The World Bank’s Vice President for Western and Central Africa, Ousmane Diagana, has reaffirmed the institution’s commitment to deepening its development partnership with Sierra Leone during a high-level engagement with Finance Minister Karefa A. F. Kargbo in Freetown.
Diagana, who was accompanied by the World Bank’s newly appointed Country Manager for Sierra Leone, Issatou Jalloh, paid a courtesy call on Minister Kargbo as part of his visit to the country. Discussions focused on strengthening development cooperation and improving the impact of World Bank-supported programmes.
Welcoming the delegation, Minister Kargbo described the visit as significant, highlighting the World Bank’s extensive portfolio and its contribution to Sierra Leone’s national development priorities.
Diagana congratulated Kargbo on his appointment as Finance Minister and expressed his appreciation for the opportunity to return to Sierra Leone. He stressed the importance of ensuring that the Bank’s financial support translates into measurable development results, with outcomes assessed alongside the resources disbursed.
The discussions covered several of Government’s priorities, including fiscal discipline, domestic revenue mobilisation and effective cash-flow management. Both sides also considered the World Bank’s support for social cohesion and improved access to public services across Ministries, Departments and Agencies.
A major focus of the engagement was the Country Partnership Framework (CPF), which will provide the strategic direction for the World Bank’s future investments and engagement in Sierra Leone. Minister Kargbo assured the delegation that Government is committed to meeting the required deadlines and strengthening coordination, particularly as the country has access to a financing envelope of approximately US$600 million.
He called for frank discussions, clear benchmarks and stronger collaboration to ensure that Sierra Leone remains positioned to benefit from future World Bank financing.
Minister Kargbo also highlighted the Development Policy Operation (DPO), which provides budget support tied to agreed policy and institutional reforms. He emphasised the need for Government to meet the required conditions and said outstanding processes are expected to be completed by the end of October.
The engagement was followed by a high-level meeting involving selected Cabinet Ministers, who outlined achievements, priorities and challenges across their respective sectors. Ministers responsible for health, technical and higher education, basic and senior secondary education, gender and children’s affairs, fisheries, transport and aviation, environment and climate change, energy, communication, technology and innovation, and lands presented the impact of World Bank interventions and areas where additional support is needed.
The World Bank delegation responded positively to the presentations, with the discussions providing an opportunity to assess implementation progress, examine challenges and identify ways of improving the effectiveness of ongoing interventions.
Financial Secretary Matthew Dingie explained that the Ministry of Finance plays a central role in negotiating financial agreements, after which approved resources are channelled to the relevant ministries for implementation. He described Sierra Leone as benefiting from the World Bank’s continued attention and support and expressed hope for increased financing.
In his closing remarks, Minister Kargbo described the World Bank as a trusted development partner that understands Sierra Leone’s development challenges and aspirations. He stressed, however, that Government must also fulfil its commitments, meet agreed conditions and demonstrate tangible results.
The engagement reinforced the shared commitment between Sierra Leone and the World Bank to stronger accountability, improved implementation and greater development impact from World Bank-supported investments.
The visit concluded with Deputy Minister of Finance II, Isata Marah, presenting souvenirs to the World Bank delegation as a gesture of appreciation for Diagana’s visit and the institution’s continued support to Sierra Leone.
