Sierra Leone's President Julius Maada Bio believes the African peace mission may assist resolve the situation in Ukraine.
The leaders of six African countries are scheduled to visit Moscow and Kiev later this month. It is yet unknown what the presidents of Zambia, Senegal, Egypt, the Republic of Congo, Uganda, and South Africa would suggest as a means of putting an end to the conflict.
According to the president, the conflict in Ukraine has increased the price of importing wheat and fertilizer because Russia and Ukraine are the country's main suppliers of these staples.
"It’s affecting us very seriously because we're a net importer. Almost all of our essential commodities and food items we get them from outside," the president told the media.
As the president faces a reelection race scheduled for June 24, his task in case of a win will be restoring of an economy that is battling to recover from several economic shocks brought on by the global impact of the Ukraine crisis and the coronavirus outbreak.
The leone, Sierra Leone's currency, has lost 16% of its value so far this year. The removal of three zeros from banknotes in an effort to reinforce the currency hasn't done much to rein in inflation, which peaked in April at 43%. The International Monetary Fund predicted last month that growth in 2023 will decrease from 3.6% to 2.7%.