Sierra Leone’s newly appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Mohamed Rahman Swaray, has held high-level diplomatic engagements with Saudi Arabia and Nigeria aimed at attracting investment and strengthening cooperation in key development sectors.
The engagements took place on the sidelines of the Extraordinary Conference of Foreign Ministers of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Representing President Dr. Julius Maada Bio, Mohamed Rahman Swaray used the conference to reaffirm Sierra Leone’s commitment to multilateralism, peace, sustainable development and stronger international partnerships.
He presented Sierra Leone as a peaceful and democratic country prepared to deepen cooperation with bilateral and multilateral partners while creating opportunities for investment and economic growth.
The Foreign Minister stressed that peace and stability remain essential foundations for sustainable prosperity. He noted that Sierra Leone’s transition from conflict to democratic resilience has positioned the country as a credible partner in regional and global peacebuilding efforts.
Beyond the conference proceedings, Mohamed Rahman Swaray held bilateral discussions with representatives of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
His engagement with Saudi officials focused on possible investment and cooperation in energy, agriculture and infrastructure. The discussions explored how Saudi Arabia’s economic diversification agenda could create opportunities for partnerships with Sierra Leone.
Energy cooperation featured prominently in the talks as Sierra Leone continues to pursue sustainable solutions to its electricity challenges. Reliable power supply is considered crucial to industrial growth, job creation and private-sector development.
The discussions also explored Sierra Leone’s agricultural and infrastructure potential and the possibility of attracting Saudi investment into sectors capable of accelerating national development.
Mohamed Rahman Swaray’s meeting with Nigerian officials centred on strengthening bilateral and regional cooperation, particularly in food security, agriculture, energy and cross-border infrastructure.
Sierra Leone and Nigeria share longstanding diplomatic and historical ties, while Nigeria remains an important economic and political partner within the Economic Community of West African States.
The two countries discussed opportunities to draw on Nigeria’s experience in large-scale agriculture and energy distribution as Sierra Leone works to improve domestic production, achieve greater food self-sufficiency and develop its export capacity.
Mohamed Rahman Swaray described the engagements as an important beginning in Sierra Leone’s pursuit of a more proactive, development-focused and results-oriented foreign policy.
He said the Government intends to use international conferences not only for diplomatic exchanges but also as platforms for building partnerships that produce measurable benefits for citizens.
The Jeddah mission reflects the Bio administration’s growing emphasis on “development diplomacy”, an approach that links foreign relations directly to investment, infrastructure, employment and improvements in people’s livelihoods.
Attention will now turn to following up on the discussions through technical consultations, feasibility assessments and the development of specific cooperation programmes.
The Foreign Minister said Sierra Leone would continue working with international partners to transform diplomatic commitments into practical initiatives that support economic growth and national development.
