Interview: Sierra Leone-China friendship delivers tangible results, says minister

A Chinese doctor checks on a local patient at the Sierra Leone-China Friendship Hospital in Jui, a town in the suburb of Freetown, Sierra Leone, on Feb. 22, 2024.  (Xinhua/Xu Zheng)

According to Sierra Leonean Minister of Information and Civic Education Chernor Bah, the most potent part of the relationship is human capital exchange, which has benefited both countries and will continue to flourish.

FREETOWN, Feb. 27 (Xinhua) -- The friendship between Sierra Leone and China over the past few decades has delivered tangible results across multiple areas, Sierra Leonean Minister of Information and Civic Education Chernor Bah has said.

In an exclusive interview with Xinhua ahead of Sierra Leonean President Julius Maada Bio's state visit to China, Bah said the friendship between the two countries, one of Sierra Leone's most important relationships, has been solid.

"It manifested itself in many meaningful ways," he emphasized.

According to Bah, the most potent part of the relationship is human capital exchange, which has benefited both countries and will continue to flourish.

The minister thanked China for assisting Sierra Leone's infrastructure needs by constructing roads, bridges and major buildings.

"It is not a theory. We see the building. We see the bridge. We see the National Stadium. We see the investment from China has improved the lives of our people and the things that we see in our country," Bah said.

"This is something that we were grateful for. This is a friendship," he stressed.

The minister extolled the Belt and Road Initiative and other initiatives China has championed, which he said will benefit the Global South and beyond.

Representatives attend a signing ceremony at the Sierra Leone-China Friendship Hospital in Jui, a town in the suburb of Freetown, Sierra Leone, on Feb. 22, 2024. (Xinhua/Shi Yu) 

Describing China as a friend in need, Bah said China had always been among the countries that provided the fastest medical assistance when Sierra Leone was confronted with emergencies, such as Ebola and COVID-19.

"We are very proud of that friendship, and we are proud of the ways we continue to go," he added.

Bah said that under the leadership of President Julius Maada Bio, Sierra Leone has been mainly focused on developing areas such as food security, youth development, technology and infrastructure.

"We want to see our continued and enhanced relationship with China, because those are areas China has seen great progress, and it has huge capacities, which we hope we will benefit from," the minister said.

Bah expressed hope that President Bio's state visit to China would help deepen the friendship and help Sierra Leone secure significant investments in Bio's priority areas.

"We want to transform this country, to industrialize this country, and to transform the infrastructure. We want to make sure that this country has the right technologies, and we see China as a major part that will help us to achieve our dreams," the minister added.