialogue between leadersof Africa and the G-8 nations to support NEPAD – theNew Partnership for Africa’s Development – in its aim toturn Africa around. It serves as a unique platform to rallythe key players in a collaborative effort to address themajor challenges facing the continent.

The second Forum met in Maputo, Mozambique inApril, co-chaired by the U.S., Belgium, South Africa andMozambique. According to Professor Ibrahim Gambari,representing the UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan,

substantial progress has already been made with theNEPAD objectives.

The partnership has resulted in British Prime MinisterTony Blair setting up a Commission for Africa to ensurethe continent benefits from the UK’s chairing of the G-8and EU next year. Meanwhile, the African Peer ReviewMechanism is helping African nations implement truedemocracy, good corporate governance andtransparency, while eradicating corruption.

The AIDS issue is also being tackled head on. "Theefforts made in training skilled staff in Africa will be invain if vigorous measures are not taken to halt thespread of AIDS," says Luisa Diogo, Prime Minister ofMozambique. The Forum will also be drawing up astrategy to give Africa a fairer platform on which totrade.

The dialogue to advance Africa’s integration into theglobal economy will continue in the U.S. later this year.In this second part of our special report on NEPAD, wefeature three of the countries that are embracingNEPAD’s vision: Nigeria, Sudan and Sierra Leone.

N E P A DPART II

www.globalbusiness.uk.com

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NEPAD is offering new hope foreconomic regeneration for the 53countries of Africa led by its ‘big five’– Nigeria, South Africa, Senegal,Algeria and Egypt. Nigeria’sPresident Olusegun Obasanjo wasthe prime mover for a collectiveAfrican vision to address the gapingimbalance between Africa and thewestern nations.

Ambassador Isaac Aluko-Olokun,president of NEPAD’s Steering

Committee, is frank about the challenge that lies ahead. “Onein three of the world’s population lives in Africa, but thecontinent only gets 1% of global Gross Domestic Product(GDP), 1% of Foreign Direct Investment and 2% of globalexports,” he says.

Yet Aluko-Olokun fears Africa will become the only region inthe world that will fail to meet its official UN millenniumdevelopment goals. “Africa needs to grow its GDP at 7% ayear. During the whole of the 1990s Africa grew at 2.1% a

year. This has improved since the turn of the century, but 7%is illusory right now unless NEPAD changes the ground rules.”

Indeed NEPAD calculates that Africa needs some $64 billionin investible resources a year to meet these goals, which theAmbassador agrees will require a political and economicrevolution. He says: “Apart from South Africa, we cannot raisecapital in Africa. We have 22 stock exchanges that are mostlyshallow and narrow and cannot raise funds.”

The Ambassador describes NEPAD as a “holistic, integratedand co-ordinated agenda to move Africa into the 21stcentury.” There were 38 different regeneration initiatives inAfrica before the launch of NEPAD in 2001 leading manyskeptics to ask “What is different this time?” Aluko-Olokun isclear that NEPAD’s strength is that it is an African agendaresting on the tripod of three basic principles – ownership,responsibility and partnership. “Collectively, the G-8 countriesaccount for 75% of all the official development assistance toAfrica,” he says. “We are now having a structured dialoguewith them and that has never happened before.”

However, NEPAD is also about promoting self-helpprograms for Africa. NEPAD estimates that around 40 in every100 dollars owned by Africans are invested outside thecontinent because the investment climate at home is too riskyand poorly regulated. Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, Nigerian Ministerof the Federal Capital Territory, estimates that some $107billion of Nigerian money is outside Nigeria. “Most of it ishonestly earned, but this money is not coming back toNigeria, because there is no confidence in the domesticinvestment plan.”

NEPAD exists to create “new principles, a new culture and anew awareness in Africa.” The solution it proposes includecreating an investor-friendly environment that emphasizesgood economic governance, a credible policy framework andthe highest possible standards of regulation. “That meanssanctity of property rights, the honoring of contracts andindependent judiciaries for the resolution of disputes,” saysAluko-Olokun.

