By: Aminata Sesay
The Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) is reaffirming its role as a key development partner to Sierra Leone following a high-level strategic meeting with the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development (MoPED) in Freetown. The engagement centered on aligning the Bank’s extensive investment portfolio with Sierra Leone’s newly launched National Development Plan (NDP) 2024–2030, paving the way for deeper and more focused interventions in critical sectors.
Leading the IsDB delegation, Mr. Omar Daris highlighted the Bank’s growing investment footprint in Sierra Leone amounting to nearly half a billion U.S. dollars across sectors including agriculture, energy, transport, health, water and sanitation, and education. He described the meeting as “a strategic step” towards ensuring that current and future investments are closely aligned with the government’s development priorities.
“We’re here not only to assess but to align ensuring that our support delivers maximum impact in the government’s priority areas,” Mr. Daris stated. He also noted the Bank’s continued collaboration with the Ministry of Finance and the Sierra Leone Roads Authority (SLRA).
Central to the discussions were the “Big Five Game Changers”—the foundational pillars of the new development agenda: Feed Salone, Human Capital Development, Youth Empowerment, Technology and Innovation, and Public Sector Reform. Minister of Planning and Economic Development, Dr. Kenyeh Barlay, emphasized that the NDP is designed as both a roadmap for national transformation and a tool for tracking annual progress in alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
“This plan is more than a blueprint it’s a tool for annual tracking, transparency, and long-term sustainability,” said Minister Barlay. She encouraged the IsDB to explore innovative financing models, especially in emerging sectors such as the Blue Economy, digital technology, and decentralized infrastructure.
Technical experts from MoPED presented priority intervention areas for potential support. Dr. Sheka Bangura highlighted the need for reform in natural resource governance, especially within the mining sector, and stressed the importance of aligning chiefdom-level plans with national strategies.
Mr. Alpha Bangura, Director of Public Investment Management, spotlighted the Feed Salone initiative, identifying pressing infrastructure challenges—including irrigation systems, farm-to-market roads, and rural energy access—as critical to achieving food security.
On governance and peace-building, Director Abie Elizabeth Kamara called for the integration of conflict sensitivity into development planning. Meanwhile, Deputy Director of Monitoring and Evaluation, Mr. Daniel Banya Brima, praised ongoing efforts to establish a National M\&E Agency to institutionalize accountability and measure development outcomes.
As the meeting concluded, both parties expressed optimism about the deepening partnership. Minister Barlay thanked the IsDB delegation for their sustained support and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to collaborative, inclusive development.
“This is not just about funding it’s about shared priorities and shared responsibility,” she concluded.