Russia and India can help unlock Sierra Leone’s mineral wealth – minister

The West African nation of Sierra Leone is looking to India and Russia for technology and expertise to process its mineral resources rather than remain a mere supplier to the world’s industrialized countries.

Sierra Leone wants to combine Russian mining expertise with Indian technology to develop its mineral wealth and expand domestic processing, the country’s Minister of Mines and Mineral Resources, Julius Daniel Mattai, told RT.

“Geology is not wealth,” the minister noted on the sidelines of the third Russia-Africa Summit in Moscow on Wednesday. He argued that mineral resources must be combined with knowledge and effective governance to generate economic benefits. Sierra Leone is seeking investment and technology for this move.

More and more African leaders are emphasizing local processing as they push to move their economies up the industrial value chain. It was also raised at the summit by African Union chair Evariste Ndayishimiye, who called for partnerships that would help African countries manufacture finished products, RT reported on Wednesday.

“We cannot accept a future where Africa supplies the minerals … while value addition and manufacturing take place elsewhere,” South African President Cyril Ramaphosa told the BRICS summit in New Delhi last month.

Sierra Leone is preparing to sign a memorandum of understanding with the Russian State University for Geological Prospecting covering scholarships, staff exchanges, laboratory access, and technology transfer, Mattai said.

Russia’s expertise in geological data interpretation, mineral processing, smelting and refining could support Sierra Leone’s mining industry, Mattai said. He stressed that reliable energy would be essential to expanding domestic processing and manufacturing.

Sierra Leone also expressed interest in cooperation with Russia on rare earth minerals, with Mattai saying in June that deposits containing such minerals had been identified in the country.

India already has a presence in Sierra Leone’s mining and industrial sectors. An Indian company that initially used scrap metal to produce steel has secured a mining concession and plans to extract iron ore for domestic processing, Mattai told RT.
Indian companies are also active in information technology, digitalization, artificial intelligence, and solar energy, while educational institutions have been established with Indian involvement, he added.

Bilateral trade between India and Sierra Leone reached nearly $450 million in the financial year ended March 2026, according to India’s High Commission. Indian imports from Sierra Leone include minerals, ores, and metals.