By Amin Kef (Ranger)
During an unprecedented and very auspicious and inspiring groundbreaking ceremony that took place on the 26th April, 2023 at Koya Chiefdom, Port Loko District the foundation was laid for the development of the Special Koya Industrial Zone (SIZ-Koya), which is a joint venture between Sierra Leone and ARISE Integrated Industrial Platforms.
To be constructed on 1,600 hectares of land with a dedicated area for exports the SIZ-Koya investment programme will be environmentally friendly and is expected to be powered by 100 megawatts of solar panels.
President of Sierra Leone , Dr Julius Maada Bio launched the development of the Special Koya Industrial Zone (SIZ-Koya) during the groundbreaking event.
The President said: “I am delighted to be at this event today, particularly as it is an actualization of the vision I presented in my manifesto in 2018. It is also a welcome outcome of visits to Special Economic Zones in Gabon, Rwanda, and other countries, and of partnerships and business relationships negotiated in the best interests of Sierra Leone over the last five years.”
The President and Chief Executive Officer of African Finance Cooperation, Samalia Zubairu, said Sierra Leone and the African continent are faced with a lot of challenges around food security, inflation and the exchange rate, among others. That, according to him, was a result of the fact that the economies had not transformed with lots of primary focus, lots of exports of basic raw materials, and significant imports of goods that could be produced in the country.
On his part the President of AFREXIMBANK, Professor Benedict Oramah stated that: “Since the mid-1990s, special economic zones have become opportunities for industry-led economic development across the world. Special Economic Zones have become key instruments of industrial policies, especially in economies that seek to industrialize their needs from agricultural products. During the last two and a half decades, the number of economic zones worldwide has increased from 500 in 1995 to about 7,000 in 2022, of which only 440 are in Africa,” he disclosed.
In his contribution, the Logistics Value Chain Director of ARISE IIP Jesper H. Boll disclosed that ARISE launched its first Special Economic Zone in Gabon in 2010.
He said today that zone has generated 34 thousand direct jobs and is handling one million cubic meters of wood per year in a sustainable and carbon neutral manner – and as a result Gabon is the second largest exporter of veneer sheets in the world today.
He said they would not have been able to accomplish that, without favorable social and economic conditions locally adding that they see similarly favorable conditions in Sierra Leone as there is peace, rule of law, respect of legal contracts, a stable economy and a free Press.
According to him, most importantly is the specific mindset of the people of Sierra Leone saying people live together, worship together and have a civil society openly speaking up and debating important topics.
He disclosed how it took ARISE 10 years to fully develop the Special Economic Zone in Gabon saying it was much faster when they did it in Togo and even faster in Benin, where they are in the process of executing a cotton transformation plan requiring 400,000 direct jobs.
The Logistics Value Chain Director more than 2 billion Dollars has been invested into core infrastructure under the ARISE portfolio with strong backing from Africa Finance Corporation and Africa Transformation and Industrialization Fund.
He said Sierra Leone is heavily dependent on importation of basic goods such as sugar and rice – rice which costs 50% more than what it did a year ago adding that the Special Economic Zone will be producing goods locally to replace expensive imports for the benefit of all Sierra Leoneans.
According to him, Sierra Leone has a huge potential for agriculture – not only to feed its people but also to export adding that the Zone in Koya will facilitate transformation of agricultural products and dramatically transform the lives of farmers, just like they have done everywhere else where ARISE that has set up.
“I am very excited to show you the plan we have laid out for this Special Economic Zone,” he said with optimism disclosing how the whole zone will cover1,600 HA fully build up, adding that a single window building with Government authorities will come up where guest are seated right next to the highway and it will have an area dedicated for import substitution and for export-oriented products.
He said the first three factories are being set up as he speaks; a ceramic tiles manufacturing unit, a non-ferrous metals recycling plant and a pharmaceutical unit producing capsules and injectables.
Jesper H. Boll revealed further that the Special Industrial Zone will be powered by a 100 MWh natural gas power plant that they will install and a customs bonded inland container depot servicing the factories that will have a dedicated river port for moving of cargo on the waterways.
He said in addition to that they are already this year kick-starting a mangrove conservation project on the river bordering the Zone.
He underscored that an important factor to the success of the zone is connectivity to the farmlands, to the ports and to the neighboring countries.
“This is why ARISE is extending the current rail network beyond the Pepel Tonkolili line; to Guinea and to the other mines and economic centers in the country,” he further intimated.
The Logistics Value Chain Director informed that industry needs people and so they are bringing a passenger train into Sierra Leone that will transport passenger and workforce between the provinces disclosing that the train is ready, and it is on the way to Sierra Leone to which there was a rapturous applause from the listening audience.
He said only by integrating the rail network with Pepel Port and Koya Special Economic Zone will they unlock the true potential of the country.
“I encourage all Sierra Leoneans irrespective of their circumstances to embrace this development,” he passionately appealed adding that the industrialization journey starts now and it has economic, social and sustainable benefits.
He enjoined that there is the need to look forward and move with determination as many other African countries are already on this journey and now Sierra Leone is as well.
Jesper H. Boll thanked President Bio for his bold vision of industrialization and his courage to kick-start the transformation process of not only raw material but the transformation of the country.
