A World Bank project review mission, led by Task Team Leader Madam Alari Ijilayoh Mahdi, met with the Acting Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kadiatu Allie, on Monday, 23 June 2025, to present the mission’s findings. Also in attendance were Financial Secretary Mr. Matthew Dingie, Principal Deputy Financial Secretary Mr. Samuel E.B. Momoh, Chief Economist Mr. Alimamy Bangura, SLEDP Project Coordinator Mrs. Mary Jalloh, and Technical Adviser to the Minister Dr. Franklin Sisabu Bendu. The World Bank delegation included Country Manager Mr. Abdu Muwonge and Co-Task Team Leader Madam Louise Twinning-Ward.
The Acting Minister welcomed the mission and praised the World Bank for its ongoing support across multiple sectors in Sierra Leone.
Project Coordinator Mrs. Mary Jalloh stated that the mission aimed to assess the project’s readiness for closure by October 2025. She noted that the team held technical discussions with all implementing agencies, including the project coordination unit, contractors, and supervising consultants. The team also conducted site visits to ongoing project locations to identify challenges and recommend corrective measures, ensuring the successful achievement of the project’s objectives.
Financial Secretary Mr. Dingie expressed gratitude to the World Bank for its support and applauded the project team for their impressive progress. He emphasised the importance of completing all project activities ahead of the closure deadline.
Task Team Leader Madam Mahdi congratulated the Government on the significant progress achieved under the various project components. She noted that the project has been transformative and remains highly relevant to Sierra Leone’s development priorities. She highlighted that SLEDP has effectively addressed key private sector constraints at three levels: economy-wide (through business reforms), sector-specific (with a focus on tourism), and firm-level (by supporting Small and Medium Enterprises to scale operations, increase productivity, and strengthen the business ecosystem).
According to the TTL, the results are visible. For instance, the number of days required to obtain a construction permit has been reduced from 182 to just 14. Additionally, business registration processes at the National Investment Board have significantly improved, enabling faster business formation.
The project has created over 14,000 direct and indirect jobs. Through the collateral registry, it has leveraged more than US$600 million in private capital. Tourism arrivals have doubled, and the near completion of key tourism sites is expected to boost visitor numbers further and attract additional investment.
The TTL confirmed that all project development objective indicators have been met and that the project remains on track to achieve its remaining targets. She emphasised the need to sustain the project’s achievements and highlighted challenges related to the sustainability of interventions, asset maintenance, and waste management. She called on the Ministry of Finance to support the acceleration of outstanding activities ahead of the project’s closure.
In her closing remarks, the Acting Minister praised the project team for their dedication and urged the Project Coordinator to continue engaging contractors to ensure all activities are completed on schedule. She assured the World Bank team that issues raised during the mission would be addressed in collaboration with relevant stakeholders.
Mrs. Jalloh expressed appreciation to the Acting Minister and the Financial Secretary for their continued support and reaffirmed the team’s commitment to delivering the project’s objectives.
Credit: MOF Communications