Its success also depends on African countries workingtogether on regional infrastructure improvements. Dr AbiyeS.P. Sekibo, Nigeria’s Minister of Transport, says that throughNEPAD it will become easier for Nigerian seaports to servicecountries such as Niger and Sudan, as well as Saharannations with no access to the sea. “We’re talking about railroads that cross the entire area, the highways, and direct airbridges between African states,” he says.

NEPAD is also seeking to refocus economic development incountries such as Nigeria on their roots in agriculture.Nigeria’s Minister of Finance Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, a vicepresident of the World Bank, recently told EuropeanCommission officials that agriculture is now “the maincontribution to sustainable democracy and economicdevelopment in Nigeria.”

N I G E R I A

ENIGERIANNPC

Giving power to the people

Nigerian National Petroleum CorporationCentral Business District, Herbert Macaulay Way,

P.M.B. 190, Garki, Abuja, NigeriaTel: +234 (0) 9 2348200 - 17 +234 (0) 9 20081133

Fax: +234 (0) 9 2340029

O B A S A N J O S E T S A N E W V I S I O N

Ambassador Isaac Aluko-Olokun, President, NEPAD

Steering Committee

ENERGY GIANT POWERS ECONOMIC GROWTH

Nigeria earns up to 95% of its foreign exchange from sales ofhydrocarbons and downstream products. Yet the contributionto GDP is still low at between 10% and 15%, according to thePresidential Adviser on Petroleum and Energy, Dr EdmundDaukoru.

Nigeria, with crude oil reserves of 33 billion barrels, isseeking to create through NEPAD better links between the oilsector and the rest of its domestic economy, especially agri-business. The government aims to increase local participationin the energy industry by seeking a greater Nigerian input inlabor, know-how and materials. “The oil sector has so far beena kind of enclave within the economy and government wantsto put a stop to that,” says Daukoru. “The investment climate ispromising and within the wider economy there is scope formore end products, like plastics and fertilizers.”

Nigeria is keen to end gas flaring completely by 2008,ensuring that all gas produced in association with crude oil isharnessed for the economy. The government’s strategy haschanged in that it no longer relies on penalties againstoperators still flaring gas, but instead offers incentives forcompanies to use all the natural resources in theirconcessions. Major projects are upcoming, including theEscravos Gas to Liquids (GTL) conversion project withChevron and the major Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) schemewith Shell, Elf, Agip and the state-owned Nigerian NationalPetroleum Corporation (NNPC).

At the strategic level, NNPC aims to increase Nigeria’s oilreserves to 36 billion barrels by 2007 and to raise productionto 4.1 million barrels a day (b/d) by 2010. Coupled with this isan ambitious plan to earn as much from natural gas as fromcrude oil by 2010. In the gas sector, the government now plansto lift all entry barriers to ease the path for more foreigninvestment.

Engineer Funsho Kupolokun, Group Managing Director,NNPC, says: “Above all we need to create an integrated oiland gas industry. In the downstream the goal is sufficiency andefficient supply and distribution systems. The aim is to followthe wind of liberalization until the downstream sub-sector iscompletely liberalized.”

Kupolokun, who was brought in last year to build capacity atNNPC, is engaged in a major change agenda designed tobring home experienced Nigerians to help transform thecompany. NNPC will in future become a coordinator for theenergy industry overseeing a broad range of joint venturesinstead of taking on risks itself.

NNPC is progressing a privatization program involving itsthree refineries, pipelines, stock deposits and certainpetrochemical activities. The refineries at Port Harcourt, Warriand Kaduna produce a total of 445,000 b/d and the target isfor 50% of demand to be met by local production by 2006. Thenew investors will need to bring funds for modernization andprovide management capacity if these goals are to beachieved. Privatization has been preceded by deregulation ofpricing for refined products, because price fixing by thegovernment would only serve to deter private investment in theeconomy.

NNPC is participating in the LNG project with a 49% stake.Through its wholly-owned subsidiary Nigeria Gas Company inWarri, NNPC is responsible for gas transportation and delivery

from the upstream exploration and production companies toend users. Kupolokun is optimistic about the prospects forfurther discoveries and sees the potential for the awarding ofoffshore blocks to local companies.

