On Wednesday, 7th October, 2025 the Director of Foreign Trade and Industrial Development of the Ministry of Trade and Industry, Mr. Mikai Turay paid a courtesy call to the Director-General of the Sierra Leone Local Content Agency at his office at 21Steward Street in Freetown.
The purpose of this visit was to intimate the Director-General about the Ministry’s partnership with the Agency on the implementation of Sierra Leones 1st National Manufacturers Conference and Exhibition to be held at the International Conference Hall on the 29th-30th October, 2025.
In his opening statement, Mr. Turay said, this is a Presidential initiative brought to the attention of the Hon. Minister, Alpha Ibrahim Sesay. He said, considering the various complaints received by the President, he called on the Minister to bring these manufacturers together to identify key challenges they are going through and proffer possible recommendations in moving the Manufacturing sector forward for National Economic development as he would be in attendance. These challenges would be aired out by the Manufacturers on the first day and a communique would be prepared on the second day and submitted to the President by the President of the Manufacturers Association on behalf of his team.
The conference would be going alongside the exhibition, which is purely Made in Sierra Leone (MiSL) Exhibition. The story behind Made in Sierra Leone will never be completed without Local Content, he said. This is the reason he has come to meet the DG and team, the pioneers of Local Content to work together in the planning process so that where they have not done well, the Agency will take the lead in guiding the process by reaching out to the correct Local Entrepreneurs, at least 10 of them to showcase their local content products.
Responding, the Director-General- Fodeba Daboh stressed that MTI and LCA are one family referencing the social media notice he saw during his vacation and the many calls he received from people about MTI doing the work of the Agency on Local Content Exhibition. This is a misconception from the public, he said, but stressed the need to work together with the parent Ministry to pull this off, as this activity is purely local content.
The Deputy Communications and Outreach Manager stress the need to use this opportunity to showcase local content and the Communications Manager also requested for any possibility to extend the number of entrepreneurs above 10.
Director- Mikai Turay in his concluding statement promised to reach out to Chief Director and Professional Head of the Ministry and the Minister on the Agency’s concerns and revert to the Director-General on the way forward.
