World Bank Vice President for Western and Central Africa, Ousmane Diagana and International Monetary Fund Director for African Affairs, Abebe Aemro Selassie, have commended Sierra Leone’s Minister of Finance, Sheku Ahmed Fantamadi Bangura, for his transformational leadership in driving the country’s impressive macroeconomic performance during high-level engagements held in Washington DC, United States of America, on Friday 17 April 2026.
The commendations were made as Minister Sheku Ahmed Fantamadi Bangura met with global economic leaders to position Sierra Leone’s economic outlook in line with the development agenda of Dr. Julius Maada Bio. In separate meetings, the international financial leaders not only praised the Minister’s efforts but also signaled their continued commitment to support the country’s economic growth and stability.
During a meeting with Ousmane Diagana and senior sector Directors of the World Bank Group, the Vice President highlighted Sierra Leone’s strong macroeconomic performance and the wide-ranging reforms undertaken by the Government, emphasizing that sustaining economic stability remains critical to consolidating democratic gains. He assured that the World Bank would look favorably on the recommendations presented by the Minister of Finance, particularly those aimed at mitigating the impact of the ongoing Middle East crisis.
The World Bank’s Chief Economist and Senior Vice President for Development Economics, Indermit Gill, also praised Sierra Leone’s economic progress and aligned with the Minister’s assessment of the potential transmission effects of the Middle East crisis. He encouraged the Government to maintain macroeconomic stability while implementing targeted policies that protect the most vulnerable populations, cautioning against broad, untargeted subsidies.
In a separate engagement with the International Monetary Fund, Abebe Aemro Selassie described the meeting as productive and acknowledged that although the IMF does not routinely offer praise, he was impressed by the economic results achieved by the Government of Sierra Leone. He noted that while the Fund remains aware of the challenges posed by the Middle East crisis, it is working with development partners to support member countries in mitigating its impact and encouraged Minister Sheku Ahmed Fantamadi Bangura to make a strong case for additional support, particularly under the Resilience and Sustainability Facility.
Presenting Sierra Leone’s economic position, Minister Sheku Ahmed Fantamadi Bangura expressed appreciation to the World Bank Group for its continued support across key sectors. He outlined significant progress made over the past two years in implementing economic and public financial management reforms, which have contributed to improved macroeconomic stability.
He disclosed that inflation declined to 4.35 percent in December 2025, the exchange rate remained stable, interest rates on Government securities dropped to sustainable levels and the primary fiscal balance recorded a positive position by the end of 2025. He also noted that the World Bank portfolio remains stable, with strong implementation across projects in the education, health and energy sectors.
The Finance Minister, however, acknowledged that the ongoing Middle East crisis has begun to reverse some of the gains achieved, particularly through external economic pressures and called on development partners to provide targeted support to help preserve progress and limit adverse impacts on the country’s economy.
In his engagement with the IMF, Minister Sheku Ahmed Fantamadi Bangura reiterated the Government’s gratitude for the institution’s longstanding support and policy guidance, attributing Sierra Leone’s improved economic performance in part to the strong collaboration with the IMF’s African Department.