PIONEERING A NEW PRIVATIZATION MODEL FOR WATER

Lagos State in Nigeria is pioneering a new approach toinvestment in state-owned assets with a Private SectorParticipation (PSP) program involving the Lagos State WaterCorporation (LSWC).

In 1999, Governor Bola Tinubu wanted to stem the hugefinancial outlay on the water supply infrastructure for the statethrough a vision of a corporation operating on private sectorprinciples with the aim of becoming self-sufficient.

The appointment of Olumuyiwa O. Coker - a charteredaccountant formerly with Deloitte Touche and Ernst & Young -as CEO, was a decisive step, serving to emphasize thegovernor’s desire to manage state enterprises as businesses.Coker worked as an auditor with Governor Tinubu when hewas Treasury Manager at Mobil.

He describes the governor’s strategy as a major paradigmshift for Nigeria in a country where many businesses are“heavily in debt, run inefficiently and don’t provide the service.”

The International Finance Corporation (IFC) worked withCoker and his management team on the concept of a PSPcovering provision of a wide range of services frommanagement to collection of water charges and concessioncontracts. Coker, an admirer of Nobel Prize winner JosephStieglitz’s theories of economics, believes like his mentor thatin economics and policy-making, local characteristics shouldalways be paramount. “Most multilateral agencies start with atemplate mentality – that because it’s worked in Manila orBuenos Aires, it must work in Lagos,” he says. “But as far aswe are concerned, the assets are our common heritage andare not for sale.”

What Coker wanted was a model of governance thatrecognized Nigeria’s special needs. As Coker points out:

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We are creating a model ofgovernance that will really work inour local environment.

Olumuyiwa O. CokerCEO, Lagos State Water Corporation

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The Lagos State Water Corporation’s Ishasi waterworks

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“Lagos is quite unique – very, verydifferent,” he says. “If any model is goingto work it has to be engaged with theproblems on the ground. This is anenvironment where the power supply isnot constant so that is something whichhas to be factored in.”

Under the new model for LSWC, thegovernment will continue to own thewater supply system but an assetcompany will become the custodian ofpublic assets on behalf of the state asowner. “We have come through a timewhen public utilities never had financialmanagement systems,” says Coker.“Politicians and past administrationshave told people that water is free.”

Of special concern to Coker is thepersistent devaluation of the localcurrency, which creates problems forutilities whose expenditure on capitalequipment or loans is often in U.S.dollars, but its revenue flow is in localnaira. Since LSWC began producingaudited accounts in line withinternational accountancy standardsCoker estimates it has suffered theequivalent of $22.5 million in foreignexchange differential losses.

Coker says: “This is why we arecreating a model of governance that wethink will really work in our localenvironment. One of our aims is tomobilize funds locally and to break upthe water utility sector into smallerdistricts, through which we have morecompetition and different playersinvolved. Those people will then havethe ability to raise the money they needin local currency.”

Through this vision, investors couldraise capital on the Nigerian capitalmarket. As Coker sees it, by unbundlingthe water utilities to private sectoroperators at zonal level, it will make iteasy for them to raise working capital. “IfLagos State was broken up into largesections, it would only appeal to largebidders,” he says.

As other sectors spring up in LagosState, LSWC is rising to the challengewith two expansion projects underway.

Left - Dr Edmund Daukoru, Presidential Adviser onPetroleum and Energy Right - Eng. Funsho Kupoloku,

Group MD, Nigerian National Petroleum Company

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NIGERIA BUILDS GATEWAYTO WEST AFRICA

Nigeria is creating a new integrated transportation systemthat will enable one of Africa’s largest countries and its 120million people, to become a gateway to the regional economyand help fulfil its mission within NEPAD. Improvements to thetransport infrastructure are likely to become the major driverfor economic diversification as Nigeria abandons its pastdependence on the ‘black gold’ of oil revenue.

