Sierra Leone has recorded what officials describe as its most successful participation yet at the 2026 Investing in African Mining Indaba, with landmark financing agreements, strategic global engagements and renewed investor confidence in the country’s mining sector.
Minister of Mines and Mineral Resources, Julius Daniel Mattai, led the Sierra Leone delegation to Cape Town, South Africa, from 9th to 12th February 2026, where the country showcased its mineral potential and reform agenda before global investors, financiers and policymakers. The four-day event culminated in major financial commitments expected to significantly boost production, employment and sustainable development within the sector.
At the heart of Sierra Leone’s participation were two major financing agreements facilitated by Ecobank, injecting substantial capital into the mining industry. On the opening day of the Indaba, Ecobank announced a USD 25 million facility in partnership with Meya Mining Company. The agreement is expected to accelerate Meya Mining’s transition from early-stage development to full commercial production in the Kono diamond belt.
Describing the agreement as a “landmark in our collective journey to transform Sierra Leone’s rich mineral endowment into broad-based and lasting prosperity,” Minister Julius Daniel Mattai said the investment would create more than 400 direct jobs and thousands of indirect employment opportunities, with over 90 percent of beneficiaries projected to be Sierra Leoneans.
“This is not just about capital,” the Minister stated. “It is about families supported, children sent to school, health outcomes improved and communities strengthened through responsible mining.”
In a separate but equally significant development, Ecobank Sierra Leone, supported by Ecobank Ghana, entered into a USD 40 million syndicated financing agreement with Sierra Rutile Limited. The facility will fund the relocation of a modern mineral sands processing plant from Kenya to Sierra Leone as part of the Sembehun development project.
The relocation of the state-of-the-art plant is expected to boost productivity, enhance operational efficiency and generate sustainable employment, while stimulating local enterprise development and strengthening social infrastructure in host communities. Government officials say the Sembehun Expansion Project will deliver tangible benefits nationwide, particularly in mining communities.
Sierra Rutile’s recent transformation into the first 100 percent Sierra Leonean privately owned large-scale mining company, following its acquisition by Leonoil Company Limited, was also highlighted as a milestone for local participation and entrepreneurship in the extractive sector.
Beyond the financing deals, the Minister engaged in high-level discussions with diamond-producing Governments and stakeholders across the global diamond value chain. Central to those discussions was the Luanda Accord, which seeks to strengthen collaboration among African diamond-producing nations and stimulate global demand for natural diamonds.
Reaffirming Sierra Leone’s commitment to ethical and traceable diamond production, the Julius Daniel Mattai said the country remains dedicated to ensuring that its diamonds are associated with peace, transparency and shared prosperity.
“We are determined that our diamonds will no longer be linked to conflict or opacity, but to traceability, innovation and sustainable development,” he declared, noting that Sierra Leone continues to uphold international standards, including compliance with the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme.
The Mines Minister also acknowledged the reforms spearheaded by President Julius Maada Bio, crediting them with strengthening governance, enhancing transparency and restoring investor confidence in the mining sector. According to him, regulatory improvements and a focus on local value addition have positioned Sierra Leone as a credible and responsible mining jurisdiction.
Meya Mining Chief Executive Officer, Jan Joubert, and Ecobank’s leadership described the financing facility as a major milestone, underscoring the bank’s commitment to private sector growth and long-term partnerships in Sierra Leone.
In addition to the financing agreements, the Sierra Leone delegation held strategic meetings with global institutions, including the World Bank, the Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) and the United States International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), aimed at unlocking further investment into the country’s minerals sector.
Bilateral engagements with officials from the United States Department of State and the U.S. Trade and Development Agency focused on strengthening cooperation around critical minerals. U.S. officials reportedly expressed satisfaction with progress made in advancing agreements on critical minerals between the two countries.
Minister Julius Daniel Mattai emphasized that discussions around critical minerals must also address value addition, energy access and sustainable industrialization. He stressed that Sierra Leone seeks to move beyond exporting raw materials and instead capture greater value along the supply chain.
“As we discuss critical minerals, we must remember that Sierra Leone’s development is also critical,” he said, adding that stable energy supply and investment in processing infrastructure are central to long-term transformation.
The Minister also held engagements with mining giant Rio Tinto and representatives of the German Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development to explore further collaboration and investment opportunities within the country’s mineral resources sector.
During a high-level roundtable hosted by Sustainable Energy for All and the Critical Minerals Africa Group, the Minister delivered a keynote statement on the theme: “Energy as an Infrastructure Enabler: Unlocking the Renewables Opportunity for Powering the Minerals Value Chain.”
He challenged African nations to reposition themselves within the global energy transition, arguing that the continent must not remain a mere exporter of raw minerals essential for global decarburization.
“Africa stands today not as a victim of the global energy transition but as its potential vanguard,” he said. “Our minerals, sun, rivers and winds can power not only the world’s decarburization but our own structural transformation.”
Highlighting Sierra Leone’s own paradox of vast mineral wealth alongside limited national energy capacity, the Minister called for deliberate investment in renewable energy infrastructure linked to mining operations. He advocated blending climate finance with commercial capital, using long-term mining offtake agreements to reduce risks for renewable energy projects.
He further urged African countries to leverage regional power pools and shared industrial corridors to transform geographic diversity into competitive advantage.
Government officials believe the investments secured during the Indaba will have far-reaching socio-economic impact. The Meya mine, which spans approximately 120 square kilometres in Kono District, is expected to serve as a model for responsible and traceable diamond production, contributing to export earnings and macroeconomic stability.
Minister Julius Daniel Mattai reaffirmed Government’s commitment to ensuring that mining investments translate into measurable benefits for Sierra Leoneans, particularly in host communities.
“Our goal is that when we speak of the success of Sembehun, we are also speaking of the success and dignity of the communities that host it,” he said.
With strengthened partnerships, renewed investor confidence and a clear policy direction anchored on transparency, value addition and sustainability, Sierra Leone’s participation at the 2026 Mining Indaba signals what officials describe as the dawn of a new era in the country’s extractive sector.
The outcomes of the Indaba position Sierra Leone as an emerging destination for responsible, value-driven mining investment, with Government pledging to ensure that the nation’s mineral wealth becomes a catalyst for inclusive growth and shared prosperity.
