The Government of the Republic of Guinea has sent a high-powered delegation to Freetown in appreciation of Sierra Leone’s prompt intervention when an explosion in Conakry recently took lives in addition to property worth millions of dollars.
Led by their Prime Minister, Dr. Bernard Goumou, the Guinean delegation comprised their Foreign Minister, Minister of Energy and Petroleum, and other key stakeholders from the Government of Guinea who visited Sierra Leone from the 4th to the 5th of January 2024.
The delegation met with His Excellency Dr. Julius Maada Bio and top Sierra Leone government officials and conveyed messages of appreciation to the Government of Sierra Leone for supporting Guinea in time of need.
A special ceremony was held in the auditorium of the Foreign Service Academy where the Prime minister lavished praises on Sierra Leone’s Vice President Dr Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh who led an emergency medical team to Guinea at the time.
The VP together with the medical team and leaders of the Sierra Leone Petroleum Regulatory Agency were adorned with decorations of honor by the Guinean envoy on Friday.
Earlier in the day, the delegation held bilateral trade and investment talks at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. Sierra Leone’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Musa Timothy Kabba, said that part of the provisions of the new trade agreement will ensure that Guinea gains access to Sierra Leone’s port facilities for the importation of their petroleum products for onward trucking to Guinea since their petroleum depot was gutted by fire during the explosion, and it will take time to reconstruct.
Minister Kabba said that the bilateral agreement will also ensure collaboration between Guinea and Sierra Leone in the area of security and education.
Dr. Bernard Goumou, Guinea’s Prime Minister said that the fire incident seriously affected the running of their country. However, the timely intervention from the Government of Sierra Leone has helped to address their petroleum challenges.
Dr. Goumou on behalf of the leader of Guinea Col. Mamady Doumbouya, thanked Dr. Julius Maada Bio and the people of Sierra Leone for coming to their aid in time of need.
In his keynote address, Sierra Leone’s Vice President Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh thanked the government of Guinea for honoring Sierra Leoneans for their timely support during the crisis.
Emphasizing the need for peace and stability, Dr. Jalloh said Guinea and Sierra Leone are two countries with one people with the same culture and tradition.
The Vice President, Dr. Juldeh Jalloh said that both countries have been enjoying bilateral relations for ages and that for Sierra Leone to stand in solidarity with the people of Guinea was the best thing the country did
