New Minister of Transport and Aviation Alhaji Fanday Turay, has expressed commitment to serving with distinction and delivering on President Bio’s Agenda in his appreciation message for his appointment.

Reacting to his appointment, Minister Turay tweeted “Dear Family, Friends, and people of Sierra Leone, I am immensely grateful to Allah for all His blessings, as I receive the confidence of His Excellency, Dr. Julius Maada Bio, President of the Republic of Sierra Leone, in my appointment as Minister of Transport and Aviation. In this modern age of connectivity, this assignment is important. I am committed to serving with distinction and delivering on the President’s agenda. I thank the President for His trust and confidence. I thank you all for your congratulatory words and prayers. Please work with me to deliver for each and every Sierra Leonean. I thank you”

Minister Turay served as Permanent Representative of the Republic of Sierra Leone to the United Nations, on 3rd September 2021,

Before his latest appointment, Mr. Turay served as Security Adviser at the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) in the Syrian Golan and brings 14 years of experience in United Nations peacekeeping to his new position. He chaired the National Commission for Privatization in Sierra Leone in 2019.

In 2009, Mr. Turay was appointed Special Assistant to the Chief of Staff at the Office of Military Affairs in the United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations. Before that, he served as Legal Advisor at his country’s Ministry of Defence and as a brigade commander in the national armed forces between 2008 and 2011. From 2006 to 2008, he was a battalion commander.

In the 1990s, he assumed various posts, including Chief of Personnel Manning Joint Forces Headquarters, Aide-de-Camp to the Head of State and Military Adviser to the Permanent Mission of Sierra Leone to the United Nations in New York. He also participated in the Economic Community of West African State (ECOWAS) Monitoring Group in Liberia, in both command and staff roles.

A lawyer by profession, Mr. Turay holds master’s degrees in international transport and maritime law from the London Metropolitan University and also in international affairs from the University of Ghana. He also earned a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of West London.