By: Mohamed J. Bangura
Sierra Leone has intensified its call for African countries to transform the continent’s vast natural resource wealth into jobs, industries and greater economic opportunities for its people.
The call was made at Africa Oil Week 2026 in Accra, Ghana, where Minister of Employment, Labour and Social Security-designate, Hon. Umaru Napoleon Koroma, is representing Sierra Leone alongside the Director of Policy and Research at the Ministry of Mines and Mineral Resources, Dr. John D. Cooper.
The Sierra Leonean delegation is engaging policymakers, investors and industry leaders under the theme, “Investing in Africa’s Natural Resources.” Discussions are focusing on Africa’s role in the global energy transition and how countries on the continent can secure greater benefits from their natural resources.
At the centre of Sierra Leone’s intervention is a jobs-first approach to mineral development, with the country urging African nations to move beyond the export of raw minerals and prioritize beneficiation, value addition and value multiplication before resources leave the continent.
Speaking during panel discussions and roundtable engagements, Minister-designate Koroma stressed that Africa’s enormous natural resource wealth must translate into tangible benefits for its citizens.
He said it was unacceptable for Africa to remain one of the world’s richest continents in natural resources while its people continue to face unemployment, poverty, inadequate infrastructure and limited economic opportunities.
According to Koroma, one way to address these challenges is to ensure that minerals are processed closer to where they are extracted. He said this would create opportunities for local businesses, workers and communities while strengthening national economies.
He further noted that the growing global demand for critical minerals presents Africa with a major opportunity to develop industries, create decent jobs and build the skills needed to participate meaningfully in emerging global value chains.
The Minister-designate also called for stronger cooperation among African countries, including the harmonization of policies and the development of regional value chains to support the extraction, processing and beneficiation of natural resources within Africa.
He said regional cooperation could enable African countries to combine their resources, markets, skills and infrastructure to establish competitive industries capable of generating greater value from the continent’s natural wealth.
Koroma also used the international platform to assure investors that Sierra Leone remains committed to political stability, democratic governance and the protection of legitimate investments.
He pointed to Sierra Leone’s record of five democratic transitions of power as evidence of the country’s democratic credentials, while reaffirming the government’s commitment to honouring agreements and creating an enabling environment for businesses to operate and grow.
Sierra Leone’s participation in Africa Oil Week comes at a time when global demand for critical minerals continues to rise, particularly because of their importance to renewable energy technologies, electric vehicles, batteries and other industries linked to the global energy transition.
Against this backdrop, Sierra Leone is positioning value addition not only as an economic strategy but also as an employment strategy aimed at creating opportunities for young people and developing a skilled workforce.
The message from Sierra Leone is clear: Africa must move away from exporting raw materials and importing finished products. Instead, the continent must build the capacity to process its resources, manufacture products, develop local expertise and create quality employment.
Through its participation in Africa Oil Week 2026, Sierra Leone is reinforcing its call for a resource sector that delivers greater value to citizens, with jobs, industrial development and local economic opportunities placed at the centre of Africa’s natural resource agenda.