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Foreign Minister Mohamed Rahman Swaray has set a new direction for Sierra Leone’s ambassadors and heads of mission, calling for a more results-driven Foreign Service that places investment, trade promotion and national development at the centre of diplomatic work.
Swaray made the call on September 8 during his first global meeting with Sierra Leone’s heads of mission since assuming office. The virtual engagement brought together diplomatic representatives from the country’s overseas missions.
The Foreign Minister outlined four strategic priorities for the Foreign Service: improving services for Sierra Leoneans abroad, strengthening consular protection and crisis response, advancing economic diplomacy, and boosting administrative efficiency through digitisation and performance-based metrics.
He urged ambassadors to move beyond traditional diplomatic functions and actively seek opportunities that can attract investment, expand trade, engage the diaspora and support Sierra Leone’s development objectives.
“Together, we will build a Foreign Service that delivers results, protects our people, and advances Sierra Leone’s interests,” Swaray told the envoys.
The renewed emphasis on economic diplomacy reflects a growing effort among African countries to reposition embassies as platforms for investment promotion, trade development, diaspora engagement and mobilisation of development financing.
Swaray said Sierra Leone’s missions must provide greater value to citizens while contributing meaningfully to national development.
His engagement comes less than a month after President Julius Maada Bio appointed him Minister of Foreign Affairs in a cabinet reshuffle announced on August 12, 2026. Swaray, who previously served as Minister of Information and Civic Education and Minister of Labour and Social Security, assumed the foreign affairs portfolio at a time of heightened international engagement for Sierra Leone.
The Foreign Minister’s first global heads-of-mission meeting will be followed by an in-person assessment of the Sierra Leone Embassy in Monrovia, where he is reviewing the mission’s operations and the rehabilitation of its chancery building.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is advancing a Foreign Service Bill for presentation to Parliament. The proposed legislation seeks to strengthen accountability at overseas missions and align their financial management with national public finance regulations.
The latest initiative signals the Foreign Minister’s intention to make Sierra Leone’s diplomatic missions more efficient, accountable and commercially focused, with ambassadors expected to play a stronger role in advancing the country’s economic and national interests abroad.
