By: Precious Miracle Kargbo Snr
President Julius Maada Bio has engaged leading African finance institutions as Sierra Leone intensifies preparations to host the West African Integration and Investment Summit (WAIIS), with a focus on mobilizing private capital and accelerating regional economic integration.
President Bio held a virtual strategy session with the Chief Executives of the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) and the Africa Finance Corporation (AFC), as well as the Acting Vice President of the African Development Bank Group.
According to a statement from the Presidency, the engagement focused on positioning WAIIS as a leading platform for mobilizing private investment and advancing economic integration across West Africa.
“WAIIS aims to be the leading platform for mobilizing private capital and boosting economic integration in West Africa,” President Bio said, stressing that long-term private sector financing is critical to achieving the region’s infrastructure, energy and industrialization ambitions.
The President also expressed appreciation to prominent African business leaders for their continued support for the summit, specifically acknowledging businessman Tony Elumelu and Alhaji Aliko Dangote for backing efforts to establish WAIIS as a credible marketplace connecting investors with governments.
The engagement comes at a time when West Africa continues to face significant financing gaps for cross-border infrastructure and development projects. WAIIS is being positioned as a deal-focused summit aimed at moving beyond dialogue to securing investments that can create jobs, expand regional trade and strengthen value chains.
The summit is expected to bring together governments, financial institutions, investors and private-sector leaders to explore investment opportunities in priority sectors, including agriculture, manufacturing, the digital economy, infrastructure and renewable energy.
Afreximbank, AFC and the African Development Bank have continued to support regional integration initiatives across Africa, particularly in infrastructure development, trade facilitation and industrialization.
With preparations ongoing, the Sierra Leone Government says WAIIS will provide an important platform for West Africa to attract capital at scale, strengthen regional cooperation and deepen economic integration through trade and investment.