Chief Minister of Sierra Leone held a strategic meeting with a visiting team from the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) to align their efforts around the Bank’s intervention strategy and deepen its impact in the country.
The discussions focused on enhancing coordination and removing implementation bottlenecks to ensure the effective delivery of ongoing and future projects.
The meeting highlighted IsDB’s commitment to support Sierra Leone’s development agenda through integrated investments, particularly those aligned with the government’s flagship Feed Salone initiative, and expanded to include infrastructure sectors such as roads and energy.
IsDB, which has been present in Sierra Leone for 43 years, has invested approximately $200 million across key sectors. This includes $100 million in agriculture such as palm oil plantations, the cassava value chain, and livestock and nearly $100 million in other critical projects.
The Bank’s presence has intensified over the past decade, with education, agriculture, and transportation receiving the largest share of investments.
The Chief Minister, Dr. David Moinina Sengeh, expressed appreciation for President Julius Maada Bio’s high-level engagement in Saudi Arabia last year, which has resulted in increased attention and investments from IsDB.
He also referenced his prior engagements with IsDB officials in the UK and Morocco during his tenure as Innovation Officer and Minister of Basic Education, underscoring his longstanding relationship with the institution. In a move to further facilitate IsDB’s operations in the country, the Government of Sierra Leone has approved the IsDB Insurance Facility in Cabinet, and it is now being tabled in Parliament.
Over the past week, IsDB has been actively engaging with the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Agriculture, other Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs), and the private sector to define a more impactful and coordinated investment approach. The Chief Minister emphasized that such partnerships are central to delivering on the President’s vision and ensuring sustained socio-economic transformation.
