By Alhaji Dauda
Gambian President Adama Barrow who is Guest of Honor on invitation by President Julius Maada Bio to the country’s 60th Independence Anniversary, has hailed Q-Cell Sierra Leone for what he described as bringing development to “our brothers and sisters in Sierra Leone.”
After landing at the Freetown Airport, President Barrow accompanied by the First lady of The Gambia and others on his entourage, traveled by sea and arrived at the Pelican Murray Town, took time off to visit Q-Cell where he praised the company for complementing the Sierra Leone government’s efforts in developing the telecommunication sector.
Making his brief but very impressive statement to the management and staff of Q-Cell, President Adama Barrow said he is happy that a Gambian national in the person of Mohamed Jah is doing well in Sierra Leone. He recalled that when Mr. Jah initially informed him about plans to extend q-Cell to Sierra Leone, President Barrow informed his audience that he called up his colleague President Julius Maada Bio to inform him, adding that President Bio was excited and granted permission.
President Barrow maintained that he feels honored and elated to be invited by President Julius Maada Bio to serve in the capacity of Guest of Honor, adding that bilateral relations between the two states has been historical and spans several decades.
He used the opportunity to praise Q-Cell and its CEO for making Gambians proud by operating within the ambits of the laws of Sierra Leone as well as for contributing to the development of the country’s telecom sector.
He recounted the successful stories of Q-Cell in The Gambia, adding that he has no doubt that the strategies applied by Mohamed Jah to make Q-Cell successful in The Gambia are also being applied to do the same for Q-Cell Sierra Leone, adding that he is looking forward to seeing similar development strides across the ECOWAS bloc. He encouraged Q-Cell management to keep up the good work. The Gambian President hinted that he had not expected the huge crowd that welcomed him, but that he was not surprised as long as it was Mohamed Jah who is a forerunner for successful ventures!
Earlier when President Barrow and First Lady of The Gambia arrived at the Wilkinson Road Q-Cell office in Freetown, they were welcomed by the Q-Cell Sierra Leone Chief Executive Officer(CEO) Karthik jayamani , who spoke eloquently about the importance of the visit and how it would help boost the telecom company’s image.
Q-Cell Group Chairman, Mohamed Jah in his statement, explained briefly that he considers Sierra Leone to be his second home after studying and graduating from the Fourah Bay College (FBC). He went on to say that when he considered expanding his business to another country after establishing Q-Cell in The Gambia, his first and obvious choice was Sierra Leone.
He went on to say that he is very thankful to the Government of Sierra Leone for creating the enabling environment for Q-Cell to operate. He extended his thanks and appreciation to the people of Sierra Leone for accepting Q-Cell.
He spoke briefly also on the accomplishments of Q-Cell since it started operations in the country, citing that close to one hundred million US Dollars has been invested and that to date they have managed to erect hundreds of cell sites across the country while keeping the cost of data at its very lowest to the satisfaction of their numerous subscribers. He maintained that the objective and vision of Q-Cell is to make mobile telephony accessible and affordable across Sierra Leone and thanked he Q-Cell staff work the hard work they put to make this happen.
On behalf of Q-Cell and himself, he wished President Barrow and his First Lady a pleasant stay in Sierra Leone, adding that Q-Cell is honored to be the first mobile company in Sierra Leone to have been visited by a sitting foreign president.
A cultural performance by the Royal Entertainment Traditional Music & Dance group and presentation of gifts climaxed President Barrow’s visit to the Q-Cell head office.
