By Foday Moriba Conteh
The Economic and Commercial Counseling Center of the Embassy of Sierra Leone in Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China, in partnership with the Ministry of Youth Affairs, on Monday, August 18, 2025, signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) aimed at transforming opportunities for Sierra Leonean youth.
The agreement includes the provision of 500 electric cars, 1,000 motorbikes, 500 tricycles and the establishment of a state-of-the-art technical training facility dedicated to Electric Vehicle (EV) technology.
According to the Chinese representative, the initiative is groundbreaking and could open a new chapter in Sierra Leone’s workforce development, offering young people renewed hope and pathways into a globally expanding industry.
Youth Minister, Ibrahim Sannoh, while addressing the gathering, emphasized that the support will foster economic growth, create jobs and uplift living standards for the country’s young population. He highlighted that the program directly aligns with President Julius Maada Bio’s “Big 5” game changers, particularly in the areas of youth employment and human capital development.
“The responsibility of public officials is to encourage responsible investment in Sierra Leone for our growing youth population,”the Minister stated. He further stressed that major infrastructure and industrial investments must go hand-in-hand with skills transfer and human resource development to secure sustainable national progress.
The signing of the MOU reaffirms the long-standing and dynamic bilateral ties between Sierra Leone and China demonstrating both nations’ shared commitment to promoting innovation, skills training and economic empowerment for young people.
