FREETOWN, May 24 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese mining company on Tuesday announced the launch of a community development fund to help boost the development of local communities in Sierra Leone.
According to the announcement by Leone Rock Metal Group, the firm will put one percent of its annual revenue into the fund to support communities in Tonkolili District in Sierra Leone's Northern Province, where the company is based.
Zhao Ting, chief executive officer of the group, said during the launching ceremony that the Chinese company always stayed committed to Sierra Leone's industrialization agenda while assisting in the development of local communities.
Julius Maada Bio, the President of Sierra Leone, described the step taken by the Chinese company as important to the development of the communities in which it operates.
Sierra Leone's Minister of Mines and Mineral Resources Musa Timothy Kabba also commended the move, saying the Chinese company has set a brilliant example for others by the decision it has made to support and benefit the local communities. ■