Published: November 28, 2025
Bo, Sierra Leone — A three-day meeting of the Joint Technical Committee (JTC) of Liberia and Sierra Leone has commenced in the eastern Sierra Leonean city of Bo to validate important draft documents concerning the reaffirmation of land boundaries and the delimitation of maritime borders between the two neighboring countries.
The session, scheduled from November 25–27, 2025, also focuses on reviewing a draft framework agreement on cross-border cooperation, according to a release from Liberia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Technical experts from both countries are reviewing the legal texts, referencing international protocols as well as domestic laws and policies. Once approved, the documents will be sent to the appropriate authorities in Liberia and Sierra Leone for official endorsement at an upcoming signing event.
The meeting is hosted by the African Union Border Program (AUBP), which helps African countries reaffirm land boundaries and define maritime borders. The program aims to turn border areas—often viewed as potential conflict zones—into places of cooperation, enhancing regional integration, peace, security, and the fair development of border communities.
Liberia’s 17-member interagency delegation is led by Hon. D. Emmanuel Wheinyue, Assistant Minister for Research and Development Planning at the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Chair of the Liberia Technical Border Committee.
Speaking at the opening ceremony on Tuesday, Wheinyue stressed that the successful and sustainable implementation of the agreements requires the participation of border communities.
“These documents can only be properly implemented if the people living along the borders are fully involved,” he said. “We must build on our long history of peaceful coexistence, ensuring that border communities truly feel the impact of these initiatives.”
Dr. Ahmed A. Sannoh, Sierra Leone’s Deputy National Security Coordinator, stressed that the agreements will help turn the shared borders from simple lines of separation into “bridges of opportunity,” fostering trade, cultural exchange, and long-term cooperation.
Once ratified, the instruments will establish the institutional foundation for a modern, peaceful, and development-focused border management framework.
The technical meeting is being organized in partnership with the African Union Border Program and supported by the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ).
In June 2025, Liberia welcomed other Mano River Union countries in Monrovia, where Joint Technical Committees were officially formed to handle issues concerning land and maritime boundaries.
Liberia’s Technical Border Committee includes representatives from the Ministry of Internal Affairs (Chair), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Co-Chair), the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of National Defense, and the Liberia Immigration Service. Other participating agencies are the Liberia Land Authority, Liberia Maritime Authority, National Oil Company of Liberia, Liberia Petroleum Regulatory Authority, Forestry Development Authority, and the National Security Council Secretariat.
The Liberia Institute of Geo-Information Services and the Center for National Documents and Records Agency also form part of the interagency team.
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