The Trip concluded with a cocktail party at the US Ambassador’s house in Sierra Leone, Ambassador Maria E. Brewer.
InformATION ABOUT THE tRADE mISSION
InformATION ABOUT THE tRADE mISSION
The trade mission will provide an opportunity for members of the diamond and jewelry trade to meet and interact with the artisanal digger community in Sierra Leone. The mission will promote greater understanding of the role of the artisanal sector and the severe challenges they experience. It will highlight and demonstrate opportunities for sustainable economic development that can transform the lives of millions of people.
The mission will visit the Peace Diamond Village, artisanal diamond digger sites, land reclamation and agricultural development sites. Three of the five days will be upcountry in the Kono district and another two days will be spent meeting with business leaders and visiting Freetown.
Rapaport will be providing all ground arrangements from arrival through departure, including lodging, food, transportation, and security. The mission will be limited to 30 participants due to logistical considerations.
The trade mission will take place from Sunday, October 15 through Friday, October 20, 2023. The fee for the mission will be $3,000 per person. A weekend extension through Sunday, October 22 will be available for an additional $950 per person.
Additional information and registration are available at Rapaport.com/SLTradeMission. Applicants are encouraged to view the Rapaport.com/PeaceDiamondVideo.
Registrants will be contacted by our trade mission team who will review all applications. The trade mission team can also be contacted directly at [email protected].
Please note this is not a diamond buying trip.. While business connections will be available and encouraged our mission is to develop relationships and opportunities for future business and development activity. No diamond buying activity will be allowed for the duration of the trade mission (Sunday through Thursday).
Registration:
Participants should complete the online registration application as soon as possible. Rapaport will notify applicants that have been selected for the trip on an ongoing basis. Click here to Register.
Accommodations:
Freetown accommodation will be in a 4-star hotel. Kono accommodations will be in a 3-star lodge. The official program will end after breakfast on Friday.
Participant Responsibilities:
Participants are responsible for all travel costs to and from Sierra Leone as well as the cost of Visa, Yellow Fever vaccination and malaria medication. The Rapaport team is available to assist participants with travel, visa, vaccination, and other requirements.
Air Travel:
Air travel to Sierra Leone is limited. Upon acceptance to the trade mission, participants are advised to contact their travel agent as soon as possible to ensure that they can reach Sierra Leone by Sunday, Oct. 15. A Rapaport representative will meet participants at the airport upon arrival and accompany participants to the airport for departure.
Itinerary
Oct 15 Sunday
Arrival Guests will be met at the airport by Rapaport representative
20:00 Welcome Dinner
Oct 16 Monday
06:30 Breakfast
07:30 Travel to Koidu
14:30 Arrival to Koidu
15:00 Visit Digger Site
19:00 Leadership Dinner
Oct 17 Tuesday
07:00 Breakfast
08:00 Depart to Koryadu – Peace Diamond Village
09:00 Tours of Village, Community Presentations,
Discussion with Villagers
11:30 Lunch with the Children
12:30 Medical Clinic Presentation
13:00 Optional Hike to digger location where Peace Diamond was discovered. Please note the hike can be strenuous and takes about an hour and a half round trip. View the initial transformation to a rice field.
Those not going on the hike will have an opportunity to visit Koidu town
15:00 Depart for Diamond Lodge
16:30 Arrival at Diamond Lodge
18:30 Dinner followed by Town Hall meeting with local community
Oct 18 Wednesday
07:00 Breakfast
08:30 Visit with GemFair, De Beers artisanal digger program
11:00 Visit with Resolve, NGO working on land restoration
12:30 Depart to Freetown
18:30 Dinner at the Beach
21:00 Return to Hotel
Oct 19 Thursday
08:00 Breakfast
10:00 Travel to National Museum and Empower Africa Business Center
12:00 Sierra Leone Business Development Conference
18:00 Networking and Cocktails
20:00 Farewell Dinner
Oct 20 Friday
08:00 Breakfast
09:00 Visit to Freetown Markets and Shopping
12:30 Visit Pastor Momoh’s School
13:30 Departure to Beach Hotel
Oct 21 Saturday
Relaxation beach day with optional visits to Freetown, Banana Island Spear Fishing, Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary
Transportation to airport will be available based on departure times
Sunday
Arrival to Freetown
22:00 – Welcome Dinner; Overnight in Freetown.
Monday
07:00 – Depart to Kono; Visit artisanal digger sites and Kono city.
17:00 – Meet with Diggers and their Associations.
19:30 – Dinner at Diamond Lodge; Overnight in Koydu.
Tuesday
08:00 – Depart for Visit to Koryardu Village, meet with community. Optional hike to location where Peace Diamond was discovered. Note: This hike can be strenuous and is about 1 hour each way. Opportunity for participants to experience what diggers do everyday.
12:00 – Visit Gem Fair, Resolve.
20:30 – Dinner in Kono with students and local community
Wednesday
09:00 – Visit Digging Site
12:00 – Depart from Koydu to Freetown: Agriculture Site
19:00 – Dinner on Beach then on to Freetown Development
Thursday
09:30 – Tour Freetown
10:30 – B2B Meetings and networking
19:00 – Closing dinner with local business community and key stakeholders
Friday
Breakfast & Departure
*Extended trip attendees travel to Tokeh Beach
*This Itinerary is subject to change
I am interested in the Rapaport Trade Mission
SIERRA LEONE GALLERY 2019
Sierra Leone Trip 2019
Sierra Leone Trip 2019
The story
Monday, April 1
On Monday evening April 1, a group of 26 international diamantaires from around the world including USA, UAE, India, UK, Switzerland, Turkey, Canada, Spain and Israel landed in Sierra Leone. The purpose of their visit was to identify economic growth opportunities in Sierra Leone.
As the members of the group landed, they were met and escorted by Rapaport representatives according to their arrival schedule. They then made their way through the local ferry transportation crossing from Lungi Airport to Freetown
In the evening, Martin Rapaport welcomed the Rapaport Trade Mission followed by a Welcome Dinner at the Atlantic Lumly Hotel, where everyone got to know each other.
Tuesday, April 2
Early the next morning the group packed their overnight bag and and drove up country to Kono District where they got to meet the mayor of Koidu – Komba Matthew Sam and ate lunch with paramount Chiefs.
In the afternoon they got a tour of Koidu town where they met the people and spoke and interacted with the locals, feeling the people and hearing their story.
They visited Artisanal Digger Sites. Experiencing the life of a digger. They gathered around the diggers asking them about their efforts and hearing how unfruitful their hard work is.
Later that day they went to visit the Diggers Association and the Kono Miners Union where they heard about the hardships in Sierra Leone and exchanged ideas to help the people.
Then they enjoyed dinner with the diggers
Wednesday, April 3
On Wednesday they went to visit the village of Koryardu. They walked around the village, met the elders and visited the local school listening and giving encouragement to the villagers.
For lunch they sat with the Diamond Dealers Association.Then they enjoyed dinner with the diggers
They went into town to see the development of the village from the fruit the Peace Diamond sale has given the village. They got a chance to speak to the Paramount Chief and sat face to face with the local people engaging and speaking about development opportunities
The highlight of the day was hiking through the jungle to the exact location where the Peace Diamond was found. This was a huge opportunity for participants to experience the hardships which local diggers face every day. They then returned to Freetown for dinner.
Thursday, April 4
On Thursday morning they attended the Development Diamond Conference and met with the Minister of Mines Dr. Morie Manyeh.
They then had a chance to tour free town, meeting locals and seeing the country.