By Aminata Abu Bakarr Kamara
Sierra Leone Sierra Leone has stepped up efforts to attract increased private-sector investment from Saudi Arabia, with the Government seeking to transform longstanding diplomatic relations between the two countries into concrete economic partnerships capable of generating jobs, expanding trade and supporting national development.
The new Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Mohamed Rahman Swaray, made the call during a bilateral engagement with Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, H.E. Eng. Waleed bin Abdulkarim Al-Khuraiji, on the margins of the ongoing 23rd Extraordinary Session of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers in Jeddah.
At the meeting, Minister Swaray invited the Saudi business community to participate in the forthcoming ECOWAS Investment Forum, scheduled to take place in Sierra Leone in November 2026.
The Minister said the forum would provide an important platform for Saudi investors and businesses to engage directly with Sierra Leonean and wider West African government and private-sector stakeholders, while exploring investment opportunities across the region.
Minister Swaray highlighted several areas where Sierra Leone is seeking stronger economic cooperation with Saudi Arabia, including energy, digital transformation, skills development, trade, investment and market access.
He also presented Sierra Leone’s strategic position as a potential gateway to the wider African market, particularly through opportunities created by the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
According to the Minister, Sierra Leone’s engagement with Saudi Arabia should go beyond the traditional focus on political and diplomatic relations and move towards practical economic cooperation that delivers tangible benefits for citizens.
He stressed the need to deepen private-sector engagement and encourage investment partnerships capable of creating employment opportunities, strengthening businesses and contributing to shared prosperity.
The upcoming West Africa Integration and Investment Summit (WAIIS) 2026 ECOWAS Investment Forum is expected to serve as a key platform for advancing this agenda.
Minister Swaray assured the Saudi side that Sierra Leone would formally extend an invitation to Saudi Arabia and its business community to attend the November forum.
The invitation is intended to open avenues for direct discussions between Saudi investors, Sierra Leonean businesses and governments across the West African region, with a focus on identifying viable investment opportunities and partnerships.
In response, Deputy Minister Al-Khuraiji welcomed Sierra Leone’s initiative and expressed his readiness to convey the invitation and the country’s identified investment priorities to relevant Saudi authorities and members of the Saudi business community.
He also indicated his willingness to encourage Saudi businessmen and investors to participate in the ECOWAS Investment Forum and explore opportunities available in Sierra Leone.
Both sides underscored the importance of strengthening business-to-business relations and identifying specific sectors where Saudi and Sierra Leonean investors can collaborate.
The engagement comes as Sierra Leone continues to position economic diplomacy as an important component of its broader development strategy, seeking to attract foreign capital, expand markets and strengthen international partnerships.
The discussions in Jeddah also reaffirmed the longstanding and friendly relations between Sierra Leone and Saudi Arabia.
Both countries expressed a shared commitment to deepening bilateral cooperation and translating existing diplomatic goodwill into tangible economic opportunities that can benefit their respective economies and peoples.
For Sierra Leone, the proposed Saudi investment engagement represents an opportunity to attract capital and expertise into priority sectors while connecting the country more closely to Gulf markets and the wider African investment landscape.
Copyright –Published in Expo Times News on Monday, 31st August 2026 (ExpoTimes News – Expo Media Group (expomediasl.com)
