By Hassan Solokoh Bockarie
Vice President Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh has outlined an ambitious vision for transforming Sierra Leone’s mining sector into a driver of industrialization, job creation, and long-term national development, declaring that the country is ready to govern its mineral wealth responsibly and strategically for the benefit of all citizens.
Delivering the keynote address at the official opening of Sierra Leone Mining Week 2026 in Freetown, the Vice President said Sierra Leone’s chairmanship of the African Diamond Producers Association (ADPA) Council of Ministers reflects the country’s growing leadership role in Africa’s extractive sector.
He noted that Sierra Leone, alongside member states and observers of ADPA, collectively accounts for nearly 70 percent of global rough diamond production and emphasized that African mineral-producing nations must work together to secure better outcomes for the continent.
“We do not hold this chairmanship as a procedural honour,” he stated. “We hold it with the conviction that African mineral-producing countries negotiate and govern better together than alone.”
The Vice President also officially launched Sierra Leone’s National Strategy for Critical Minerals 2026–2031, describing it as a roadmap for responsible mineral governance, sustainable investment, and economic transformation.
According to Dr. Jalloh, the global shift toward renewable energy, electric vehicles, battery storage, and advanced manufacturing has significantly increased demand for critical minerals, placing Africa at the center of a rapidly evolving global economy.
Despite Africa’s vast mineral wealth, he observed that the continent continues to capture only a small fraction of the value generated from its resources. He stressed that Sierra Leone intends to change that narrative by ensuring that mining revenues support national transformation rather than simply financing exports.
“Countries do not prosper simply because they have minerals; they prosper because they manage those minerals well,” the Vice President said, citing Botswana, Chile, and Norway as examples of countries that have successfully used mineral wealth to build resilient economies and invest in future generations.
Dr. Jalloh explained that Sierra Leone’s mineral strategy aligns with the country’s Medium-Term National Development Plan and focuses on transformative investments in infrastructure, youth employment, human capital development, technology, and strong institutions.
He emphasized that the government wants mineral wealth to translate into jobs, enterprise development, modern infrastructure, social services, and dignified opportunities for citizens, particularly communities directly affected by mining activities.
The Vice President further highlighted reforms introduced through the Mines and Minerals Development Act 2022 and related regulations, including stronger licensing procedures, enhanced environmental safeguards, community development obligations, and local content requirements.
He noted that the Ministry of Mines and Mineral Resources and the National Minerals Agency (NMA) are actively improving mining governance, environmental and social frameworks, and technical systems for managing the country’s mineral resources.
The government, he said, has also strengthened transparency and accountability through its continued participation in the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) and improved regulatory oversight mechanisms aimed at boosting investor confidence and public trust.
Dr. Jalloh disclosed that Sierra Leone’s National Strategy for Critical Minerals targets approximately US$2.5 billion in exploration and mining investments, with projections of thousands of direct and indirect jobs, increased government revenue, and expanded local economic opportunities.
He also proposed the establishment of a professional state mining investment holding company to manage government equity participation in mining ventures, arguing that such investments should be professionally managed and tied to long-term national development goals rather than political interests.
Addressing infrastructure challenges, the Vice President called for shared infrastructure models that would allow roads, railways, ports, power systems, and water facilities developed through mining investments to benefit wider economic sectors and surrounding communities.
He stressed the importance of increasing Sierra Leonean participation in technical and leadership roles within the mining sector, noting that while over 90 percent of the workforce is Sierra Leonean, more needs to be done to promote local expertise and professional advancement.
The Vice President further called for a redefinition of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), urging mining companies to move beyond isolated donations toward coordinated development partnerships that directly support community priorities such as schools, healthcare, feeder roads, and youth empowerment.
On artisanal mining, Dr. Jalloh emphasized the need for formalization, digital registration systems, environmental protection, and cooperative structures to support more than 120,000 Sierra Leoneans who depend on small-scale mining for survival.
He also warned against speculative mining practices, calling for stronger oversight, mandatory mine development timelines, and stricter measures to prevent companies from holding licenses without actively developing mining projects.
The Vice President concluded by stressing that Sierra Leone’s future lies not only in extracting and exporting minerals, but in processing, refining, and adding value locally to create more jobs, skills, revenues, and industrial growth.
“The true measure of our mineral wealth will not be what we export, but what we produce and build within our own country,” he declared.
Mining Week 2026 continues in Freetown with high-level engagements involving African ministers, investors, mining companies, development partners, and policy experts discussing the future of sustainable mining and economic transformation across the continent.
