The Minister of Planning and Economic Development, Hon. Kenyeh Barlay, affirmed Sierra Leone’s commitment to strengthening bilateral ties with Japan during a dinner in honor of Ambassador Hiroshi Yoshimoto, Japan’s envoy to Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Ghana.

The event took place at the HUB Hotel in Freetown, organized by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Sierra Leone Office. Key figures in attendance included Mrs. Abie E. Kamara, Director of the Development Assistance Coordination Office (DACO), and Mr. Saidu M. Conteh, Senior Aid Management Officer (SAMO), along with other senior officials from MoPED and JICA.

In her address, Minister Barlay expressed deep gratitude for Japan’s longstanding support, which has been ongoing since 1961 through JICA and various United Nations agencies. She praised Ambassador Yoshimoto for his diplomatic efforts to maintain and strengthen the friendship between the two nations.

Minister Barlay threw light on the critical role JICA plays in implementing Sierra Leone’s Medium-Term National Development Plan (MTNDP). She announced plans for MoPED to establish a Directorate for South-South Cooperation and emphasized the need for increased capacity building.

The Minister specifically requested more opportunities for Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) to participate in study tours in Japan, particularly related to the “One Village, One Product” initiative, which aligns with Sierra Leone’s rural development objectives.

The dinner also served as a platform to discuss ongoing development programs, including the JICA-supported Rice Productivity and Improvement Project (RPIP), and to prepare for the upcoming Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) in Japan.

The Head of Office for JICA Sierra Leone, Norihito Yonebayashi, asserted the significance of the gathering as a testament to the growing partnership between Sierra Leone and Japan. He noted that the evening celebrated the strength of current development cooperation and reinforced both countries’ commitment to a shared vision of sustainable progress.

The event concluded with a bold commitment from both sides to collaborate on national development priorities and regional cooperation goals.