Sierra Leone’s Minister of Mines and Mineral Resources, Hon. Julius Daniel Mattai, and Minister of Energy, Hon. Cyril Arnold Grant, are leading the country’s delegation to the Africa Energy Forum (AEF) 2026, taking place from 16–19 June 2026 in Cape Town, South Africa.

Accompanying the ministers are Dr. John D. Cooper, Director of Policy at the Ministry of Mines, Mr. Ibrahim S. Kamara, Director of Communication and Community Affairs at the National Minerals Agency, and other senior officials from the Ministries of Mines and Energy.

Held under the theme “Building Africa’s Industrialised Future,” the Africa Energy Forum is a major investment and policy platform that brings together African governments, investors, financiers, energy leaders, mining stakeholders, and development partners to advance solutions linking energy, critical minerals, infrastructure, finance, and technology for economic growth.

Speaking on 16 June during the Ministerial Town Hall on “Regional Production Hubs to Drive Industrialisation,” Minister Mattai said Africa must convert its mineral wealth into broad-based industrial prosperity. He described regional production hubs as platforms that link mines to power, power to processing, processing to transport, transport to markets, and markets to manufacturing, and stressed that this integrated approach is essential to move beyond raw material exports and build competitive value chains that create jobs and strengthen national economies.

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Minister Mattai reaffirmed Sierra Leone’s commitment to beneficiation, local processing, strategic partnerships, regional integration, and value addition supported by reliable energy, transport, water, and digital infrastructure. He urged governments, development finance institutions, and private investors to work together to build the infrastructure and institutions required for industrial transformation, and called for investment in mines, substations, railways, industrial parks, training centres, water systems, and processing facilities as a connected development ecosystem.

He also emphasized that Africa must compete through coordinated value chains, reliable power, stronger institutions, and skilled labour, and that partnerships with global capital, technology, and trade should build capability rather than dependency.

Minister Grant, speaking at the forum, underscored the need for innovative solutions to Africa’s energy challenges. He said energy access must stimulate development, noting that access without development is insufficient. He also referenced ongoing discussions with the International Atomic Energy Agency on the potential role of small modular reactors as part of options Africa may consider to meet future energy demands.

The participation of Ministers Mattai and Grant reflects Sierra Leone’s growing visibility in continental discussions on mining, energy, infrastructure, and investment. Throughout the forum, the delegation is engaging with public and private sector leaders to promote investment opportunities, strengthen strategic partnerships, enhance local processing capacity, power downstream mining operations, and expand Africa’s role in global value chains.

The joint participation of the Ministries of Mines and Mineral Resources and Energy, the government said, demonstrates Sierra Leone’s commitment to leveraging its mineral and energy resources to drive industrialisation, sustainable economic growth, energy security, and inclusive national development.