The Chief Executive Officer of Afro-Anatolia Consultancy Services, Fatih Ilhan, paid a courtesy call on the Rt. Hon. Speaker of Parliament, Segepoh Solomon Thomas, on Wednesday, 19 November 2025, to outline a bold new chapter in Sierra Leone-Türkiye ties. The Türkiye-Sierra Leone Inter-Parliamentary Friendship Programme is set to become a conduit for experience-sharing, business networking, and capacity-building across various sectors.
Ilhan informed Speaker Thomas that the programme would enable lawmakers from both nations to exchange insights on mining, agriculture, culture, technology, industry, and education, highlighting Türkiye’s rich history, advanced technology, and vibrant industrial base as valuable lessons for Sierra Leone’s development agenda.
Speaker Thomas welcomed the proposal, praising the initiative as a timely boost for the parliament’s outreach and a catalyst for economic growth. He assured Ilhan that he would assemble a ten-member delegation to travel to Türkiye early next year, signalling a concrete step towards deeper inter-parliamentary collaboration.
The visit underscores a growing appetite for South-South cooperation, with both sides eyeing opportunities to translate diplomatic goodwill into tangible projects. The exchange is expected to pave the way for joint ventures, training programmes, and cultural exchanges that reinforce the bonds between the two countries.
As the parliamentary friendship programme takes shape, it is expected to foster not only legislative dialogue but also people-to-people connections that will endure beyond the conference tables. The upcoming delegation will be closely watched as a barometer of the programme’s potential to turn diplomatic intentions into development outcomes.
