Sierra Leone’s Minister of Technical and Higher Education, Dr. Haja Ramatulai Wurie, has addressed the 10th edition of the Knowledge Summit in Dubai, where she underscored the importance of research, data and technology in driving national development, strengthening policymaking, and creating sustainable opportunities.
The Knowledge Summit is a global platform dedicated to knowledge production in support of sustainable development. The 2025 edition is being held under the theme: “Knowledge Markets: Developing Sustainable Communities,” emphasizing the role of knowledge exchange as an economic and social force capable of driving growth, bridging inequalities and empowering communities.
Addressing the Summit, Minister Wurie described knowledge as a powerful tool that enables nations to transition from vulnerability to sustainability and from dependency to global competitiveness. She noted, however, that developing countries continue to face significant challenges, particularly inadequate funding for research and data-driven initiatives.
She called for greater investment in research, innovation, industrialization and sustainable practices, stressing the need for “the right partnerships” to achieve meaningful progress.
The Minister outlined three key priorities for developing countries: strengthening the ecosystem for both research and innovation; leveraging emerging technologies to generate reliable data; and improving systems that support efficiency, accountability and transparency in data production to guide national priorities and policymaking.
Minister Wurie further emphasized the importance of collaboration among institutions, noting that there should be no disconnect between those generating evidence and those using it. She highlighted the need for higher education institutions to work more closely with ministries, departments and agencies to undertake research that addresses contemporary national challenges.
As part of Sierra Leone’s equity agenda, she disclosed that government is advancing policies and programmes that promote gender inclusivity particularly encouraging women to pursue fields historically dominated by men, including science, technology, engineering, agriculture and mathematics. She added that a new grants-in-aid policy is being developed to remove financial barriers for young women seeking training in these fields, enabling them to compete for leadership roles in the future.
Minister Wurie was accompanied to the Summit by Sierra Leone’s Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, Rashid Sesay.
