Sierra Leone Urges Focus on Results as Russia–Africa Scientific Partnership Advances

Korovy Val, Russia, October 31, 2026 – Sierra Leone’s Minister of Technical and Higher Education, Dr. Haja Ramatulai Wurie, has called on Russia and African countries to measure their scientific partnership not by the number of agreements signed, but by the lasting capabilities and institutions created through collaboration.

Speaking during a panel session on “Scientific Partnership Between Russia and Africa: From Joint Research to Technological Leadership,” Dr. Wurie challenged delegates to consider what tangible progress should be visible when they reconvene in three years.

She asked whether universities would be stronger, researchers better equipped to solve complex challenges, technologies developed and adapted on African soil, and young people empowered to create jobs rather than seek them. The ultimate test of cooperation, she argued, should be “the quality of the capabilities we leave behind.”

Framing the issue as central to Sierra Leone’s national development agenda, Dr. Wurie said universities and technical institutions must evolve beyond being centers for receiving and transmitting knowledge. Instead, they should become hubs for innovation, technological adaptation, problem-solving, and the training of future scientists and skilled professionals.

She stressed that Africa must not remain merely a consumer of technologies shaping the 21st century but must build the capacity to understand, adapt, develop, and eventually help shape those technologies.

To achieve this, the minister called for a deliberate shift “from goodwill to implementation, from agreements to programs, and from programs to measurable outcomes.”

Dr. Wurie proposed four practical priorities for strengthening Russia-Africa scientific cooperation.

First, she urged partners to convert existing commitments into a pipeline of joint research and innovation projects. Referring to the draft Russia-Africa Partnership Forum Action Plan 2027-2029, she noted that priorities such as innovation hubs, Centers of Excellence, technology transfer, and stronger institutional collaboration must be translated into clearly defined projects with designated lead institutions, measurable targets, and timelines.

For Sierra Leone, she identified key priority areas including food security and agricultural technology, renewable energy, artificial intelligence and digital transformation, marine science, public health, and sustainable natural resource management.

“We cannot pursue everything at once,” she cautioned, emphasizing the importance of focused and achievable goals.

Her second proposal centered on technology transfer. She argued that the success of international cooperation should be measured by what local institutions can independently achieve after projects conclude.

According to the minister, every major partnership should clearly define the knowledge being transferred, the people being trained, the capacity being built, and how institutions will sustain progress once initial funding ends.

“Our ambition must be to move from importing solutions to developing the capability to create our own,” she said.

Third, Dr. Wurie called for people, not institutions alone, to remain at the center of scientific cooperation. She stressed the need for expanded postgraduate training, joint doctoral supervision, research fellowships, faculty exchanges, and practical placements for emerging scientists.

She also highlighted the importance of creating opportunities for women and early-career researchers while strengthening collaboration between research universities and technical institutions.

The objective, she said, is to prepare “a generation capable of creating opportunities that do not yet exist.”

Her fourth recommendation focused on accountability. She proposed establishing a practical implementation framework for the 2027-2029 Action Plan, including clearly identified projects, responsible partners, financing arrangements, timelines, and measurable outcomes.

Dr. Wurie suggested conducting a baseline assessment of existing partnerships and research capacity, followed by annual reviews measuring progress through indicators such as researchers trained, joint projects completed, technologies adapted, partnerships sustained, and opportunities created for young people.

She further stressed that financing arrangements, intellectual property rights, access to research findings, and benefit-sharing mechanisms should be agreed upon at the outset to ensure sustainability and effective delivery.

Turning to Sierra Leone’s engagement with Russia, the minister said the country is ready to deepen collaboration with Russian universities and research institutions to support national development priorities.

She pointed to existing partnerships, including engagement with Eastern Technical University, as a foundation for expanded cooperation in technical training, applied research, and institutional development.

“We should build on these relationships not simply by signing more agreements, but by asking what the next phase can deliver and what additional capability it can leave behind,” she said.

Returning to her opening remarks, Dr. Wurie said that by the end of 2029, success should be measured not by the number of meetings held or agreements signed, but by whether African researchers are leading joint projects, universities are converting research into practical products and services, and young people are using advanced skills to solve real-world problems.

She said such achievements would mark the difference between partnerships that create dependency and those that build sustainable capability.

Concluding her address, the minister noted that Russia and Africa each bring unique strengths and experiences to the partnership. The challenge, she said, is to combine those strengths in ways that respect national priorities, generate mutual benefits, and strengthen scientific capacity for future generations.

“The legacy of this partnership will not be determined by what is signed in Moscow,” she said. “It will be determined by what scientists discover, what institutions become capable of doing, what young people create, and what changes in the lives of our citizens.”

She emphasized that the ultimate goal is not simply to bring knowledge to Africa, but to create the conditions for knowledge, innovation, and scientific leadership to flourish across the continent.

Among those present in the audience were Mr. Julius Mattai, Minister of Mines and Mineral Resources; Mohamed Yongawo, Sierra Leone's Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Russian Federation; Ing. Dabo Hadji, Chairman of the National Minerals Agency; Ing. Francis Nyama, Deputy Director General of EDSA; Sahr Nepor, Corporate Secretary of EDSA; Timbo Alusine, Deputy Director of Mines at the National Minerals Agency; and Deen Henry Masala Chukuameka, Deputy Director of Geological Survey at the National Minerals Agency. Senior officials from EDSA, the Ministry of Mines and Mineral Resources, the Ministry of Finance, the National Minerals Agency, and staff of Sierra Leone's Embassy in Russia also attended the event.

For inquiries:

Festus J. Lahai

Information Attaché

Embassy of the Republic of Sierra Leone

Moscow, Russian Federation