AYV News, December 18, 2025
Dr Zarau Kibwe, the World Bank’s Executive Director for twenty-two African countries, including Sierra Leone, visited Sierra Leone for two days, from Thursday, 11th December, to Friday, 12th December 2025.
During this visit, Dr Kibwe paid a courtesy call on the Hon. Minister of Finance, met with the Governor and Senior Management of Bank of Sierra Leone, the Commissioner General of the N.R.A, and the private sector, made a courtesy call on H.E President Julius Maada Bio, and concluded with a dinner at Led Hotel on Aberdeen Beach Road, Freetown.
During the dinner, the Minister of Finance, Sheku Fantamadi Bangura, who also serves as the Governor of the World Bank, thanked the Executive Director for visiting Sierra Leone. He explained that, because the trip was short, Dr Kibwe could not visit the provinces to see the bridges, agricultural produce, and the impact these have created in citizens’ lives.
He noted that the work the Bank is doing is visible, and the bridges are transformational, serving to unlock opportunities for agricultural produce to be transported to larger towns and cities, thereby improving trade, opening up the economy, and enhancing livelihoods for the Citizenry.
Mr Bangura added that the government is pleased with the size of the portfolio so far, which is about a billion dollars, almost the size of the annual budget, for three to four years.
He assured that the government would remain committed to supervising the implementation of these projects and improving the capacities of personnel handling them for the betterment of the Country.
“The government has been doing its own part in taking difficult reforms such as land reform issues, gender issues, mining sector issues, etc.,” he added.
The Executive Director thanked the Bank Governor for accepting his request to visit Sierra Leone, noting that the objective of this visit is to strengthen the partnership with the Bank and to assess the impact of the Bank in fostering development in the Country.
He also disclosed that the Director General’s (DG’s) of the Bank would be visiting Sierra Leone March next year, and commended the efforts of the government of Sierra Leone and His Excellency Retired Julius Maada Bio for his resilience in attending the Bank’s meetings in Washington DC which distinct Sierra Leone with other countries that gives the leeway for the Director General’s to visit the Country next year after so many years they stayed.
Dr Zarau commended the government of Sierra Leone’s commitments to reforms, project implementations, and discussions during meetings with the Bank of Sierra Leone, the National Revenue Authority, the Private Sector, the Ministry of Finance, etc.
The Bank Governor and the Minister of Agriculture joined the Minister of Finance in commending the Bank and the Executive Director for the good work the Bank is doing for the people of Sierra Leone.
