Sierra Leone’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Professor David Francis, has on Thursday 25th February 2022 engaged Qatar’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, H.E. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, on a wide range of bilateral and multilateral issues aimed at strengthening and deepening ties between the two friendly countries.

Conveying His Excellency Dr Julius Maada Bio’s warm fraternal greetings to His Highness Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, the Emir of the State Qatar, Professor Francis recalled the visit of HE Dr Julius Maada Bio in April 2018, reckoning the remarkable transformation of the gas-rich country, which inspired him to transform Sierra Leone into a modern international community.

Briefing his Qatari counterpart on the engagement with respective state agencies, he expressed profound appreciation for selecting Sierra Leone as one of the priority countries for the implementation of the economic empowerment project to alleviate poverty.

“Your Excellency, as you may be aware, our country is known for its abundant strategic mineral resources, which have not translated in transforming the nation. Sierra Leone has invested significantly in the Human Capital Development projects of which the Free Quality Education project accounts for 22% of the country’s GPD, providing access to education for two and a half million children nationwide,” Prof David Francis noted.

The Hon Minister further described Sierra Leone as a land of investment opportunities, with a lot of untapped potentials in mineral resources, agriculture, energy, trade, among others. He proposed a trade and investment delegation mission to Sierra Leone to get firsthand information on potential investment opportunities in various sectors.

“For the first time in its history, Sierra Leone conducted an Airborne Geophysical Survey to assess the quantum of mineral assets in the country. We are now working with the World Bank to analyse the value of our mineral reserve, which can be used as a sovereign guarantee for capital development projects,” he mentioned.
Making a case on the margins of the candidature bid for the non-permanent Category of the United Nations Security Council, which is scheduled for June 2023, he observed that the country has progressed steadily on the international stage, referencing Sierra Leone’s role as Coordinator of the Africa Union Committee of 10 United Nations Security Council Reforms. He concluded by soliciting Qatar’s support as well as its allies as the country has been endorsed unanimously by ECOWAS and AU.

In his response, H.E. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman Al Thani thanked Hon Minister for engaging state agencies on purposeful development. He welcomed the initiative to visit Sierra Leone for investment opportunities. The Deputy Prime Minister further suggested a visit of a team of experts from Sierra Leone to make a presentation to provide Qatari investors the requisite knowledge on Sierra Leone’s investment opportunities.
On Sierra Leone’s bid for a seat in the non-permanent category of the UN Security Council, he assured the Minister of not only voting for Sierra Leone but also providing support in the government’s pre-campaign bid scheduled for 2022.

Other members of the delegation included, Her Excellency Haja Ishata Thomas, the Non-Resident Ambassador to the State of Qatar, Abdul Aziz Turay, Director of Middle East and Asia, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Momodu Wurie, Minister Counsellor/HOC and AbuBakarr Mbayoh, Arabic Translator.