success of this venture. in closing, i wish to thank all those who have helped us in getting to where we are today, and seek your continued assistance as we traverse this very difficult terrain. in this regard, i wish to make special mention of the stock exchange technical committee ( setc ) first initiative, the commonwealth secretariat, the west african institute for financial and economic management, the team of local lawyers headed by mr eke halloway, as well as market practitioners in neighbouring countries who have been unrelenting in sharing their experiences and expertise with us. naming people in these situations can be invidious, but let me crave your indulgence to mention mr maroof matin, the resident consultant provided by first initiative, mr jacob kanu of first discount house, mr melvin tucker, former deputy governor and other members of the stock exchange technical committee. to all of these, i say thank you very much and please let us continue to work together for a more prosperous sierra leone. thank you for your attention.

james d rogers : inauguration of the sierra leone stock exchange a€ “ a significant milestone welcome address by dr james d rogers, governor of the bank of sierra leone, at the inauguration of the sierra leone stock exchange, freetown, 27 july 2007. * * * mr chairman your excellency the president honourable vice president honourable minister of finance honourable ministers honourable members of parliament distinguished ladies and gentlemen i am extremely delighted to welcome all of you, and in particular his excellency the president and the honourable vice president to this inauguration ceremony the sierra leone stock exchange, a project pioneered by his excellency the president and into which much time and resources have been invested by the bank of sierra leone over the past several years. in 2002 the first step was taken with the establishment of the stock exchange technical committee ( setc ) under the chairmanship of the deputy governor of the bank. i wish to note that the present deputy governor is the second chairman of the committee, and has professionally steered us to this point. i want to particularly thank his excellency the president for accepting our invitation to launch this project. during his administration, his excellency has given support, encouragement and advice to the bank in every sphere of its activities, and i wish on behalf of the board and management to express my thanks and appreciation to him. specifically in the preparatory work towards the realization of this project, his excellency has been most generous with his time and advice. i therefore wish to thank you, sir, on behalf of the bank and on my personal behalf, for all you have done in furthering this project and supporting the bank in all its activities. please permit me, on behalf of us all, to wish you a peaceful transition as you prepare to hand over the reins of office at the end of a difficult, but by any measure successful administration, which has seen the re - establishment of peace and stability in our dear country. the vice president has likewise shown understanding and encouragement for our efforts and i wish to extend to him our thanks and appreciation for his support over the years. your excellency, honourable vice president, distinguished ladies and gentlemen, the development of a capital market including the establishment of a stock exchange in sierra leone has been accorded high priority in our activities in recent years. any programme of financial sector reform, must of necessity include capital market and stock exchange development to ensure completeness of the financial system. with only a money market, there has been limited space for raising long