Chief Minister Speaks at ILO Opportunity Salone Forum
Radisson Blu, Lumley Beach, Freetown | 3 December 2025. Chief Minister Dr. David Moinina Sengeh has delivered a compelling keynote address at the three-day ILO Opportunity Salone Knowledge-Sharing Event, reaffirming the Government of Sierra Leone’s commitment to inclusive development, youth empowerment, and economic transformation.
The event convened government ministries and agencies, development partners, regional institutions including ECOWAS, FEWACCI, and the MRU, alongside private-sector actors, SMEs, academia, youth- and women-led enterprises, and the media. Participants showcased project achievements, exchanged knowledge, and promoted innovation under the Opportunity Salone Project. Funded through the EU Jobs and Growth Programme, the project addresses unemployment, underemployment, and weak market systems by strengthening value chains, building SME capacity, improving financial inclusion, and rehabilitating feeder roads nationwide.
EU Head of Development Cooperation, Stephane Meert, highlighted the project’s far-reaching potential, noting:
“Today we are gathered here to celebrate the Opportunity Salone Project. These initiatives strengthen the economy, foster entrepreneurship, improve development infrastructure, and create opportunities for youth, women, and persons with disabilities.”
Regional Director of the ILO Country Office for Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, Dr. Vanessa Phala-Moyo, added:
“I hope that over these three days we will share knowledge and exchange experiences. The ILO offers numerous opportunities that align closely with Sierra Leone’s National Development Plan.”
In his keynote address, Chief Minister Dr. Sengeh underscored the transformational nature of the programme and its impact across communities:
“Ministers, our regional director, development partners, representatives across the country, and programme beneficiaries we are really here to learn and to lead. It is a privilege to join you at this three-day knowledge-sharing event and exhibition under the Opportunity Salone Programme. The point of development is that we should learn from each other. Our goal here is to see what we can do better, how we can improve, and what more needs to be done.
All government entities present must recognize that this is already a successful programme because the leaders are here. I thank all of you for working together to support the people of Sierra Leone. This programme is not just technical; it is transformational. Each story of impact matters these stories help people understand. The impact on farmers, roads, companies, and institutions reminds us that we must invest in our people, our enterprises, and our communities.
When H.E. President Julius Maada Bio created the Big Five Game Changer, he made a bold statement: we must invest in people. That is central to the National Development Plan. Let me read the title of the Plan: Transformative Acceleration Agenda for Food Security, Human Capital Development, and Job Creation. This programme is not just a ‘nice-to-have’; it is the result of nationwide consultations with political leaders, civil society, media, and citizens across districts and rural areas. There is a single vision: Sierra Leone becoming a green and inclusive middle-income country by 2039. When I say we will deliver, this is what I mean.”
The Opportunity Salone Knowledge-Sharing Event (KSE 25) builds on previous interventions and serves as a platform to:
Showcase project results and lessons learned
Promote knowledge exchange and innovation
Strengthen partnerships across value chains
Highlight youth, women, and persons with disabilities as drivers of inclusive growth
The event directly contributes to the Big Five Game Changer priorities, especially in job creation, youth empowerment, and human capital development. By aligning ILO interventions with the National Development Plan, the programme ensures that Sierra Leone’s development pathway remains inclusive, sustainable, and firmly rooted in the government’s vision of becoming a green and inclusive middle-income country by 2039.
CHIEF MINISTER’S
MEDIA & COMMUNICATIONS UNIT
OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT
