UNITED FOR PRINCIPAL

As Sierra Leone prepares to host the largest investment conference in its history, His Excellency President Julius Maada Bio led a high level engagement with major players in the mining sector early this week.

The President has formally asked key mining companies and industry leaders to participate in the West Africa Integration and Investment Summit and contribute to its planning and successful delivery.

Working alongside the President, Hon. Alhaji Dr. Kandeh K. Yumkella is leading the coordination and organisation of this major regional event.

Happy birthday to the principal, Dr. Kandeh K. Yumkella the next President of Sierra Leone Insha Allah

The Next President of Sierra Leone 😎

RIP “Uncle Minks”

It is with profound sadness that I learned of the passing of Hon. Alhaji Minkailu Mansaray, National Chairman of the All People’s Congress (APC).

Chairman Mansaray dedicated many years to public service and democratic politics in Sierra Leone. His commitment to his party and his contribution to the nation’s democratic development will be remembered.

At this difficult moment, we are reminded that national service transcends political differences. Sierra Leone has lost a seasoned political figure whose legacy will endure.

On behalf of my family and myself, I extend our heartfelt condolences to his immediate family, my nephew Aliu and niece K**a Malador, and the leadership of the APC.

May Almighty Allah forgive "Uncle Minks," grant him Al-Jannah Firdaus, and provide his loved ones with the strength, patience, and comfort to bear this great loss.

Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un.

WEST AFFICA INTEGRATION AND INVESTMENT SUMMIT -WAIIS 2026

TWICE-WEEKLY UPDATE ON WHAT THE SUMMIT IS ABOUT AND WHY IT IS IMPORTANT

JUNE 15 2026

Credit: PI-CREF

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📢 PUBLIC LECTURE & COMMISSIONING OF A UNIVERSITY-WIDE SOLAR SYSTEM

The Ernest Bai Koroma University of Science and Technology (EBKUST) is organizing a special public lecture and the commissioning of the university’s solar energy system.

🎤 GUEST SPEAKER:

Hon. Dr. Kandeh K. Yumkella
Chairman, PI-CREF & Special Envoy for the ECOWAS Investment Summit

📝 TOPIC:

Green Energy for Smart Campuses: A Pathway to Energy Security and Sustainability

📅 Date: Monday, 29th June 2026
⏰ Time: 1:00 PM
📍 Venue: Ernest Bai Koroma University Campus, Magburaka

Join the conversation on how renewable energy can transform educational institutions and contribute to a more sustainable future for Sierra Leone.

PI-CREF AND FREETOWN CITY COUNCIL UNITE TO ADVANCE SIERRA LEONE’S FIRST MUNICIPAL CARBON CREDIT PROGRAMME

Freetown, Ministry of Defense, 11 June 2026 - Mayor Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr and her team met with the Chairman of the Presidential Initiative on Climate Change, Renewable Energy and Food Security (PI-CREF), Dr. Kandeh K. Yumkella, to provide an update on key climate programmes, highlight achievements, and discuss challenges affecting efforts to scale up implementation. The engagement followed recent discussions between the Mayor and His Excellency President Julius Maada Bio on advancing climate action and sustainable urban development in Sierra Leone.

During the meeting, Mayor Aki-Sawyerr briefed Dr. Yumkella on the progress of the initiative, which has already planted approximately 1.2 million trees, created more than 3,000 green jobs, and mobilized strong community participation across Freetown and its surrounding catchment areas.

The Mayor noted that the initiative aims to expand to more than 4 million trees by 2028, with the potential to remove over 300,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent while generating thousands of additional green jobs. Once registered under the Verra Carbon Registry, the project is expected to become Sierra Leone’s first municipal carbon credit programme and the world’s first municipality led carbon credit initiative.

Dr. Yumkella welcomed the progress made and described the programme as closely aligned with Sierra Leone’s climate and development priorities. He highlighted its potential to attract climate finance, support environmental restoration, and improve livelihoods, while reaffirming PI-CREF’s commitment to engaging relevant institutions to help address outstanding challenges and support the project’s accreditation process ahead of the September 2026 deadline.

The discussions also covered opportunities for collaboration on clean cooking, sustainable biomass, carbon markets, and the proposed National Climate Dashboard and Carbon Tracking Platform. Both sides expressed a shared commitment to strengthening climate action, accelerating implementation, and positioning Sierra Leone as a leader in carbon finance and climate resilience.

Photo credit: PI-CREF

Dr. Yumkella Joined H. E. President Bio to Commission Major Solar Power Projects Under RESPITE

Wednesday, Freetown, Newton, 10 June 2026 — Hon. Dr. Kandeh K. Yumkella, Chairman of the Presidential Initiative on Climate Change, Renewable Energy and Food Security (PI-CREF), today joined His Excellency President Julius Maada Bio for the commissioning of two landmark renewable energy projects under the Regional Emergency Solar Power Intervention (RESPITE) Project.

The President officially commissioned the 30 Megawatt Newton Solar Power Plant, complemented by a 15 Megawatt Hour Battery Energy Storage System, as well as the 10 Megawatt Lungi Solar Power Plant. The projects represent a major step forward in Sierra Leone’s efforts to expand access to reliable and sustainable electricity.

Speaking at the ceremony, President Bio described the RESPITE Project as a clear demonstration of the Government’s commitment to building a resilient energy sector capable of meeting the needs of current and future generations.

Dr. Yumkella has long championed increased investment in renewable energy, recognising its critical role in driving economic growth, strengthening energy security, and advancing Sierra Leone’s transition to a clean and sustainable energy future.

Chairman Yumkella Declares Clean Cooking a Presidential Priority as Sierra Leone Shifts from Strategy to Action

Sierra Palms Resort, Aberdeen, Freetown, Tuesday, 9 June 2026 | Dr. Kandeh Kolleh Yumkella, Chairman of the Presidential Initiative on Climate Change, Renewable Energy and Food Security (PI-CREF), has reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to clean cooking as a national priority while speaking at the National Clean Cooking Strategy Policy Familiarisation Workshop organised by the Ministry of Energy.

Addressing participants, Dr. Yumkella highlighted that His Excellency President Julius Maada Bio regards clean cooking as a top policy priority, underscoring its central role in the country’s national energy strategy and its prominent place within Sierra Leone’s Mission 300 Compact Framework.

Dr. Yumkella also remarked on the establishment of the Clean Cooking Delivery Unit, hosted within PI-CREF and operating in close collaboration with the Ministry of Energy. He stressed that the unit was created in direct response to a well documented challenge across Africa: strategies often fail not because of a lack of ambition, but due to weak implementation and poor inter agency coordination.

“Now fully operational and positioned within the Office of the President, the unit is designed to bridge that gap,” Chairman Yumkella stated.

He praised Madam Aminata Wurie, Head of the Clean Cooking Delivery Unit at PI-CREF, for her leadership in advancing the clean cooking agenda both nationally and regionally. He also commended the ECOWAS Commission for its recent collaboration with Sierra Leone and the Ministry of Energy in launching a major LPG initiative, co hosted by the Office of the First Lady.

Dr. Yumkella was candid about the scale of investment still required, noting that addressing clean cooking challenges will demand hundreds of millions, and potentially billions, of dollars to ensure that affordable cylinders, gas supplies, distribution systems, and clean cookstoves reach women and households across the country.

He called on international partners and the private sector, including the International Energy Agency, to support Sierra Leone in mobilising the substantial financial resources needed to move from strategy to implementation and from ambition to transformative impact.

©️ PI-CREF Communications and Outreach