President Julius Maada Bio received a high-level delegation from First Bank Group at State House in Freetown for discussions focused on mobilizing large-scale financing for Sierra Leone\u2019s infrastructure and industrial development priorities on Monday, 1st June 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The delegation was led by the Group\u2019s Chief Executive Officer of First Bank, Mr. Olusegun Alebiosu, and included senior engineering executives and international directors of the bank. They were received alongside Sierra Leone\u2019s First Bank Country CEO, Board Chair and the Minister of Finance, Hon. Sheku Ahmed Fantamadi Bangura.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The delegation was led by the Group Chief Executive Officer of First Bank, Mr. Olusegun Alebiosu, and included senior engineering executives and international directors of the bank. They were received alongside Sierra Leone\u2019s First Bank Country CEO, Board Chair and the Minister of Finance, Hon. Sheku Ahmed Fantamadi Bangura.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Speaking during the engagement, Finance Minister Fantamadi Bangura emphasised the Government of Sierra Leone\u2019s commitment to moving beyond traditional aid models by embracing blended financing approaches that combine public resources, private capital, and concessional funding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOur priority is to ensure that technical engagements move swiftly toward concrete financing structures and implementable agreements that can unlock critical infrastructure investments,\u201d<\/em> the Minister stated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n First Bank Group CEO Olusegun Alebiosu highlighted the bank\u2019s long-standing experience in infrastructure financing across Africa, stressing that strategic investment in roads, electricity, water systems, and industrial facilities is essential for stimulating economic growth and expanding national productivity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He assured the Government of Sierra Leone that the bank\u2019s engagement would be guided by transparency, strong local coordination, and sound financial governance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Furthermore, President Julius Maada Bio welcomed the discussions and linked the proposed financing frameworks directly to his government\u2019s \u201cBig Five\u201d <\/em>development priorities: agriculture, fisheries, mining, tourism, and manufacturing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n President Bio underscored that inadequate infrastructure remains one of the greatest constraints to economic growth and private sector expansion in Sierra Leone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He therefore directed that concrete project pipelines and financing structures be developed without delay and assured the delegation of Government\u2019s full cooperation in creating an enabling environment for successful implementation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" President Julius Maada Bio received a high-level delegation from First Bank Group at State House in Freetown for discussions focused on mobilizing large-scale financing for Sierra Leone\u2019s infrastructure and industrial development priorities on Monday, 1st June 2026. The delegation was led by the Group\u2019s Chief Executive Officer of First Bank, Mr. Olusegun Alebiosu, and included […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":413,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-412","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"aioseo_notices":[],"yoast_head":"\n