Sierra Leonean ministers and Chinese diplomats met business leaders in Freetown on 13 November at a China-West Africa dialogue on investment and industrialisation, the Chinese embassy said.
The meeting was billed as the first high-level side event of the 2026 West Africa Integration and Investment Summit, and was meant to line up projects for the summit, according to a statement from the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Sierra Leone.
Who attended the China-West Africa dialogue?
The embassy said more than 100 people took part, including Sierra Leonean officials, Chinese and Sierra Leonean companies, the ECOWAS Commission, the Mano River Union and the China-Africa Development Fund. Zhang Dianbin, China’s chargé d’affaires, and Wang Peng, the embassy’s commercial counsellor, attended.
Kandeh Yumkella, Sierra Leone’s special envoy for the summit, spoke alongside the ministers of trade and industry, mines and mineral resources, and fisheries, a deputy agriculture minister and the head of the National Investment Commission, the statement said.
What was discussed at the China-West Africa dialogue?
The Chinese side said it would act in a “market-based and law-based manner” and support Sierra Leone’s efforts to move up industrial value chains, as well as industrialisation across West Africa. African representatives said they wanted more Chinese investment in mining, infrastructure, energy, agriculture and fisheries, and pledged a fair, transparent and stable business climate, according to the embassy. No specific deals or investment figures were announced.
West African governments are pursuing regional integration on several fronts, from a biometric ID card for border crossings to the Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline approved by ECOWAS.
FAQ
When was the China-West Africa dialogue held?
It was held in Freetown, Sierra Leone, on 13 November 2026, according to the Chinese embassy.
Were any investment deals signed?
The embassy’s statement did not announce any specific deals or investment figures.
What is the West Africa Integration and Investment Summit?
It is a 2026 regional summit on integration and investment for which Sierra Leone has named Kandeh Yumkella as special envoy; the Freetown dialogue was its first high-level side event.
