Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), and Dr. Haja Ramatulai Wurie, Minister of Technical and Higher Education of the Republic of Sierra Leone, discussed ways to strengthen cooperation between the Organization and the Ministry in developing education, building youth capacities, advancing digital transformation, and supporting institutional innovation in Sierra Leone.

During the meeting, held on Tuesday, 4 August 2026, via videoconference, Dr. AlMalik stressed that ICESCO, as part of its strategic vision, seeks to develop initiatives and programs focused on the priorities and specific needs of its Member States. He reviewed the Organization’s contributions to promoting the use of innovation and digital transformation in government institutions and bodies through training programs for ministries in countries of the Islamic world.

Furthermore, Dr. AlMalik underscored ICESCO’s readiness to develop a joint action plan with the Ministry to implement programs and projects in education and youth skills development, in addition to training a number of young talents from Sierra Leone at the Organization’s headquarters in Rabat.

For her part, Dr. Wurie reviewed recent developments in the technical and higher education sector, commending ICESCO’s efforts to support the national objectives of its Member States, particularly in education, and describing the Organization as a strategic partner in education, science, and culture.

She also affirmed the Ministry’s desire to cooperate with ICESCO in developing a joint program to leverage artificial intelligence and modern technologies in schools, expressing her readiness to take part in the Youth Knowledge Forum, to be held by ICESCO, the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation, and the United Nations Development Programme next September in Morocco.

The meeting was attended, from ICESCO, by Dr. Sally Mabrouk, Director of the Director-General’s Office, Supervisor of the Strategy and Institutional Excellence Sector, and Dr. Issam Krimi, Expert at the Science and Environment Sector, and, from the Ministry, by Dr. Mohamed Combo Kamanda, Secretary-General of the Sierra Leone National Commission for UNESCO and ICESCO.