Chief Minister Dr. David Moinina Sengeh has chaired a high-level stakeholder meeting aimed at addressing congestion at the Queen Elizabeth II Quay, improving port efficiency, facilitating trade, reducing the cost of doing business, and strengthening Sierra Leone’s position as a competitive regional trade and logistics hub.
The meeting, held on Thursday, 13 August 2026, at the Conference Room of the Office of the Chief Minister, brought together key government institutions, private-sector representatives, transport operators, security agencies, and other stakeholders whose activities are directly linked to the movement, clearance, and transportation of goods through the country’s main port.
Among those in attendance was the Deputy Minister of Transport and Aviation, Hon. Rex Bhonapha, alongside representatives of the Sierra Leone Ports and Harbours Authority (SLPHA), Sierra Leone Chamber of Business and Industry (SLCBI), Sierra Leone Road Safety Authority (SLRSA), Office of National Security (ONS), Indigenous and Transport Owners Association (ITOA), Sierra Leone Police (SLP), Ministry of Internal Affairs, and other relevant institutions.
Opening the discussion, Chief Minister Sengeh said the meeting was convened to bring all critical actors within the port ecosystem around the same table to identify the challenges affecting port operations, develop practical solutions, and establish clear responsibilities for implementing those solutions.
He emphasised that an efficient and well-coordinated port system is critical to Sierra Leone’s economic development, noting that prolonged delays, congestion and operational bottlenecks have implications for businesses, consumers, government revenue and the country’s overall competitiveness.
According to the Chief Minister, improving the efficiency of the port would not only facilitate the faster movement of goods but would also contribute to reducing the cost of doing business and creating a more attractive environment for private-sector investment.
He therefore called for a coordinated approach among institutions, stressing that decisions reached at the meeting must translate into measurable actions rather than remain as discussions without follow-up.
Deputy Minister of Transport and Aviation Hon. Rex Bhonapha, in his contribution, reaffirmed the Ministry’s commitment to working closely with the Office of the Chief Minister and other stakeholders to address challenges affecting the smooth movement of goods.
He said improved coordination across the transport and port sectors remains essential to ensuring that goods can move efficiently from the port to their destinations while reducing unnecessary delays and operational difficulties.
Representatives of the participating institutions subsequently outlined challenges within their respective areas of responsibility and proposed measures to address the factors contributing to congestion.
Discussions focused on the need to improve inter-agency coordination, streamline operational procedures, strengthen compliance, improve the movement and clearance of containers, and ensure that institutions operating within the port environment clearly understand their respective responsibilities.
Stakeholders also highlighted the importance of improving communication and coordination among agencies, particularly where the activities of one institution directly affect the operations of another.
The meeting further considered practical measures to improve services for port users and address operational bottlenecks that contribute to delays in the clearance and movement of containers.
Among the agreed areas of intervention were stronger coordination between relevant institutions, improved arrangements for container movement and clearance, enhanced services for port users, and targeted measures to tackle the operational challenges responsible for congestion at the quay.
Chief Minister Sengeh underscored that the success of the initiative would depend largely on implementation.
He called on the relevant institutions to take ownership of the agreed actions and ensure that commitments made during the meeting are translated into concrete improvements that can be experienced by businesses, transport operators, importers, exporters and other users of the port.
The intervention comes at a time when the Government is seeking to improve the overall business environment and strengthen the systems that support trade, investment and private-sector development.
An efficient port is considered a critical component of this agenda, given its role in facilitating imports and exports, supporting businesses, generating government revenue, and connecting Sierra Leone to regional and international markets.
The measures discussed at the meeting are also expected to support the implementation of Government’s Big Five Game Changers, particularly through improvements in the business environment, trade facilitation, private-sector activity, investment and job creation.
By reducing unnecessary delays and improving the movement of goods, the Government expects businesses to operate more efficiently, while consumers could benefit from reduced costs associated with prolonged cargo clearance and transportation delays.
The meeting also reinforced the need for sustained collaboration between government institutions and private-sector actors. Stakeholders agreed that addressing congestion cannot be achieved by one institution alone, but requires a coordinated response involving port authorities, transport agencies, security institutions, business organisations and other actors within the logistics chain.
The Chief Minister’s intervention therefore places emphasis not only on identifying the causes of congestion but also on ensuring that institutional responsibilities are clearly defined and that agreed reforms are implemented within practical timelines.
The meeting concluded with a shared commitment among participating stakeholders to work collectively to reduce congestion and delays, improve trade facilitation, strengthen port services and lower the cost of doing business.
The Government believes that continued improvements in port operations will contribute to strengthening Sierra Leone’s logistics sector and positioning the country as a more efficient and competitive regional trade hub.
The initiative forms part of the Government’s broader efforts to improve economic efficiency, strengthen institutional coordination and ensure that reforms in public service delivery have a direct and measurable impact on businesses, investment, employment and sustainable economic growth.