Sierra Leone’s government has vowed to accelerate long-delayed school and university construction, aiming to finish by June 2026, Chief Minister David Moinina Sengeh said on Friday after chairing a steering committee meeting on the country’s flagship education programme.
The session in Magburaka reviewed progress on the Sierra Leone Education Sector Support Project (SESSP), which is renovating and expanding secondary schools, teacher-training colleges and technical institutions nationwide. The project is part of President Julius Maada Bio’s Free Quality School Education agenda.
“This project is long overdue,” Sengeh told stakeholders from government, development partners and contractors. “I am pleased to hear of the significant progress made, especially in our secondary schools, technical institutions and teacher training colleges.”
A fiduciary management report presented at the meeting showed mixed progress across construction “lots”:
• Eastern Technical University in Bunumbu is 65% complete but hampered by bad roads and labour shortages.
• Renovation at Bo School and Kenema School has reached 75% amid design changes and rising material costs.
• Work at Magburaka Boys Secondary School is only 52% complete, slowed by unavailable materials and changes to the original design.
• A package covering Prince of Wales School, two Milton Margai Technical University campuses and a ministerial building stands at about 70%.
• At Milton Margai’s Goderich campus, work is 72% done, with some buildings ready for handover.
The committee adopted measures to speed up delivery, including requiring contractors to submit revised schedules, share monthly progress reports, and hand over finished buildings quickly. Variation requests will only be considered once projects are 90% complete and must be fully costed and cleared by the finance ministry.
Albert Bundu Kamara, principal of Magburaka Boys Secondary School, welcomed the investment but urged closer monitoring of Lot 3, saying progress on site often lagged unless there were official visits.
The education support project, backed by the government and development partners, aims to upgrade classrooms, laboratories and training facilities to boost science and technical learning. Officials said they were committed to finishing on time and within budget.
By Jonathan Suluku
