(Part 3)
The controversy over the Kasafoni iron ore deposits in northern Sierra Leone has once again exposed the deep fault lines in how the country’s natural resources are managed, raising questions over legality, transparency, and whether ordinary people ever see the benefits of the nation’s mineral wealth.
Businessman/ politician Mohamed Gento Kamara, head of Gento Group, defended a lease agreement he claimed to have signed with traditional chiefs in the Diang, Sambaia, and Dansogoia chiefdoms. Speaking on Good Morning Salone (Radio Democracy 98.1FM), he argued that the deal was in the interest of local communities and aligned with President Julius Maada Bio’s development vision.
For me , his remarks were evasive and contradictory, and that the arrangement never followed the legal procedures required by the Ministry of Mines or Parliament.
However, Finance Minister Sheku Fantamadi Bangura has since moved to transfer Kasafoni to the newly created state-owned Mines and Mineral Development and Management Corporation — a step seen as necessary to stop what many call “backdoor” deals that enrich elites at the expense of citizens.
Arguably , the dispute echoes a familiar story across Africa.
For example, In Ghana, gold mining has displaced villagers while leaving communities without clean water. The same goes for Democratic Republic of Congo, where cobalt mining profits flow abroad while local towns remain destitute.
And again , in Nigeria’s Niger Delta, oil wealth has enriched multinationals and elites, while residents live with environmental devastation and poverty.
Therefore , Sierra Leone is no exception; from places like Kono’s diamonds to Tonkolili’s iron ore, the pattern has been one of riches extracted with little to show for it on the ground.
In essence, the Kasafoni case is not the first time Sierra Leone’s mining sector has been mired in controversy.
During the APC regime of Ernest Bai Koroma , African Minerals Limited once promised to transform the Tonkolili district with iron ore extraction, but when global prices collapsed, the company pulled out in 2015 and this led to Thousands lost jobs overnight, and communities were left with dust, polluted water, and dashed hopes.
During that same regime , London Mining similarly abandoned its Marampa operations after bankruptcy, leaving behind a trail of unpaid debts and shattered livelihoods.
And not forgetting popular Diamond town of Kono, where decades of diamond mining funded elites and fueled conflict, while local residents remain among the poorest in the country.
Hence , these experiences have left deep scars, fueling suspicion that Kasafoni could become another chapter in the same story.
In the case of Gento , and under his chiefdom agreements he claimed local communities would receive surface rents of about $100,000 a year.
This is a pittance compared with the potential billions in iron ore exports from Kasafoni.
And this exposes a clear imbalance and that is ; communities are handed token sums while elites and middlemen secure deals that promise them immense profits.
Here is Gento again who has positioned himself as a patriotic businessman supporting the president’s vision.
But here is the thing ; his focus, like any businessman is profit — not lifting rural Sierra Leoneans out of poverty.
Here is another paradox; during the interview session on Radio Democracy 98.1, Gento avoided direct answers to questions about how he would finance major projects such as the Banana Island transshipment port — an undertaking worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
One would argue that financing this project is far beyond the capacity of a local contractor, raising questions about whether hidden foreign backers are involved.
Like many local businesses men in Sierra Leone who play mind game and use the gullible public for their selfish gains and politics ; , here is Gento again , when he invoked his Temne-Limba heritage, despite saying earlier he did not believe in tribal politics.
For me , this a distraction tactic, particularly in a country where tribal and regional politics often cloud public debate.
Now , by taking Kasafoni under state management, Finance Minister Bangura has opened the door to a different model.
But , I hope he is genuine ; considering how politicians in Sierra Leone are deceptive and don’t seek the interest of the country in real time .
They are so corruption that they fight issues mostly when they get “commission “ benefit by way of taking bribes from these so called international companies or investors .
Again , I don’t believe the present pack of rogue politicians in both APC and SLPP are genuine and serious to redeem that Sierra Leone from its present economic woes .
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They are bent on destroying the country and with a clear fixation to bring abject hardship and poverty on the lives of ordinary citizens.
They are all a bunch of corrupt crew in one social club .
For people like Gento; he should understand that some of us are far more intelligent and educated than him ; that we can’t allow him to continue to manipulate the minds of the suffering masses in the name of him being “Temne – Limba and a so called young man or local content” in the name of politics and selfishness.
After all, I am a full blown Limba from Tonkoh Limba .
Yes , I was Born and raised in Brookfields/ Portuguese town community Freetown ; but I can’t dance to this tribal card that has destroyed that country.
Sierra Leone’s history is littered with state-backed companies that fell prey to the same corruption and mismanagement as private firms.
The question now is whether Kasafoni will mark a break from the past, with transparent agreements, accountable revenue sharing, and genuine development for host communities — or whether it will repeat the cycle that has long plagued Sierra Leone: promises made, resources extracted, and communities abandoned.
By Joe Turay
PUBLIC REVIEW NEWSPAPER 4th August , 2025
