Vice President Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh was in Conakry on Thursday as a special guest of President Mamadi Doumbouya for Guinea’s 68th Independence Anniversary.
Jalloh was received at the airport by senior Guinean officials and escorted to the main celebrations at the Stade du 28 Septembre, where President Doumbouya is hosting a number of heads of state, military leaders and diplomats.
His invitation comes just weeks after his working visit to Guinea on September 14, when he held closed-door talks — conducted in French — with Prime Minister and Head of Government Amadou Oury Bah.
That meeting focused on issues that have long strained and strengthened ties between the two neighbours: cross-border trade along the Kambia-Gbalamuya and Koinadugu corridors, irregular migration, border security, and the welfare of thousands of Sierra Leoneans living and working in Guinea, many of whom have complained of harassment and arbitrary arrests.
Sierra Leone and Guinea share a 794km border and deep historical, cultural and family ties. The two countries have been pushing to revive the Joint Commission for Cooperation and to fast-track agreements on transnational crime, fisheries, and the management of shared border markets.
Guinea, formerly French Guinea, gained independence from France on October 2, 1958, after famously voting “Non” to De Gaulle’s proposed French Community. This year’s celebration is being held under the theme: _“Drawing Inspiration from the Past to Build the Future Together: Our Youth.”_
The theme puts young people at the centre of Guinea’s transition. Doumbouya, who seized power in 2021 and won a presidential election in December 2025, has pledged to focus his new term on youth employment and reconciliation after years of political turmoil.
For Freetown, Jalloh’s presence is diplomatic signalling. It underscores the Bio administration’s strategy of keeping close ties with Conakry despite criticism of Guinea’s military-led transition, and of protecting Sierra Leonean traders and migrants who depend on the Guinean market.
The Vice President is expected to return to Freetown on Friday after bilateral sideline meetings with Guinean officials.
