Chinese Embassy Donates Office Equipement to ECSL

By Alhaji Musa Barrie (AMB)

The People’s Republic of China through the Chinese Embassy on Thursday donated office equipment to the Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone.

The Chinese Deputy Ambassador to Sierra Leone, His Excellency Li Xiaoyong handed over the equipment to the commission during his handing over ceremony to the Commission at their Tower Hill conference room in Freetown.

The Deputy Ambassador generously handed over five (5) Huawei Pads, one (1) conference table, twelve (12) conference chairs, one (1) office table and chair and two (2) printers (P1106) with the aim of helping the commission carry on with its good work and commitment to free and fair elections in the country.

The donation came as a result of the promised made by the Chinese Ambassador to the Commission on the 14th of June 2022 after the ECSL made a formal request for assistance to the Embassy during a courtesy meeting between the commissioner and the ambassador. “On Tuesday 14th June 2022, we made a request to the Chinese Ambassador to help us with office furniture and other needful materials”, said Chief Electoral Commissioner, Mohamed Konneh.

Speaking at the event, the Deputy Chinese Ambassador Li Xiaoyong commended the Commissioner and the commission for building and upholding the democratic process in Sierra Leone. The Ambassador also expressed his profound gratitude to the Commission for the excellent job they have been doing over the years, noting the 24th June 2023 general elections.

The Diplomat also assured the Commission of their continuedpartnership and bilateral relations.

The Chief Electoral Commissioner thanked the Chinese Embassy and by extension the people of China, saying this is not the first time the Chinese Embassy has donated materials to the Commission. “This is not the first time we have received support from China. I received some donations on behalf of the commission during my early appointment as commissioner. During that time we received eleven (11) generators in our warehouse which we are going to distribute to our various offices across the country”, he said.

The CEC continued: “The People’s Republic of China has been instrumental; the country has also invested in human capital development which is a growth for any country that wants to develop. A typical example is one of our newly doctoral graduates from China. We remain grateful to China”.

He thanked the Ambassador, adding that the ECSL is looking forward to more support in education and technical training.