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The newly appointed Ambassador of the Arab Republic of Egypt, H.E. Rasha Poliman Mohin Eldin, has expressed interest in supporting vocational institutions during a courtesy call on the Minister of Technical and Higher Education, Dr. Ramatulai Wurie, at the Ministry’s Conference Room, Sababu Building, New England Ville, on Wednesday, 13 August 2025. She was accompanied by diplomat Mohamed Saloussy.
During the meeting, Dr. Wurie outlined the Ministry’s strategic pillars for transforming Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), focusing on:
- Changing Perceptions: Engaging communities, parents, and youth to promote the value of TVET.
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Relevance of Training: Ensuring demand-driven curricula aligned with labor market needs, with strong industry partnerships.
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Improving Quality: Providing modern equipment, developing both technical and soft skills, and upgrading trainer capacity.
The Minister highlighted the Ministry’s dual apprenticeship policy, enabling students to gain practical, on-the-job training with industry partners. She also shared plans to transform government technical institutes into community technical colleges to expand equitable access, especially in underserved districts.
Ambassador Rasha expressed a strong interest in fostering practical cooperation, particularly in vocational training, exchange of lecturers, and capacity building. She encouraged Sierra Leone to identify specific skill areas and partner institutions for targeted collaboration. She also noted Egypt’s readiness to explore private-sector involvement and support in soft skills development.
The Permanent Secretary, Mohamed Sheick Kargbo, emphasized the importance of demand-driven scholarships and in-country training, suggesting that Egyptian trainers could deliver programs locally to benefit larger groups of Sierra Leoneans. He recalled past Egypt-Sierra Leone cooperation, including marine engineering training, and proposed renewed links between Njala University and Egypt’s Marine School in Alexandria.
Both sides reaffirmed the long-standing ties between Sierra Leone and Egypt, which date back to 1961, and expressed commitment to expanding educational cooperation in ways that directly address Sierra Leone’s workforce and development needs.
