Buenas tardes.
Bona tarda.
Boas tardes.
Arratsalde on.
Good afternoon.
Wina kuché.
Excellencies Ministers and authorities.
Dear colleagues and members of the diplomatic and consular corps.
Queridas amigas españolas, queridos amigos españoles.
Dear Sierra Leonean friends.
Today, for the third time, I am hosting a reception in the fantastic city of Freetown to mark our National Day and I am embarking on my eleventh visit to this wonderful country since my appointment as the Ambassador of Spain to Sierra Leone in April 2024. Time flies, and I believe this is a good moment to take a step back and take stock of our relations as a whole, which we can now qualify as excellent and which, during this period, have risen to a level never before achieved.
We have succeeded to do so in various fields and through strategic projects that have had a real impact on the citizenship: in relation to migration issues, by strengthening our valuable cooperation; in the promotion and defense of human rights, with a particular focus on women and girls; in the economic and trade spheres, by promoting the presence of our companies; and, of course, in the political sphere, both in the bilateral dimension and through our multilateral cooperation – which has been crucial in recent years, marked by Sierra Leone's tenure as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council and its Presidency of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, culminating in the successful Summit held in Freetown in July. Evidence of this lies not only in the increase in the number of visits to the country by this Ambassador – to the extent that some of my counterparts, such as my colleague the Head of the European Union Delegation uses to question whether I really am a non-resident Ambassador – but also in the rise in the number of exchanges between Sierra Leone and Spain, making this connection more intense than ever. Notable examples include the trip to Freetown by several representatives of the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation in December 2024 to accompany me to the annual session of the Political Partnership Dialogue between the European Union and Sierra Leone; as well as the participation of a large delegation led by the Vice-President, Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh, in the IV United Nations International Conference on Financing for Development held in Seville in June and July 2025; and the visits to Spain by the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Republic, Alpha Sesay, in November 2025; by the Minister of Social Welfare, Melrose Karminty, in January; by the Minister of Communications, Technology and Innovation, Haja Salimatu Bah, to take part in the Mobile World Congress held in Barcelona in March; by the Minister for Tourism and Cultural Affairs, Nabeela Tunis, to attend the most recent editions of FITUR, the international tourism fair that is held annually in Madrid; and, of course, of my brother, the Chief Minister, David Moinina Sengeh, who has travelled to Spain on several occasions and has played a key role in the development of our bilateral relations. I would like to express my sincere thanks to him for his support and friendship. Gracias, David.
It was with him that I identified the strategic areas in which, in line with Sierra Leone's priorities and the added value that Spain can bring, our Embassy could develop specific projects with a direct impact on the public. There are three such areas. Firstly, food security, within the framework of which we have launched, in collaboration with Caritas, the Maga Foundation and the local authorities of Casa Leone, a Spanish gastronomy initiative in Bureh Town, which I personally inaugurated in October 2025. Secondly, digitalisation, for which we co-created and co-organised the Startups Week, holding its first edition last November in collaboration with the United Nations system through the UNDP to contribute to the development of Sierra Leone's start-ups ecosystem with a particular focus on artificial intelligence and placing the empowerment of young people and women at its heart. And, finally, the promotion of the Spanish language and culture, by offering Spanish courses at various levels and organising exchanges between Spanish and Sierra-Leonean musicians. I would like to thank Andreas Schnier, Viviana Granobles and the SoundWave Creative platform for their support in carrying out these valuable initiatives, which we hope to continue in the future.
Pero mi mención debe ser especialmente grata hacia Antoine Yazbeck, nuestro Cónsul Honorario, que ha sido una verdadera extensión de España en Sierra Leona con carácter permanente y cuya disponibilidad y eficacia son una garantía. Muchas gracias, querido Tony, por ser mi sherpa en mis visitas a Sierra Leona –¡soy consciente de que ninguno de mis predecesores te ha molestado tanto!– y por contribuir a la unidad de la comunidad española, formada por personas valiosas, dinámicas y comprometidas. Gracias a todas y a todos por vuestro apoyo. Sabéis que estamos siempre a vuestra disposición.
When I first visited Sierra Leone almost three years ago, I was aware of the enormous potential that both the country and our bilateral relations held. Today, I am pleased to see that we are getting closer to realising that potential. Let's continue working together.
Gracias.
Gràcies.
Grazas.
Eskerrik asko.
Thank you.
Plenti tenki.