The people of Sierra Leone will breathe an uneasy sign of relief today. The west African nation is expected to be officially be declared free from Ebola – which has killed 11,313 people in the region – by the World Health Organisation.

For the country’s economy, the Ebola outbreak has punctured the momentum that had been gathering. Since the end of the civil war in 2002, key industries including cocoa exports and mining have driven growth to as high as 16.7 per cent in 2012.

But the World Bank estimates the cost of Ebola to the country has been around $150m (£99.5m), while the economy is expected to contract by 2 per cent this year compared to 2014’s 4 per cent growth.

Domestic businesses are keen to quickly revive international trade links. Today, key figures from the country’s trade bodies will meet in London to discuss how to improve the ease of doing business there and, this week, the Sensi Tech Hub opened in Freetown to encourage digital entrepreneurship.

bbabo.Net