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Deputy Minister of Mines and Mineral Resources, Umaru Napoleon Koroma, has renewed calls for Sierra Leone to significantly invest in mineral exploration and value addition as a pathway to strengthening national ownership of resource data and boosting long-term economic returns.
He made the remarks in a keynote address marking the conclusion of a four-day Mining Week organised by the Ministry of Mines and Mineral Resources in collaboration with the National Minerals Agency (National Minerals Agency) and other key government institutions.
Koroma stressed that Sierra Leone must move beyond raw mineral exports and prioritise building capacity for domestic processing and value addition before minerals leave the country. According to him, such a shift would ensure that the nation not only retains critical geological data but also maximises the economic benefits derived from its natural resources.
He further called on development partners and investors to align their support with Sierra Leone’s long-term ambition of strengthening local control over mineral extraction and processing.
“The week has provided a true moment of introspection and retrospection on how we govern our mineral resources to create prosperity for both present and future generations,” he stated.
The Deputy Minister, a long-standing advocate for greater national autonomy in the mining sector, said discussions throughout the week consistently highlighted the urgency of breaking what he described as the cycle of exporting raw minerals while importing debt.
Mining Week brought together government officials, industry stakeholders, and development partners to review challenges and opportunities within Sierra Leone’s extractive sector, with a strong focus on reform, sustainability, and value addition.
