Sierra Leone becoming free of the Ebola virus is a huge achievement for the country and its people, Stellar Diamonds' (LON:STEL) boss, Karl Smithson, said.
The World Health Organisation said there had been no new cases of the Ebola virus reported in the country for 42 consecutive days.
Stellar, which is in the process of preparing the submission for its mining licence for the Tongo kimberlite diamond project in Sierra Leone, said it remains committed to supporting the recovery of Sierra Leone and the wider West African region.
Hailing the achievement of the country and its people in overcoming the horrific outbreak of the virus, chief executive Smithson said Stellar had also played its part in the fight against Ebola in Sierra Leone and Guinea and through various initiatives had contributed to the well-being and protection of its employees and local communities.
"The company will continue to support Sierra Leone and Guinea through ongoing project development. The Tongo project is moving through the mining licence application stage and hopefully towards mine development, which will create both extensive employment and numerous community development opportunities that will significantly contribute towards the post-Ebola economic recovery in Sierra Leone,” Smithson said.
“We note that whilst Ebola cases remain in Guinea these are dwindling and we hope that in the near future the virus can be fully eradicated from both Guinea and the West African region as a whole," he added.