27th January 2026
President Julius Maada Bio has positioned Sierra Leone as a leading example of AfCFTA implementation, announcing that the country has become the first to complete and gazette its National AfCFTA Readiness Assessment and Schedule of Commitments. Speaking at the Forum Friends of the AfCFTA Breakfast Meeting during the World Economic Forum Davos 2026, he framed the achievement as the outcome of sustained national leadership shaped by post-conflict recovery and responses to successive global shocks.
The President emphasized that Sierra Leone’s approach to AfCFTA extends beyond procedural compliance, presenting the readiness process as a data-driven framework for identifying economic strengths, structural bottlenecks, and investment priorities. He highlighted digital trade reforms as a central pillar, noting efforts to replace paper-based systems with digital customs platforms to reduce transaction costs and align trade regulations across African Union member states.
On industrial development, President Bio outlined the government’s focus on value addition, particularly in agribusiness and light manufacturing, supported by Special Economic Zones, industrial parks, and targeted skills development initiatives. He also underscored the importance of private sector participation, describing the Readiness Assessment as a tool to improve transparency, reduce investor uncertainty, and guide policy reform through structured public–private engagement.
In conclusion, President Bio presented Sierra Leone’s AfCFTA strategy as an example of translating continental trade ambitions into concrete national action, positioning the country as actively progressing from policy formulation toward implementation.