Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio, accompanied by First Lady Dr. Fatima Maada Bio, has embarked on a journey to China to participate in the 2024 Africa-China Summit.

The summit aims to strengthen dialogue and collaboration between African and Chinese leaders, fostering development across both continents.

President Bio’s journey included a brief stopover in Abuja, Nigeria, where he attended the ECOWAS Heads of State Extraordinary Summit. This summit focused on crucial political, peace, and security issues affecting the West African region.

At the summit, President Bio and other ECOWAS leaders removed the economic sanctions imposed on Niger Republic, Burkina Faso, Mali and Guinea.

Speaking after the summit, President Bio said: “Our resolution at the Summit has once more demonstrated our collective resolve to promote peace, unity and brotherhood in our subregion.

“We remain resolute in our commitment towards pursuing amicable solutions to the prevailing challenges in our Community. We are confident that we shall emerge stronger and more united in pursuit of our collective objectives as enshrined in the Revised ECOWAS Treaty.”