By Makiza Micheline Latifa | April 21, 2026
Ghana and Sierra Leone have opened the first full session of their Permanent Joint Commission for Cooperation in Accra. The session marks the first full activation of a framework that has existed on paper for over a decade, as both nations commit to transforming goodwill into concrete economic and developmental outcomes.
The opening ceremony, held on Tuesday at Ghana’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, brought together senior officials from both countries to chart a structured agenda for cooperation across critical sectors, acting on the instructions of both heads of state, whose engagements over the past year laid the political groundwork.
A Relationship Built on Shared Aspirations
Ghana and Sierra Leone have maintained strong bilateral relations over the years, marked by mutual support during crises and collaboration in development. That solidarity has deep roots, most notably in Ghana’s contribution to Sierra Leone’s stability during its civil war, when Ghanaian forces served under ECOMOG to help restore peace to the country.
The PJCC itself traces its origins to President Mahama’s working visit to Freetown in March last year, during which both leaders agreed to establish the commission as a vehicle to deepen cooperation across bilateral, regional and international matters. The Technical Meeting is a direct follow-through on that presidential commitment, reactivating a framework that had remained dormant for over a decade and bringing it fully into operation.
Activating a Framework Long in the Making
Ghana’s Chief Director of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Khadijah Iddrisu, told delegates that the meetings marked the point at which the commitments of both heads of state would finally be put to work. Rather than a fresh start, Ambassador Iddrisu described the meetings as a continuation, with defence and civil aviation cooperation already in place as the foundation for what both sides hope will become a far more comprehensive partnership.
Ambassador Iddrisu called for the finalisation of draft memoranda of understanding to ensure the technical sessions deliver actionable outcomes rather than aspirational declarations, underscoring the need for detailed, result-oriented discussions spanning energy, health, defence and political consultations.
She also highlighted concrete financial investments already underway, specifically citing a twenty-five million dollar facility provided to Maya Mining by Ecobank Ghana in partnership with Ecobank Sierra Leone through the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund, a signal that economic cooperation between the two nations is already moving beyond words.
Sierra Leone’s Vision for a Productive Partnership
Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Republic of Sierra Leone and Co-Chairperson of the Senior Officials Meeting, Alan C.E. Logan, echoed that resolve, grounding his remarks in the shared vision articulated by both countries’ heads of state. He expressed gratitude for Ghana’s enduring role in Sierra Leone’s stability, specifically acknowledging the contributions of the Ghanaian military during the civil war under ECOMOG, describing the current meetings as the direct fulfilment of a shared vision to transform those historical bonds into tangible benefits for the sub-region.
According to him, the critical sectors where cooperation must deepen include sustainable power solutions in energy, agricultural value chains, defence and security collaboration.
He also identified Ghana’s cocoa sector as a benchmark, expressing Sierra Leone’s intent to tap into that experience to bolster its own.
Beyond bilateral cooperation, he stressed the need for a dedicated diplomatic mechanism to ensure both countries speak with a coordinated voice on issues of mutual concern.
What Comes Next
The three-day technical session is designed to finalise all draft agreements for formal signing at the Ministerial-level sessions scheduled for Thursday, 23 April. Both sides have made their expectations clear, agreements reached in these sessions must deliver real, tangible benefits for the people of Ghana and Sierra Leone.
For Ghana, the meetings represent another milestone in the Mahama administration’s broader push to deepen intra-African diplomatic and economic ties. For Sierra Leone, the formalisation of cooperation with one of West Africa’s most prominent nations offers a strategic platform to advance its development agenda and strengthen its regional partnerships.