The architect of President Obasanjo’s vision formodernization and change is Transport Minister Dr Abiye S.P.Sekibo. “The new vision involves having a modern transportsystem for the nation that integrates highway transportationwith aviation and to ensure that it becomes the hub of theeconomy,” he says. “The economy must be one whereagriculture plays a much larger role because in order to bestrong you must feed your people. For that vision to become areality we have to implement a new transportation system withthe private sector. We want them to take the lead.”

Already much has changed under the Obasanjo government.In the past the government ran Nigeria Airways as a monopoly,but today civil aviation has opened up to private investment inNigeria. “We have more than 10 private airlines that cross thecountry, but there is a huge market out there and we areencouraging foreign investors to come and team up with theirNigerian counterparts,” says Sekibo.

The minister is committed to rooting out past malpracticeswith a ‘zero tolerance’ policy towards corruption. Sekibo says:“We are taking steps to ensure that all our activities aretransparent and follow due process. When you stick to thatprocedure, corruption will diminish.”

The new message to investors is that by entering theNigerian market they also penetrate the rest of West Africabecause of the new collaborative environment encouraged byNEPAD. “The government is there to lay the necessaryfoundation, but in the long term the aim is to leave a strongtransport sector in the hands of private investors, both Nigerianand foreign.”

President Obasanjo is keen to lay more emphasis onsupporting food production, not just for home consumption but

also for export to the West African region. Palm oil, cassavaand groundnuts are part of Nigeria’s competitive advantage.

The integrated transportation strategy depends on movingagricultural produce from the farms to the seaports along fastand safe roads. The strategy is not confined to the principalcity of Lagos, but includes Port Harcourt in Rivers State, thefastest developing city in Nigeria, as well as Kanu in the north,Kaduna, and the federal capital at Abuja.

Lagos is seen as a natural transportation hub for West Africaand every year more tonnage from neighboring states istranshipped through Nigeria. The government is working withinternational ports including Rotterdam and Singapore toadopt best practice especially in the operation andmanagement of container terminals. Major change isimminent.

Some 110 companies have responded to an internationaltender for concessions to run Nigerian ports, the results ofwhich will be announced in September. The tender coincidedwith the appointment as Managing Director of the NigerianPorts Authority (NPA) of Chief Adebayo Sarumi, formerly headof the Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC) and a respected figurein the maritime industry. He is confident that new concessionswill lead to a growth of cargo, especially container traffic.Concession holders will be expected to retain existing staff andavoid redundancies.

As Managing Director of the NSC, Chief Sarumi succeededin harmonizing local shipping charges, abolishing or reducingcargo taxes paid by shippers, preparing customs for theimplementation of World Trade Organization GeneralAgreement on Trade and Tariff valuation agreement, andfacilitating movement of transit cargo to neighboringlandlocked countries.

Central to Chief Sarumi’s reforms at NPA will be hisdetermination to enable greater transparency and efficiencyand a crackdown on “unofficial charges,” which in the recentpast had driven away importers and ship owners from usingNigerian ports. This commitment has been welcomed by theinfluential Association of Nigerian Licensing Customs Agents,whose president Inuwa Mohammed has pledged full supportfor the reform package on behalf of the Nigerian cargohandling industry.

Chief Sarumi has started by cutting the NPA’s top-heavymanagement structure and reducing overheads. He says:“Our vision for the ports is to make them the cheapest and thebest in the region and a hub for ports in west and centralAfrica. Concessioning will deliver greater efficiency becauseof the competition between terminal operators. Once theprivate sector takes over the ports, importers will be free tonegotiate tariffs with them because it will be a free market withthe NPA acting as regulator.”●

Our vision for the ports is tomake them the cheapest and thebest in the region and a hub forports in west and central Africa.

Chief Adebayo SarumiMD, Nigerian Ports Authority

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Left - Dr Abiye S.P. Sekibo, Minister of TransportCenter - Chief Adebayo Sarumi, MD, Nigerian Ports Authority

Right - Olumuyiwa O. Coker, CEO, Lagos State Water Corporation

Nigeria’s waterways will form the focus of a new transportation drive

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SUDAN – AFRICA’S LARGEST COUNTRYWITH A POPULATION OF 33.6 MILLION –COMPLETED TERMS IN MAY THAT LAIDTWENTY YEARS OF CONFLICT TO REST.

