A delegation, headed by Prime Minister Bernard Goumou of the Republic of Guinea, has paid a courtesy call on His Excellency President Dr Julius Maada Bio, conveying felicitations and a message of solidarity from President Col. Mamady Doumbouya, the government and people of Guinea.

The team, which also included government ministers and technical staff, was on a day visit to Freetown to thank and appreciate President Bio, whose government was among the first responders after the December 18, 2023 explosion. The fire incident at an oil depot in Conakry resulted in fatalities, injured over 500, caused a humanitarian situation and shortages of fuel across the country.

The Government of Sierra Leone had immediately dispatched a high-level delegation, led by Vice President Dr Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh with government ministers, heads of the National Disaster Management Agency, Petroleum Regulatory Agency and a team of medical personnel, to render assistance and deliver a special message of solidarity from His Excellency President Dr Julius Maada Bio.

Almost three weeks later, the Guinean delegation was in Freetown to thank the President, government and the people of Sierra Leone and used the occasion to also decorate and honour the fifteen-man team from Sierra Leone that went to Conakry after the December incident.

Prime Minister Goumou commended the President and his government for the swift intervention they provided during those trying times and expressed President Mamady Doumbouya’s profound appreciation.

He told President Bio that the medical team and Sierra Leone’s disaster management agency also provided adequate treatment and other services for the injured and displaced.

In his remarks, President Julius Maada Bio thanked the delegation for the visit, adding that his government would continue to strengthen the bilateral relationship between Sierra Leone and Guinea, paying tributes to the ever-enduring neigbourliness the two countries had had for decades.

He expressed hope that both countries would work together to ensure a sustainable architecture that would enable Guinea to get petroleum products from Sierra Leone, as long as necessary, and open up other opportunities in trade, health and energy sectors.