Countries & Regions

On June 2, for about 15 minutes from 10:35 am, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had a meeting with H.E. Mr. Ernest Bai Koroma, President of the Republic of Sierra Leone, in Yokohama, Japan. The following is the gist of the meeting. President Koroma is visiting Japan to participate in the Fifth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD V) held from June 1 to June 3.

1. At the beginning of the meeting, Prime Minister Abe welcomed the visit of President Koroma to Japan and expressed his hope for development both in Africa and Japan on the occasion of TICAD V, which marks the 20th anniversary of the TICAD process. In response, President Koroma expressed his sincere gratitude for Japan’s warm hospitality and added that TICAD is a special meeting for African leaders.
2. President Koroma said that Japan’s assistance in areas such as community development, infrastructure, energy, health care and education through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and other organizations, has helped Sierra Leone take on reforms under his administration. President Koroma also expressed his intention to make further efforts for developing Sierra Leone through the TICAD process, while showing expectations about Japan’s support for the improvement of infrastructures in Sierra Leone.
3. Prime Minister Abe congratulated President Koroma on his re-election in the presidential election which had been conducted in a fair and peaceful manner last November, and also paid respect for the president’s leadership. Prime Minister Abe also informed that Japan will help Sierra Leone’s efforts for its development with focuses on infrastructure improvement and the strengthening of the foundation of human resources.
4. In addition, they exchanged opinions concerning cooperation in the international arena, including the development in Africa.