Despite allegations by the UN ofethnic cleansing in the troubledwestern region of Darfur, President Lt-Gen Umar Hasan Ahmad al-Bashirhas pushed ahead with the peaceagreement between the north andsouth, ensuring his country canparticipate once again in theinternational arena and beginunlocking its enormous potential.

Much has been achieved since al-Bashir came to power in the midNineties. Relationships with all but

one of Sudan’s nine neighbors have been normalized andthere is greater co-operation within the region. Sanctions fromthe Security Council, the IMF and the World Bank have beenlifted and the economy is in better shape than ever.

The British-educated Minister of Foreign Affairs, MustafaOsman Ismail says: “We have 200 million acres of fertile landand enormous water resources from the River Nile. Add to thisour location as Africa’s gateway to the Arab countries and ourconnection to the rest of Africa, and you can see that Sudancan play a very vital role in globalization.”

Sudan is now the third largest industrial base in Africa. The

discovery of oil helped the republic clear its IMF debts andthere is still tremendous scope for exploitation, as returningcompanies like Total recognize. The cotton industry – onceblighted by the advent of petrochemical fibers and polyester –brings in $4 billion worth of revenue and is produced in bulk, inall grades with the majority still exported as raw material

The country is rich in mineral deposits. While gold can befound in the Red Sea Mountains, there are abundant depositsof lead, iron ore, cobalt and chromium, all offering lucrativeinvestment possibilities.

Development of the engineering and construction sectors arehigh on the agenda. Minister of Industry, Jalal Yusuf al-Diqairsays: “This country is witnessing a construction boom likenever before. Our imports of cement have doubled in twoyears. The investment opportunities are huge.”

But it is agriculture where the government sees the mostpotential. Sudan produces quality edible oils, such as sesame,groundnut and sunflower. The food industry factories arealmost exclusively in the hands of the private sector andaccount for an annual output of 9000 tons of foodstuff. Thereare around 140 million livestock in Sudan, so meat-processing– and the by-products of this industry, like leather goods – isalso a potentially important investment area.

SUDAN’S ECONOMY SWEETENERThe sugar industry is one of Sudan’s most prolific industries,

with some 300,000 tons produced last year. With anabundance of land and water, a good climate and cheap,available labor, the industry is thriving and Sudan is well-placed for the African and Arab markets.

Sugar is extracted from cane in five factories: four arepublicly owned by the Sudanese Sugar Company (SSC) andthe fifth, Kenana, is a private joint venture. In just a few shortyears, the country has gone from having to import sugar, tobeing self-sufficient, to now having an export balance worthmillions of dollars.

It is something the country prides itself on. Minister ofIndustry, Jalal Yusuf al-Diqair, says: “Kenana and theSudanese Sugar Company are performing very well – theymaintain high international standards and the cost ofproduction is low. In the next three to four years, we canincrease the rate of production to 3 or 4 million tons.”

S U D A NNEW PEACE AGREEMENT UNLOCKSPOTENTIAL FOR ARABIAN GATEWAY

Our location as Africa’s gatewayto the Arab countries and ourconnection to the rest of Africa(means) Sudan can play a veryvital role in globalization.

Dr Mustafa Osman Ismail, Minister of Foreign Affairs

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Whether it’s business or pleasure, the Meridien satisfies the needs of the most discerning traveler. Situated in central Khartoum, only 20 minutes from the international airport, it’s theideal base from which to discover Sudan and your ancestry.

Meridien Khartoum Hotel, Qasr Avenue, Khartoum Sudan. P.O Box: 1716 Khartoum Tel: +249 83 77 5970 Fax: +249 83 77 9069Email: Marketing@meridienkh.com Website: www.meridienkh.com

Dr Mustafa Osman Ismail -Minister of Foreign Affairs

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Funding for a new $409 million joint venture is almostcomplete and creating a lot of interest. The White Nile SugarCompany is situated in the middle of Sudan and will be able toextract 350,000 tons of cane sugar per year. Excavation planshave already started and tenders are in place for irrigationpumps and management of the factory.

