RIYADH — The Embassy of Sierra Leone celebrated the 53rd independence day of the west African country at a ceremony on Sunday. Ambassador Alhaji Mohamed Kargbo attended the ceremony with a large turnout of guests from the Sierra Leonean community in the capital along with local dignitaries and diplomats. “Sierra Leone is now ready for significant, high return investment,” he said, addressing the guests. “We are a people of limited means but of unlimited ambition.” During his speech on Sierra Leone's history, struggle for political and economic stability and, most importantly, Sierra Leone's growing tourism sector and economic growth, Kargbo said: “The west African Nation of Sierra Leone is witnessing a dramatic change of fortune. “Tourists from the US, UK, European and Asian countries are making the capital, Freetown, their prime holiday destination, after tour operators recently discovered the huge tourist potential this small African country has to offer,” he added. Kargbo detailed in his speech the multifaceted investment structure: “We are among the fastest growing economies in the world [and] we are among the most religiously tolerant nations in the world.” Sierra Leone won its independence from Great Britain in 1961, led by Sir Milton Margal, who became the country's first prime minister. This, in turn, triggered a number of political coups and a one-party state, eventually leading to a redrafting of the constitution and a democratic, multi-party political system. The progress Sierra Leone has achieved over the last few decades has helped its economy grow, leading to a rapid increase in foreign and domestic investment.
