Gabon’s President, Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, is scheduled to arrive in Sierra Leone on 2 August for a state visit aimed at strengthening diplomatic ties and expanding cooperation between the two West and Central African nations.
President Julius Maada Bio will host President Oligui Nguema during the visit, which is expected to include bilateral talks, meetings with senior government officials and representatives of the private sector, and visits to selected tourist sites in Freetown.
The visit comes as Sierra Leone and Gabon seek to deepen cooperation in areas such as trade, investment, agriculture, education and governance.
Relations between the two countries have grown in recent years. In December 2020, President Bio travelled to Libreville, where he held talks with the then Gabonese President, Ali Bongo Ondimba. During that visit, the Sierra Leonean leader toured the Gabon Special Economic Zone and met executives from major agricultural and industrial companies, encouraging investment in Sierra Leone’s agriculture, mining, energy, technology and telecommunications sectors.
President Bio also serves as Chair of the African Union Committee of Ten (C-10), which advocates for Africa’s common position on reforming the United Nations Security Council. He has consistently argued that Africa deserves greater representation in the council, describing the continent’s limited role in the global body as a historical imbalance that should be addressed.
The upcoming trip will be President Oligui Nguema’s first visit to Sierra Leone since winning Gabon’s presidential election in May 2025. Since assuming office, he has pledged to promote national unity, reform the education system and create employment opportunities for young people.
Officials say the two leaders are expected to discuss ways to strengthen political and economic cooperation, encourage private-sector investment and explore new areas of partnership between Sierra Leone and Gabon.
