The China-West Africa Investment and Industrialization Dialogue was successfully held in Freetown, capital of Sierra Leone, on November 13. Zhang Dianbin, Chargé d’Affaires ad interim, and Wang Peng, Counselor in charge of commercial and economic cooperation of the Chinese Embassy in Sierra Leone,attended the event. Dr. Kandeh K.Yumkella, Special Envoy of Sierra Leone for the 2026 West Africa Integration and Investment Summit, together with Sierra Leone’s Ministers of Trade and Industry, Mines and Mineral Resources, Fisheries, Deputy Minister of Agriculture, and Executive Director of the National Investment Commission, were present and delivered remarks.
The dialogue brought together over 100 participants, including senior officials from Sierra Leonean government departments, representatives of Chinese and Sierra Leonean enterprises, industry institutions, regional bodies such as the ECOWAS Economic Commission and the Mano River Union, and the China-Africa Development Fund. Participants held in-depth discussions on industrialization and investment to explore cooperation opportunities.
During the meeting, the Chinese side stressed that it will follow the principles of sincerity, real results, amity and good faith, and pursuing the greater good and shared interests. It will act in a market-based and law-based manner, focus on industrial empowerment, and support Sierra Leone’s industrial chain upgrading as well as the industrialization drive of West Africa. African representatives welcomed investment by Chinese enterprises in Sierra Leone and Africa, looking forward to deepening cooperation in mining, infrastructure, energy, agriculture, fisheries and other sectors, and committing to fostering a fair, transparent and stable business environment. Entrepreneurs from China and Sierra Leone shared practical experience and expressed readiness to develop the real economy in West Africa.
As the first high-level side event of the West Africa Integration and Investment Summit, the dialogue aims to build a government-business docking platform, consolidate consensus and pipeline cooperation projects for the summit, and advance regional integration and industrialization in West Africa.
