Qatar’s Minister Of Labor Pays Courtesy Visit To Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio, Reaffirms Bilateral Cooperation

 

The Minister of Labor of the State of Qatar, Dr. Ali Bin Sammikh Marri, paid a courtesy call on His Excellency President Dr. Julius Maada Bio at State House in Freetown, reaffirming his country’s commitment to deepening bilateral cooperation with Sierra Leone, particularly in the areas of labor and employment.

Introducing the visiting delegation, Sierra Leone’s Minister of Labor and Employment, Mr. Mohamed Rahman Swaray, informed the President that the Qatari Minister was on an official visit to explore ways to expand collaboration between the two nations’ labor sectors.

“Your Excellency, I am pleased to introduce my counterpart, the Minister of Labor from Qatar, who is here to engage with us on strategic collaboration and deepen the ties between our two ministries,” Minister Swaray stated.

In his remarks, Dr. Ali Bin Sammikh Marri thanked President Bio for the warm welcome and hospitality extended to him and his delegation. He recounted his early academic exposure to Sierra Leone more than 30 years ago, noting with delight that he had finally visited the country he once studied.

“It is a pleasure to be in Sierra Leone,” he said. “Over 30 years ago, as a student, I was asked to write about Sierra Leone. Today, I am here in person, as Qatar’s Minister of Labor, to explore collaboration, especially in labor market policies. With Your Excellency now serving as Chairman of ECOWAS, we see an opportunity to align with your leadership in regional labor development and cooperation.”

Minister Marri also conveyed a message of congratulations on behalf of the Emir of Qatar, His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, to President Bio on his recent election as Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government.

“I bring you fraternal greetings and congratulations from your brother, the Emir of Qatar, on your recent appointment. We appreciate your hospitality and look forward to strengthening our bilateral ties,” he concluded.

In his response, President Bio warmly welcomed the Qatari Labor Minister and expressed appreciation for the visit and message from the Emir of Qatar. He noted that it was particularly meaningful that Dr. Marri, after writing about Sierra Leone three decades ago, was now visiting the country as a high-level representative of Qatar.

“Thank you very much for visiting. On behalf of the Government and people of Sierra Leone, we welcome you,” President Bio said. “We have had a growing relationship with Qatar and look forward to expanding cooperation, especially in agriculture, education, and the digital economy, areas where we are investing heavily and seeing meaningful progress.”

President Bio also welcomed the opportunity to explore broader labor collaboration across the ECOWAS region during his tenure as Chairman and emphasized the importance of leveraging international partnerships to advance a common African interest.

“It is an exciting moment to lead ECOWAS, and I see it as an opportunity to further engage the international community on shared priorities for West Africa,” he concluded.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of State House Sierra Leone.