By Emma Black

The Honourable Minister of Tourism and Cultural Affairs, Mrs. Nabeela Farida Tunis, is spearheading a transformative agenda that is redefining Sierra Leone’s tourism and cultural landscape, positioning the country as a rising global destination.

Speaking at a high-level engagement with the Uncle Sankara Media Platform at the Ministry’s headquarters in Freetown, Minister Tunis declared that tourism is “everybody’s business” and underscored its potential as a strategic engine for inclusive national growth.

Appointed by His Excellency President Julius Maada Bio in 2023, Minister Tunis inherited a young Ministry tasked with promoting sustainable tourism, preserving cultural heritage, and advancing arts, music, fashion, and historical assets. She has leveraged this mandate to foster economic diversification, job creation, and community empowerment across Sierra Leone.

Upon assuming office, Minister Tunis conducted a comprehensive review of the sector, identifying limited public awareness of tourism’s economic potential as a major challenge. Her response was a bold institutional overhaul, expanding the Ministry’s structure from two to four directorates and introducing specialized divisions to enhance coordination, accountability, and stakeholder engagement.

In 2024, she launched the groundbreaking “Tourism for All” campaign a year-long national initiative with monthly themes such as Explore and Discover and Festivity and Entertainment. The campaign successfully reframed tourism as a collective national responsibility, reaching over five million Sierra Leoneans, surpassing its initial 3.5 million target. Through more than 100 themed media engagements and new partnerships, public participation in tourism development surged.

Guided by Sierra Leone’s 2017 Ecotourism Policy, Minister Tunis declared 2025 the “Year of Ecotourism,” promoting conservation-driven tourism where communities, culture, and environmental protection intersect. Nationwide roadshows featuring cultural troupes and entertainers, alongside strategic collaboration with the Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary, advanced wildlife protection, hiking tourism, and tree-planting initiatives.

Minister Tunis has also expanded Sierra Leone’s international tourism profile. At a continental UN Tourism gathering, she presented a landmark report on women in tourism leadership and secured the hosting rights for the Third UN Tourism Gastronomy Forum a first for the country. Domestically, mini gastronomy forums in Pujehun, Kenema, Makeni, and Freetown showcased indigenous cuisine, stimulating the hospitality sector and creative economy, aided by collaboration with the World Bank.

In a historic cultural milestone, the Ministry hosted the inaugural One Nation Reggae Festival, connecting Sierra Leone with Jamaica and the Caribbean. International reggae stars, including Sizzla Kalonji and Christopher Martin, headlined the event, attracting over 60 Jamaican visitors to historic sites like Bunce Island and exposing Sierra Leonean creatives to global audiences.

Further cementing Sierra Leone’s global tourism credentials, Minister Tunis negotiated the country as the official finish line for the Budapest-Bamako Rally for the next decade. The 2026 edition alone brought over 790 visitors and 350 vehicles to Bureh Beach, driving local economic growth and prompting infrastructure upgrades.

Looking ahead, Minister Tunis has declared 2026 the “Year of Culture and Creativity,” anchored on four strategic pillars to strengthen cultural institutions and transform artistic talent into sustainable enterprises. Her initiatives include the Creative Clinic, a hub to nurture artistic talent, and the “Salone Troupe Beat,” a new national music identity blending traditional rhythms with contemporary influences.

Minister Tunis concluded that Sierra Leone stands at a defining moment in its development journey. With a youthful population, rich cultural heritage, and expanding global partnerships, the country is not merely promoting tourism it is building a dynamic, inclusive, and globally competitive cultural economy.

Under her leadership, Sierra Leone is confidently emerging as Africa’s next tourism and cultural powerhouse.

Copyright –Published in Expo Times News on Monday, 23rd February 2026 (ExpoTimes News – Expo Media Group (expomediasl.com)