The project has many shareholders, one of which is thegovernment-owned Sudanese Sugar Company (SSC) with a5% stake. General Manager Mahdi Bashir Mohammed Alijoined the industry in 1970 and his company is now enjoyingthe sweet smell of success, with sugar extraction almostdouble what it was seven years ago.

He says: “The increase was down to a number of factors.Number one was the pricing policy of production andextraction, which we reviewed and made more competitive.Secondly, we put in rehabilitation programs and streamlinedour workforce.”

The Sudanese Sugar Company is involved with a power-generating plant using bagasse – a pulpy residue left overfrom sugar extraction – as a fuel which will be used primarilyby the SSC and exported to the national grid. There is also ajoint venture in the pipeline with a French company to build ayeast factory, using molasses.

As the government considers a privatization drive, the SSCwill be opened up to interested parties. Mohammed Ali says:“When this will happen, I don’t know, but the policy is there –and I can safely say there is still a lot of interest from investorsin Sudan’s sugar industry.”

Civil Aviation AuthorityP.O.Box 430, Khartoum, Sudan

Tel: +249 183 787757 773050 / 772360

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� The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is currently engaged in the

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Where your investmentsreach new heights

The increase (in sugarextraction) was down to a number of factors. Number one was the pricing policy ofproduction and extraction, which we reviewed and mademore competitive.

Mahdi Bashir Mohammed Ali, GM, Sudanese Sugar Company

“Sudan - an economic bridge between Africa and the Arab nations

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AN AVIATION HUBFor a country spanning almost a million square miles, air

travel is easily the most effective way of getting around.Recognizing this, the government has been working tirelesslyto establish airports in areas of Sudan which are economicallyand strategically important.

With 17 airports already built - ten of these international - theMinistry of Civil Aviation is conducting an extensiveconstruction, expansion and upgrade program, 50% of whichis already complete. Work will begin this year on a newinternational airport at Sudan’s capital Khartoum, in responseto the big passenger carriers wishing to open up flight routes. Itwill be pivotal in Sudan’s drive to be an aviation hub as itcapitalizes on its geographical location as the link betweenAfrica and the Gulf.

Abu Bakr Gaafar Ahmed, Director General of the CivilAviation Authority says: “At the moment, our capacity is oneand a half million, but we are aiming for more than 20 millioneventually. Once the correct structure and facilities are inplace, it will entice companies to come to Sudan.”

The Minister for Civil Aviation, Joseph Malwal Dong agrees.He says: “In terms of business, air travel is the only option andwe want to show businesspeople that we can provide for theirneeds. After the peace agreement has been signed, Sudan isdefinitely going to be attractive and this will attract investors.”

Plans are underway to develop Sudan as a cargo hub forAfrica and Lufthansa Consulting recently produced a feasibilitystudy for the CAA. With agriculture considered the backboneof the economy, there would be enormous potential in cargotransportation, particularly with cattle. The animal livestocksector contributed 21% of total national production in 2002 anda considerable share in exports.

The minister is also optimistic about the future of SudanAirways – Sudan’s government-owned company, whichprovides both domestic and international flights. The company,with its fleet of Boeing and Airbus planes, is heading forprivatization, and with the big names, like British Airwayscoming in, tourism will be given a much-needed boost.

OPPORTUNITIES IN TOURISMWith the signing of a sustainable peace agreement between

the north and south regions, the future of Sudan’s tourismindustry is looking healthier. Sudan certainly has theattractions to draw large numbers of tourists, ranging fromdiving in the Red Sea at Port Sudan, the Pyramids at Meroe,wildlife and parks in the south and historic colonial buildings inKhartoum and Omdurman.

