Hon. Mohamed Sheridan, Member of Parliament representing the All People’s Congress (APC), has called on the Chinese Government to invest in Sierra Leone’s local processing industries to promote value addition, create employment opportunities and maximize economic benefits from the country’s natural resources.
He made the appeal while addressing the Africa–China Parliamentary Conference, held in Beijing, China, from November 6 to 12, 2026, where he presented key recommendations on behalf of the Sierra Leonean parliamentary delegation.
The conference, held under the theme “Deepening Exchanges and Mutual Learning between Legislatures to Advance the Ten Partnership Actions for China–Africa Cooperation,” aims to strengthen diplomatic relations, promote parliamentary cooperation and deepen economic partnerships between China and African countries.
In his address, Hon. Sheridan welcomed China’s Ten Partnership Actions, noting that they aligned with Sierra Leone’s national development priorities, particularly the Government’s Five Game Changers: agriculture, human capital development, infrastructure development, technology and public sector transformation.
He acknowledged the Government of Sierra Leone’s efforts in pursuing its development agenda but emphasised the need for stronger international partnerships, particularly with China, which has maintained diplomatic and development relations with Sierra Leone for more than five decades.
A major highlight of his contribution was his call for Chinese investment in local processing facilities, particularly in the mining and agricultural sectors.
While recognizing the contributions of Chinese mining companies operating in Sierra Leone, including their corporate social responsibility initiatives, he urged the Chinese Government to support the establishment of industries that would enable the country to process its raw materials locally before export.
He specifically identified iron ore, bauxite and agricultural products as resources with significant potential for value addition and industrial development.
According to Hon. Sheridan, processing these resources locally would create employment opportunities, strengthen the country’s industrial base, increase government revenue and ensure that Sierra Leone derives greater economic benefits from its natural resources.
Beyond industrial development, the APC lawmaker called for Chinese investment in a regional railway network linking Sierra Leone with neighbouring Mano River Union countries, including Liberia, Guinea and Côte d’Ivoire.
He explained that such a railway network would improve transportation, facilitate cross-border trade, strengthen regional integration and promote economic cooperation. He also cited China’s railway development experience in East Africa as an example of the potential benefits of such investments.
Hon. Sheridan also expressed appreciation to the Chinese Government for its support towards the construction of Parliament’s administrative building in Sierra Leone.
However, he highlighted the persistent shortage of office accommodation for Members of Parliament, explaining that the existing facility mainly serves parliamentary leaders and committee chairpersons, leaving more than 100 MPs without adequate office space to conduct research and effectively discharge their legislative responsibilities.
On behalf of the Speaker and the leadership of Parliament, he appealed to the Chinese Government to consider supporting the construction of an additional parliamentary building to provide adequate working facilities for parliamentarians.
On education and technological development, Hon. Sheridan stressed the importance of technology transfer, digital infrastructure and technical training in strengthening Sierra Leone’s parliamentary institutions.
He called for technical assistance, technological support and the provision of start-up equipment to accelerate the digitalization of Parliament, enabling MPs and citizens to access global information, improve research capabilities and participate more effectively in the digital world.
He maintained that technology transfer would be critical to building institutional capacity and ensuring that Sierra Leone benefits meaningfully from its partnership with China.
His intervention underscored the importance of moving beyond traditional diplomatic relations towards practical partnerships capable of delivering tangible economic and institutional benefits to Sierra Leone.
The Sierra Leonean delegation to the conference is headed by Hon. Mohamed Festus Lansana, with Hon. Mohamed Sheridan representing the All People’s Congress (APC), alongside Alusine Maxwell, Senior Protocol Officer in the Office of the Speaker of Parliament.
Hon. Sheridan’s contribution highlighted the need for mutually beneficial Africa–China cooperation, with particular emphasis on industrialization, local value addition, infrastructure development, regional connectivity, parliamentary capacity building and technology transfer.