Freetown, January 27 — President Dr. Julius Maada Bio and the Chinese Ambassador to Sierra Leone, Mr. Zhao Yong, on Monday jointly presided over the unveiling ceremony of the Excellence Skills Academy, a landmark initiative aimed at strengthening technical and vocational education and advancing youth skills development in Sierra Leone. The ceremony attracted nearly 200 participants, including Counsellor Wang Peng of the Chinese Embassy, Minister of Technical and Higher Education, Dr. Ramatulai Wurie, senior government officials, representatives of joint venture partners and Chinese enterprises operating in Sierra Leone, as well as faculty members and student representatives.
Speaking at the event, Ambassador Zhao Yong noted that the establishment of the Excellence Skills Academy coincides with the 55th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Sierra Leone, as well as the China–Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges. He described the initiative as a significant milestone in bilateral educational cooperation and a practical demonstration of China-Africa collaboration in youth empowerment. “This joint initiative not only represents an important advancement in educational cooperation between our two countries, but also vividly reflects our shared commitment to strengthening people-to-people ties and jointly laying a solid foundation for modernization,” Ambassador Zhao said.
President Bio, in his keynote address, commended China for its sustained contributions to Sierra Leone’s vocational and technical education sector. He reaffirmed his government’s strong commitment to skills training as a critical driver of youth empowerment, employment creation, and national development. “Technical and vocational education remains a cornerstone of our human capital development agenda,” President Bio stated. “The Excellence Skills Academy will play a vital role in equipping our young people with practical skills that support industrial growth and national modernization.”
The President expressed confidence that the academy would significantly enhance youth development, foster innovation, and inject fresh momentum into Sierra Leone’s broader modernization efforts. The Excellence Skills Academy was established through a strategic partnership involving China Railway Seventh Engineering Group Sierra Leone Company Limited, Zhengzhou Railway Technician College, and Freetown Polytechnic. The academy’s first intake of students has been enrolled in automotive repair and carpentry programmes, with plans to expand into additional technical disciplines in the future. The initiative aligns with Sierra Leone’s national development priorities and China’s continued support for skills transfer, capacity building, and sustainable development across Africa.
