Bo, Republic of Sierra Leone, Nov. 25, 2025: A three-day meeting has begun in the eastern Sierra Leonean city of Bo, involving the Joint Technical Committee (JTC) of Liberia and Sierra Leone.
The meeting is intended for the validation of the draft framework Agreement on the reaffirmation of the land boundary and the delimitation of the maritime boundary and the draft framework agreement on cross-border cooperation between the Republic of Liberia and the Republic of Sierra Leone.
A press release issued by the Ministry of Internal Affairs says the event will run from November 25-27, 2025.
The release says technical experts of both countries are brainstorming on legal texts of the draft framework documents, considering applicable international protocols as well as laws and policies of both countries.
Following the validation, all documents will be presented to the relevant authorities in both countries for subsequent signing, which will be held at a planned meeting.
The meeting is under the auspices of the African Union Border Program(AUBP), which is dedicated to the reaffirmation of land boundaries and the delimitation of maritime borders of all African countries, aimed at transforming from potential areas of conflict into bridges of cooperation between states, thereby accelerating sub-regional integration through the promotion of peace, security and the harmonious development of border areas.
The 17-member inter-agency Liberian team is headed by Honorable D. Emmanuel Wheinyue, Assistant for Research and Development Planning of Ministry of Internal Affairs, who also serves as Chair of the Liberia Technical Border Committee.
Speaking at the opening ceremony on Tuesday, November 25th, Hon. Wheinyue made the point that the documents can only be properly and sustainably implemented if the communities are fully involved.
“Also that we must continue with our longstanding peaceful coexistence with the understanding that the people along the borders should feel the project’s implementation”. Wheinyue emphasized.
For his part, Dr. Ahmed A. Sannoh, Deputy National Security Coordinator of Sierra Leone emphasized that these foundational agreements would serve to transform the shared borders from mere lines of separation into “bridges of opportunity,” as well as vital zones for commerce and cultural exchange.
Once validated, these instruments will establish the institutional backbone for a modern, peaceful, and development-oriented border framework.
The technical meeting is organized in partnership with the African Union Border Program with sponsorship from the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ).
In June 2025, in partnership with AUBP, Liberia hosted the other three Mano River Union member countries in Monrovia, where Joint Technical Committees with membership from each country were formally inducted to facilitate issues of land and maritime borders.
Institutional membership of the Liberian Technical Border Committee includes the Ministry of Internal Affairs-Chair, Ministry of Foreign Affairs-Co-Chair, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of National Defense and the Liberia Immigration Service.
Others are Liberia Land Authority, Liberia Maritime Authority, National Oil Company of Liberia, Liberia Petroleum Regulatory Authority, Forestry Development Authority, and National Security Council Secretariat at the Ministry of State for Presidential Affairs.
Additionally, the Liberia Institute of Geo-Information Services and the Center for National Documents and Records Agency form part of the Committee.