Looking at neighboring Eygpt as an example of a tourismindustry run well, Sudan could make an attractive target for

investment, as there are many untapped opportunities here.Despite being an infant industry, Sudan’s capital Khartoum hasa wealth of hotels which are attractive to both business travelerand tourist. Its Meridien Khartoum Hotel, for example, is aluxury four-star hotel in the heart of the Khartoum businessdistrict. Only five minutes from the airport, the hotel is withinwalking distance of the confluence of the Blue and White NileRivers.

All guest rooms have satellite tv, international direct dialtelephone and air-conditioning. The hotel is perfectly equippedfor the business traveler with its conference room andbusiness service center, including ISDN internet connectionand first-class office services. Meridien Khartoum Hotel alsooffers a superb pool and sauna area to relax and unwind aftera hard day at the office.

Guided trips can be arranged through the hotel’s affiliates, formajor acheological sites, scuba-diving, mountaineering,animal watching, sight-seeing and adventure tourism, as wellas Nile cruises and camel-riding. Culture vultures can enjoyevents on ethnic musicology and art performances. ●

Left - Joseph Malwal Dong, Minister of Civil AviationCenter - Abu Bakr Gaafar Ahmed, Director General, Civil Aviation Authority

Right - Mahdi Bashir Mohammed Ali, GM, Sudanese Sugar Company

At the moment, our capacity is1.5 million but we are aiming formore than 20 million eventually.Once the correct structure andfacilities are in place, it will enticecompanies to come to Sudan.

Abu Bakr Gaafar Ahmed, Director General, Civil Aviation Authority

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As stability reaches the oncebeleagered republic of Sierra Leone,President Kabbah’s government isfocusing firmly on its Vision 2025project. The people-centered visionstrives towards a “United People,Progressive Nation, AttractiveCountry,” with food security andpoverty reduction at the top of theagenda.

The President says: “We must stopdepending on international aid and beable to prosper through our owneconomic activity, led by the privatesector and with the partnership ofinternational firms. My government ishere to facilitate investors tasked withreconstructing this beautiful country.”

A privatization committee has beenset up to establish an investment codethat will attract FDI to the agriculture,mining and manufacturing sectors in

particular. In termsof infrastructure,the roads have toppriority. Theyhandle 80% ofinternal passengerand cargo trafficand are largelyunder-developed atthis time.

International airtravel has reachednew heights, withlocal operatorSierra NationalAirlines (SNA) nowrunning two direct flights a weekbetween London Gatwick and thenation’s capital, Freetown. The AirportsAuthority has made major strides inupgrading Lungi International Airport,to bring it in line with international

standards for security, navigation andfreight-handling.

The new direct London link hasattracted a major increase inpassenger numbers to Freetown, withmany visitors arriving for longweekends to take advantage of SierraLeone’s unique golfing, diving andfishing activities. In the last two years,SNA has grown ahead of thecompetition by ensuring its product andexcellent customer service meetspassenger preferences andexpectations. Former MD for SNA,A.D.A. M’Cormack says: “We arelooking to develop new routes and areopen to offers from European andAmerican airports.” One of SierraLeone’s largest indigenous privatesector players is Wilfred Sam-King. Atjust over 40 years of age, theentrepreneur is determined to helpbuild Sierra Leone back up and make ita success story. As the owner of thenation’s biggest stationery and officeequipment supply company, Sam-Kinghas branched out into the tourismmarket, with an impressive $4.8m hoteldevelopment.

The Kimbima Hotel stands on a longstretch of beach overlooking ManO’War Bay. There are 40 rooms,including three presidential suites, anultra-modern conference center, aswimming pool and gym. It even hasits own gas station. Sam-King says:“We want our clients to have everycomfort possible.” ●

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London Gatwick AirportWest Sussex, RH6 ODW

Tel: +44 1293 555610Fax: +44 1293 555611

BANJULThe Gambia Red Cross HouseMamadi Manjang Highway

Kanifing, The GambiaTel: +220 397 551 Fax: +220 397 556

Kimbima Hotel, Freetown's premier business hotel, is a concreteexample of renewed investor confidence

S10

A NATION GETTING BACK ON ITS FEET