'Someone that understands us'

Departing Sierra Leone envoy assesses China's relationship with his country

Abubakarr Multi-Kamara's tenure as Sierra Leone's ambassador to China has been fleeting - less than a year - but in that time his appreciation for the countries' warm ties have grown.

"The close Sino-Sierra Leone relationship is based on mutual respect and similar experiences in history," says Multi-Kamara, who before taking up the Beijing post in April last year was the United Nations Development Program representative in Sierra Leone. He has recently been appointed as his country's permanent representative to the UN in New York.

"We are so lucky that China is our good friend and also the country that can best meet our needs," he says.

Though his commission in Beijing was short, his meetings with Chinese government officials, representatives of business, public and private, and his leadership of workshops with other ambassadors from West Africa to pitch investment opportunities in the region, were enough to keep him busy.

In Sierra Leone, China is highly active in mining, one of the pillars of the country's economy, and is building an airport on the outskirts of the capital, a school for teachers and a new building for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

But it is another project that is close to Multi-Kamara's heart, the establishment of the Sierra Leone-China Friendship Teaching and Referral Hospital in Freetown, which, he says, is important for local development.

"The significance of the hospital is not only treating patients but also training medical staff. With better services and facilities from China, the hospital will benefit not only my country but also the region, which is a true contribution to human development in Africa."