OPIC CEO Visits Liberia and Sierra Leone to Drive Post-Ebola Investment
July 29, 2016
(OPIC)
OPIC President and CEO Elizabeth Littlefield
leads group of American and international
executives to explore opportunities for private
sector investment to support recovery
Washington – Elizabeth L. Littlefield, the
President and CEO of the Overseas Private
Investment Corporation (OPIC), the U.S.
Government’s development finance institution,
traveled to West Africa to lead a delegation of
American and international executives to meet
with government officials and business leaders
and identify investment opportunities in the
region as it continues to rebound after the
Ebola crisis and collapse in commodity prices.
The five day trip included meetings with the
President of Liberia Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the
President of Sierra Leone Earnest Koroma, the
U.S. Ambassador to Liberia Christine Elder, the
U.S. Ambassador to Sierra Leone John Hoover,
and a host of ministers and investors.
“I am so pleased to visit this region and
showcase the development and investment mission
that OPIC and our sister U.S. Government
agencies have in Africa,” said OPIC President
and Chief Executive Officer Elizabeth L.
Littlefield. “OPIC bridges connections with
the private sector to bring development impact
and increase the dynamic investment environment
in emerging markets in Africa.”
During the trip OPIC signed a commitment letter
for a $20 million loan to International Bank
Liberia Limited (IBLL) for creation of a loan
facility that will expand local banking
services to support lending to local
manufacturing, construction, services,
agribusiness, hospitality, and transportation.
This lending will support macroeconomic growth
and poverty reduction, and connect Liberia with
the global financial system.
In Liberia and Sierra Leone, the delegation
visited a range of projects focused on
different economic growth sectors. They also
provided feedback on approaches and policies
that could be applied in-country to accelerate
investment. The trip demonstrates OPIC’s
long-standing and continuing commitment to
increasing awareness for private investors of
the opportunities for investment in this
critical region.
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