5th March 2023
Qatar National Convention Centre
His Excellency President Dr. Julius Maada Bio has outlined Sierra Leone’s development successes and plans in line with the country’s Medium-Term National Development Plan (2019-2023) during his address at the Plenary Session’s General Debate of the 5th United Nations Conference on Least Developed Countries (LDCs).
President Julius Maada Bio revealed that this year’s LDC theme, “From Potential to Prosperity” resonated with Sierra Leone’s aspirations, stressing his government’s commitment to implementing national strategies consistent with the Doha Programme of Action (DPoA) for the decade 2022- 2031. He welcomed the six focus areas aligned with Sierra Leone’s current Medium-Term National Development Plan (2019-2023), which, he noted, would be mainstreamed into the successor national development plan (2024- 2028).
“We will continue to advance human capital development by investing in people through quality education, healthcare and food security. Our recent Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment law sets legal minimums for the representation and participation of women in the private and public sectors.
“We will continue to prioritise interventions that address vulnerabilities and exclusion among women, girls, youth, the aged and the disabled. We will scale up radical inclusion, financial inclusion, skills development and job creation, and continue to pursue our National Social Protection Policy,” President Dr. Julius Maada Bio disclosed while speaking about Sierra Leone’s successes in achieving his Human Capital Development agenda.
He went on to speak about the country’s 10-year National Innovation and Digital Strategy (2019- 2029), adding that his government would continue to facilitate and support a vibrant national innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystem for the public and private sectors and implement Sierra Leone’s Integrated national financing framework, scale-up financial digitalisation, and strengthen its national systems for more effective resource mobilisation, and efficient use of public finances.
Outlining plans to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the President also assured accelerated efforts to address climate change and environmental degradation, diversify the nation’s economic activities with a renewed focus on boosting food production and agribusiness, tourism, fisheries, and light manufacturing, and further generate significant regional trade volumes by implementing the African Continental Free Trade Area initiative.
Concluding, His Excellency President Julius Maada Bio affirmed his government’s renewed solidarity in advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and intensifying cooperation among LDCs, reiterating Sierra Leone’s commitment to the collective and shared responsibility to uphold the principles of the United Nations.
Cyril Barnes,
Information Attaché,
Sierra Leone Embassy, the State of Kuwait
Email: information.attache@kw.slembassy.gov.sl
