On behalf of the Government of the United States of America and the American people, I extend my congratulations to the people of Sierra Leone on your 59th independence day.

The United States is engaged in vital partnerships with Sierra Leone to foster economic development, promote strong democratic institutions, and deepen commercial ties between our two nations. Longstanding U.S. investments into Sierra Leone’s health sector, both to increase overall capacity and to cooperate and respond to pandemics like Ebola, are particularly relevant now as we combat COVID-19 together. We congratulate Sierra Leone for its progress and look forward to continuing our cooperation on these issues.

I send my best wishes to the people of Sierra Leone for a prosperous year ahead.