Liberia Government (Monrovia)
20 May 2011
Sime Darby Plantations on Friday announced an increment in its investment in Liberia from US$2.5 billion to US$3.1 billion. The Chairman of the Board, Mr. Tun Musa Hitam, made the disclosure during a meeting with President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf at the Foreign Ministry in Monrovia.
The amount covers the company’s investment in Liberia for the next 15 years. He said the process has already begun with the planting, Thursday, by Vice President Joseph N. Boakai of a nursery oil palm plant. The project will cover five thousand hectares. The Chairman said the plants normally take up to seven years to bear fruit, but that the time frame has been shortened to three to four years, owing to research. He assured the President that his company will ensure that workers enjoy all the modern amenities and facilities, unlike the old tradition of ignoring workers’ welfare.
Mr. Hitam also reiterated his company’s commitment to providing social benefits to its employees under the terms of the agreement with the Liberian Government. “On top of that, we have volunteered to give two sacks of rice, build schools and employ the teachers. The houses we are building have three rooms, which is even unheard of in our country in the old days,” the one-time Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia boasted. He said his company was increasing its investment in Liberia because of the confidence it has in the Government and the prospects for growth and development.
President Sirleaf, in response, welcomed the commitment of Sime Darby in implementing the agreement. She said the Government wanted to see stronger relations between the company and those who represent the people in the counties. The President urged the company to incorporate into its staffing, personnel who deal with human relations to help strengthen the relationship between management and the workforce. Liberia, the President said, is going through transformation, after many difficult years, “and so we need to work with people to get them in the mindset of cooperation. There has been so much hostility in the country in the past, and that sometimes affects the way people deal with issues. So you can help us a lot by putting staff there who are able to communicate and work with them so that we can make sure that this investment moves smoothly.”
The President expressed satisfaction about the operations of the Plantations, adding that she was very pleased at what she saw during her most recent visit there, citing the social services, like housing and education, that are being handled. “We were very pleased with that,” President Sirleaf noted.
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Continued here:
Sime Darby Increases Investment i – Cites Confidence in Government As Basis for Increment