By Amin Kef (Ranger)
Sierra Leone’s Minister of Mines and Mineral Resources, Honourable Julius Daniel Mattai, has delivered a powerful and policy-defining message at the ongoing Sierra Leone Mining Week 2026, declaring that while Sierra Leone remains open to international investment and strategic partnerships, the country will not surrender sovereign control over its mineral wealth to foreign interests.
Speaking during a high-level Fireside Chat on “Geopolitics and Critical Minerals: Sierra Leone’s Strategic Choices” at the Freetown International Conference Centre, Bintumani, on Thursday 21 May 2026, Julius Daniel Mattai outlined what he described as Sierra Leone’s new strategic posture in the rapidly intensifying global competition for critical minerals.
The Minister, who also serves as Chairman of the African Diamond Producers Association (ADPA) for 2025–2026, stressed that Sierra Leone would engage global powers on terms rooted in national sovereignty, responsible mining, value addition and shared prosperity for the Sierra Leonean people. He emphasized that the country’s mineral resources must primarily benefit its citizens and contribute meaningfully to Africa’s industrial transformation.
“We are open for business. We are not, however, open for capture,” Julius Daniel Mattai declared to loud applause from delegates, diplomats, mining executives, development partners and African policymakers who attended the event.
His remarks came a day after the official launch of Sierra Leone’s National Strategy for Critical Minerals 2026–2031 by Vice President Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh during the opening ceremony of Sierra Leone Mining Week 2026. The strategy seeks to reposition Sierra Leone as a globally recognized leader in responsible critical minerals production, processing and beneficiation.
Julius Daniel Mattai noted that the global demand for lithium, cobalt, graphite, rare earth elements and other critical minerals has intensified due to the clean energy transition, digitalization and the expansion of advanced manufacturing industries across the world. He said Africa, particularly Sierra Leone, now finds itself at the centre of a major geopolitical and economic transformation.
Referencing global developments involving the United States, the European Union, China and Russia, the Minister observed that powerful nations are aggressively positioning themselves to secure critical mineral supply chains, but warned that Africa must not repeat historical patterns where raw materials were exported while value and industrial growth remained elsewhere.
According to the Minister, Sierra Leone’s approach is firmly aligned with the African Mining Vision of 2009 and the African Green Minerals Strategy adopted by African Heads of State in February 2025. He said the country sees itself as part of a broader continental movement aimed at ensuring value addition, industrialization and coordinated African bargaining power in the global minerals economy.
Julius Daniel Mattai disclosed that several African countries have already begun implementing export restrictions on raw minerals in order to promote local processing and beneficiation. He cited examples including Malawi, Zimbabwe, Tanzania and Ghana, which have all taken measures to limit raw mineral exports and encourage domestic industrialization.
The Minister explained that Sierra Leone’s newly launched Critical Minerals Strategy rests on four key transformational pillars: empowering transformation, advancing stewardship, catalyzing shared prosperity and securing strategic partnerships.
On the issue of value addition, the Minister stated that Sierra Leone intends to gradually transition from exporting raw ore to producing refined and processed mineral products within the country. He disclosed that by 2031, Sierra Leone aims to establish between three and five processing and beneficiation facilities supported by a dedicated Critical Minerals Special Economic Zone.
The Minister further emphasized that all mining activities in Sierra Leone must comply with strict environmental, social and governance standards under the Mines and Minerals Development Act 2023 and its accompanying 2025 regulations. He stressed that the Government remains committed to ensuring that mining operations are environmentally sustainable and free from exploitation, conflict financing or harmful labour practices.
Julius Daniel Mattai also revealed ambitious economic targets under the strategy, including attracting approximately US$2.5 billion in investment, generating US$300 million in annual Government revenue, creating 45,000 direct and indirect jobs, training 15,000 skilled workers and increasing annual export value from processed minerals to US$1.5 billion by 2031.
Addressing representatives of foreign Governments and investors, the Minister delivered one of the strongest messages of the conference, warning that Sierra Leone would not enter into agreements that compromise its sovereignty or undermine constitutional accountability.
“Sierra Leone will not sign what we have not read. We will not concede what we have not deliberated. We will not exchange a generation’s patrimony for a quarter’s headline,” he stated.
The Minister invoked the words of Ghana’s first President, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, warning against modern forms of neo-colonialism disguised through economic agreements linked to strategic minerals. He said Africa must negotiate from a position of unity, dignity and long-term vision.
Julius Daniel Mattai further challenged international partners to demonstrate concrete commitments toward technology transfer, local ownership, refining and industrial development on African soil rather than maintaining extractive relationships that export wealth and dependency.
He urged African countries to negotiate collectively through institutions such as the African Union, AfCFTA, AfDB and the African Minerals Development Centre in order to strengthen the continent’s bargaining power in the global minerals economy.
Meanwhile, during his opening remarks on Wednesday 20 May 2026 as Host and Chairman of ADPA, Julius Daniel Mattai described Sierra Leone Mining Week 2026 as more than just a mining conference, but rather a strategic platform aimed at transforming Africa’s mineral wealth into sustainable socio-economic development.
He praised President Dr. Julius Maada Bio and Vice President Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh for providing transformational leadership that has repositioned Sierra Leone’s mining sector toward transparency, value addition and inclusive national development.
The Minister highlighted reforms introduced through the Mines and Minerals Development Act 2023, improved regulatory oversight by the National Minerals Agency and efforts to strengthen environmental safeguards, local content requirements and community development agreements.
He also stressed the importance of financing geological exploration and drilling activities, noting that future prosperity depends not merely on known resources but on the country’s ability to discover and accurately define new mineral deposits.
Throughout his address, Julius Daniel Mattai repeatedly underscored the need for mining to produce visible benefits for ordinary citizens, mining communities, women, youth and local businesses. He insisted that the legitimacy of the mining sector would ultimately depend on whether communities directly experience improved livelihoods, infrastructure and opportunities.
The Minister concluded by affirming that Sierra Leone is determined not only to produce minerals but also to shape global conversations on responsible mining, industrial transformation and African economic sovereignty.
“Sierra Leone is ready not merely to produce, but to lead; not merely to supply, but to shape,” Julius Daniel Mattai declared as delegates applauded the country’s emerging vision for the future of mining in Africa.
