Minister of Employment, Labour and Social Security (MELSS) of the Republic of Sierra Leone, Honourable Mohamed Rahman Swaray has engaged the Minister of Labour of the State of Qatar, Dr. Ali Bin Samikh Al Marri in a bid to provide employment opportunities for skilled Sierra Leoneans to work in Qatar.

While thanking his counterpart for the excellent opportunity accorded to him during his working visit, Hon. Mohamed Rahman Swaray acknowledged the numerous contributions of the State of Qatar to support the development programmes of Sierra Leone, adding that the engagement was part of the ongoing efforts to further strengthen relations between the two countries.

Recalling the State Visit of His Excellency President Dr. Julius Maada Bio to the State of Qatar on 18th June 2022 aimed at holding discussions with His Highness the Amir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Minister noted that the two governments signed six (6) bilateral agreements, amongst which was the Agreement between the Government of Sierra Leone and the State of Qatar relating to the Employment of Sierra Leone Workers in the State of Qatar. He re-echoed Sierra Leone’s keenness to implement the said agreement, especially as youth employment is one of the Five Big Game Changers in the President’s development agenda for the next five years.

“As you are aware, your Excellency, youth unemployment poses a major challenge to the development of many developing countries, including Sierra Leone. To alleviate this situation, Sierra Leone considers labour migration as one of the ways to address this situation, which has been described by President Bio as a national security threat,” he observed.

He added: “It Is against this background that the Republic of Sierra Leone is looking forward to the recruitment of skilled Sierra Leoneans to work in the State of Qatar. The Government is ready to work with the relevant authorities in an effort to recruit qualified Sierra Leoneans to work in various sectors in the State of Qatar. It is also my hope that during our discussions the two sides will further identify and explore new employment opportunities for the benefit of our two peoples and countries.”

Hon. Swaray also used the occasion to appeal to his counterpart to address the residency issues for a good number of Sierra Leoneans currently working in Doha. He called on the Minister to visit Sierra Leone at his convenience so as to enable a first-hand experience and a better judgement with respect to Sierra Leone’s potential in the areas of employment and investment.

In his response, the Minister of Labour of the State of Qatar, His Excellency Dr. Ali Bin Samikh Al Marri emphasised the importance of further strengthening existing ties between the two countries through the implementation of the employment agreement, suggesting that the two countries should establish a joint committee to meet yearly to work on the implementation of the agreement. He assured that the two countries would work closely to implement the said agreement.

“The State of Qatar has initiated and implemented several employment reforms over the last ten years. Those reforms are geared towards improving the employment conditions of migrant workers. I am therefore pleased to extend an invitation to you to participate in the Doha Forum in March 2024 with a view to discussing modalities to address labour-related issues,” Dr. Al Marri stated.

The Honourable Minister was accompanied by Her Excellency Haja Ishata Thomas, Sierra Leone’s Non-Resident Ambassador to the State of Qatar, Mr Momodu Wurie, Minister Counsellor/HOC, Mr. Chiblee Kamara, Deputy Commissioner for Labour and Employment, MELSS and other Embassy officials.