Minister of Transport and Aviation, Fanday Turay, has discussed with Qatari Minister of Transport and Aviation, His Excellency Jassim bin Saif bin Ahmed Al Sulaiti, means to boost bilateral cooperation. Minister Fanday Turay is in Cairo to attend the fifth Smart Transport. Logistics, Infrastructure, and Traffic Fair and Forum for the Middle East and Africa Region (TransMEA 2023).
The fair is held at Egypt International Exhibition Centre (EIEC) in New Cairo from 5 to 8 November and is organized jointly with Egypt’s Ministry of Transport, under the auspices of President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi. It was inaugurated by Egypt’s Prime Minister, Mostafa Madbouly, on Sunday. 5 November 2023, giving the green light to mega transport projects in Egypt. The meeting between the two came on Sunday when the ministers and their accompanying delegations met on the margins of the transportation sector exhibition (TransMEA) in Cairo, Egypt. The discussion focused on building a strong bilateral agreement for international corporations in relation to building the capacity of personnel in the transport sectors between the Government of Sierra Leone and Qatar.
During the discussions, Mr. Fanday Turay voiced keenness to upgrade Sierra Leone’s transport sector and, in this regard, outlined several areas he would need support, starting with a proposal to improve our transport infrastructure. On the maritime sector, the minister mentioned that Sierra Leone operates an open ship registry (flag of convenience vessels) and informed his counterpart that he is desirous for the Registry to be transferred to a credible Qatari investment company, as the existing contract almost runs out. As discussions on diplomatic and trade alliances continued, the minister also mentioned establishing a partnership for air transportation considering the strategic location of Sierra Leone’s Civil Aviation Authority (SLCAA).
The deliberations further touched on the need to improve the road transport network. With respect to this area, Minister Fanday Turay proposed that having buses from Qatar will ameliorate the problem of congestion in Sierra Leone. For his part, the Qatari Minister of Transport and Aviation, His Excellency Jassim bin Saif bin Ahmed Al Sulaiti, welcomed every proposal put forward by Mr. Fanday Turay and assured of inviting a Sierra Leone Ministry of Transport and Aviation (SLMTA) delegation to Qatar to have further discussions on strengthening the relationship between the two countries. With a focus on developing the transportation section of Sierra Leone H.E. Ahmed Al Sulati stated that the two countries should consider signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that will facilitate the process involved in developing a stronger collaboration. The QMT further guaranteed that the pact will prioritize training and capacity building for the maritime sector, the transport and infrastructural sector, as well as the aviation sector. The minister assured that he will exalt every effort needed for the actualization of this dream. In the end, both sides agreed on setting up a technical committee that will develop a draft MOU that covers all the issues discussed.
