LUNGI — Sierra Leone’s President and Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, Dr. Julius Maada Bio, has commissioned a new international conference centre and a regional logistics depot ahead of the bloc’s leaders’ summit.
The twin facilities — the Julius Maada Bio International Conference Centre and the ECOWAS Logistics Depot — were inaugurated in Lungi, with the conference centre hosting the 69th Ordinary Session of ECOWAS on July 19, 2026.
According to ECOWAS, the logistics depot is designed to strengthen the region’s capacity to support peace operations, humanitarian interventions, emergency response, and counter-terrorism efforts across West Africa.
Speaking at the ceremony, President Bio described the projects as strategic investments aimed at deepening regional integration and enhancing security cooperation.
“The Conference Centre is a strategic investment that positions Sierra Leone as a leading destination for regional diplomacy and international engagement,” Bio said.
He added that the logistics depot would “significantly enhance the region’s preparedness for peace support operations, humanitarian assistance and emergency response.”
In his remarks, ECOWAS Commission President, Dr. Omar Alieu Touray, said the depot represents the realisation of a long-standing vision to strengthen the bloc’s crisis response capacity.
“The Logistics Depot is the realization of a vision conceived more than two decades ago. It reflects our shared commitment to strengthening ECOWAS’ peace and security architecture and improving its capacity to respond rapidly to regional crises,” Touray stated.
The event attracted several West African leaders and international dignitaries, including Presidents Adama Barrow of The Gambia, José Maria Neves of Cabo Verde, and Bassirou Diomaye Faye of Senegal, as well as United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed.
The commissioning underscores ECOWAS’ ongoing efforts to bolster regional cooperation, improve crisis response mechanisms and advance integration among member states.
