Sierra Leone is intensifying preparations to host the West Africa Integration and Investment Summit (WAIIS) 2026, a major regional investment gathering designed to attract international capital, strengthen cross-border trade and accelerate economic integration across West Africa.
The Special Envoy for WAIIS, Hon. Dr. Kandeh Kolleh Yumkella, officially launched the summit’s local media campaign on Tuesday, 20 October 2026, in Aberdeen, Freetown, calling on journalists and media institutions to play a central role in promoting Sierra Leone’s investment potential and highlighting opportunities for economic transformation.
Scheduled for 17–18 November 2026 in Freetown, the summit is expected to attract prominent African business leaders, international investors, financial institutions, development partners and several Heads of State to explore commercially viable projects and strengthen investment partnerships across the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
Addressing media stakeholders, Dr. Kandeh K. Yumkella, who also serves as Chairman of the Presidential Initiative on Climate Change, Renewable Energy and Food Security (PI-CREF), emphasized that WAIIS represents a strategic shift from traditional development conferences towards practical investment mobilisation and project implementation.
He explained that the summit is anchored on the conviction that West African economies can achieve stronger and more sustainable growth through increased regional trade, infrastructure development, industrial cooperation and coordinated investment.
Dr. Kandeh K. Yumkella further highlighted President Julius Maada Bio’s commitment to regional economic integration, noting that the initiative aligns with the President’s priorities as Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government.
“WAIIS is not a pledging conference. It is an investment conference where private and public sector institutions have designed projects, and bankers and investment institutions are ready to invest in them,” Dr. Kandeh K. Yumkella stated.
He stressed that the summit would provide a platform for connecting investment-ready projects with financial institutions and strategic partners capable of supporting their implementation.
Highlighting emerging investment opportunities, Dr. Kandeh K. Yumkella referenced the Gento Group’s proposed port development at Kent and Banana Island as an example of the major infrastructure investments associated with the WAIIS initiative.
He indicated that the project could advance towards completion once the remaining processes and requirements have been concluded.
The Special Envoy also outlined preparations surrounding the summit’s four thematic pillars, explaining that they are intended to direct investor attention towards priority sectors capable of stimulating economic growth, strengthening infrastructure and promoting regional integration.
A significant development in the summit’s preparations, according to Dr. Kandeh K. Yumkella, is the establishment of a Private Sector Advisory Board comprising influential African business leaders.
Among those identified were Tony Elumelu of Heirs Holdings and Alhaji Aliko Dangote of the Dangote Group, alongside other prominent business personalities expected to contribute to the summit’s investment agenda.
Dr. Kandeh K. Yumkella disclosed that organizers anticipate the participation of between five and seven Heads of State, underscoring the high-level political and economic importance attached to the gathering.
Speaking at the launch, the Minister of Planning and Economic Development, Madam Kenyeh Barlay, disclosed that several Sierra Leonean investment projects had already been incorporated into the summit’s Deal Rooms.
She explained that the Deal Rooms would provide structured opportunities for project developers, Government institutions and private businesses to engage directly with prospective investors and financiers.
Madam Kenyeh Barlay emphasized that WAIIS complements Sierra Leone’s national development priorities, particularly efforts to attract productive investment, create employment opportunities and accelerate sustainable economic growth.
The Minister of Energy, Mr. Cyril Grant, highlighted the importance of energy investment in supporting industrial development and expanding electricity access across the country.
He referenced the ongoing Nant Energy Project in Kissy as an important initiative within Sierra Leone’s broader energy development ambitions, noting the potential contribution of major power investments to strengthening electricity generation capacity and supporting economic activities.
Similarly, the Minister of Communication, Technology and Innovation, Ms. Salima Bah, described WAIIS as a timely and strategically significant platform for advancing Sierra Leone’s economic transformation.
She disclosed that several projects included in the Deal Rooms, including those originating from Sierra Leone, had already generated serious interest among prospective investors.
According to her, the summit offers an opportunity to showcase Sierra Leone as an attractive investment destination while strengthening partnerships capable of supporting innovation, infrastructure development and private sector expansion.
The President of the Sierra Leone Chamber of Commerce, Oluniyi Robin Coker, welcomed the initiative, describing it as an important opportunity to accelerate private sector development and economic growth across the sub-region.
He emphasized that meaningful private sector participation would be essential to translating investment discussions into commercially sustainable projects that create employment and deliver long-term economic benefits.
Oluniyi Robin Coker also commended the WAIIS leadership for ensuring that Sierra Leonean businesses and investment projects were adequately represented in the Deal Rooms.
“We believe that WAIIS will give a boost and speed to not only Sierra Leone’s economy, but the wider West African countries,” he stated.
Meanwhile, the Chief Operating Officer of WAIIS, Joseph Ngana, who oversees the investment projects featured in the Deal Rooms, disclosed that organizers had assembled a pipeline of investment opportunities intended to facilitate direct engagement between project promoters, financiers and prospective investors.
He expressed confidence in the ongoing preparations, assuring stakeholders that the organizing team is working to deliver a successful and professionally coordinated summit.
“We are going to have such an impressive summit with zero glitches that everybody will want to come back to Sierra Leone for more investment talks,” Joseph Ngana assured participants.
The launch of the local media campaign represents another significant milestone in Sierra Leone’s preparations to host WAIIS 2026.
Beyond attracting investment, the summit is expected to strengthen Sierra Leone’s visibility as a destination for regional business partnerships, infrastructure financing and private sector-led economic development.
With the event approaching, the media will play an important role in informing the public, promoting investment opportunities and highlighting the potential benefits of stronger economic cooperation among West African countries.
WAIIS 2026 is being positioned not merely as another international conference but as a platform for transforming investment opportunities into practical partnerships, bankable projects and sustainable economic development, with Sierra Leone at the centre of the regional investment conversation.
