How Businessmen & Politicians Continue to Gamble with Sierra Leone’s Future
The people of Sierra Leone are tired. Tired of being used. Tired of being deceived by greedy businessmen in suits and corrupt politicians who sell this country’s natural wealth for peanuts.
Yesterday it was African Minerals, London Mining, and their international backers and corrupt politicians.
Today, it is Mohamed Gento Kamara and his so-called “community lease agreement” at Kasafoni.
On Good Morning Salone (98.1 FM) last week, Gento tried to defend his dubious deal.
But the more he spoke, the clearer it became that his arguments were riddled with dishonesty, contradictions, and political grandstanding.
What he offered was not a defense—it was an insult to the intelligence of Sierra Leoneans.
Let us ask one simple question: Is $100,000 a year in surface rent a “favour” to the people of Diang, Sambaia, and Dansogoia chiefdoms? Does that sound like justice in a land blessed with iron ore deposits worth billions of dollars?
That money, shared across three chiefdoms, is nothing more than a pittance.
For me, the mining wealth of Kasafoni could transform the lives of every man, woman, and child in those communities.
But instead, deals like Gento’s are designed to keep poor people begging, while businessmen and politicians live large in mansions, drive the latest jeeps, and bluff as if they are doing charity.
Let’s be clear: Gento himself admitted he is a businessman. And the goal of any businessman is profit—not the welfare of the people. So why pretend otherwise? Why the crocodile tears about “helping President Bio’s vision”? That so-called “help” is nothing but a continuation of the same old trick—using the name of the poor to get rich while keeping the poor permanently trapped in poverty.
When pressed by the presenters at 98.1, Gento dodged almost every serious question. He offered no legal basis for his lease agreement, which bypassed the Ministry of Mines, Parliament, and the proper institutions. He could not explain where he would get the money for the Banana Island transshipment port—an astronomical project far beyond his company’s capacity. In fact , with my over 22 years experience as a journalist, the presenters ; Musa Kamara and Osman Kamara compromised their responsibility .
The interview was a soft ball session for Gento . It was carefully designed to avoid any probing or uncomfortable questions.
Instead, he tried to shift the conversation, playing mind games and throwing in tribal sentiments. One moment, he claimed he does not believe in tribalism, only national unity.
The next, he proudly declared himself a satisfied Temne-Limba man. Which is it, Mr. Gento ? You cannot wave the flag of tribe when it suits you and then discard it when it doesn’t.
Being satisfied or honest has nothing to do with tribe.
It has everything to do with integrity, accountability, and truth. And none of these were present in Gento’s remarks.
Let us not forget: in 2023, Gento ran for mayor of Freetown and lost woefully.
His speeches then were no different from now—promises of transformation, unity, and prosperity.
But behind the rhetoric lies the same story: a man who has used politics, construction contracts, and now mining to enrich himself and his allies, while ordinary Sierra Leoneans struggle with the worst economic hardship in living memory.
Unemployment is soaring. The cost of living is suffocating families. Rural communities are abandoned. And yet, businessmen/ politicians like Gento continue to partner with rogue politicians, foreign investors, and even shady international figures to plunder the nation’s resources.
They use their wealth—money taken from Sierra Leone’s minerals, land, and contracts—to bluff as philanthropists.
They hand out small donations at naming ceremonies, funerals, or community projects, making it look like generosity.
But in truth, they are only giving back a tiny fraction of what they stole, as if it were a favour.
Finance Minister Sheku Fantamadi Bangura was right to step in and put the Kasafoni deposits under state oversight through the Mines and Mineral Development and Management Corporation. For too long, this country has been robbed blind by shadowy agreements signed in backrooms and palaces.
This time, let us not be fooled. Sierra Leone needs transparency, accountability, and proper legal agreements that benefit the people—not personal deals brokered by rogue chiefs, greedy businessmen, and complicit politicians.
Mohamed Gento Kamara’s interview was not a defense—it was a confession. A confession that he is part of a system that has reduced Sierra Leone to beggary, a system where the poor are used as bargaining chips while the nation’s riches are sold off for next to nothing.
Kasafoni is a test case. If government officials truly stand with the people, they must cancel shady deals, resist pressure from businessmen-turned-politicians, and ensure that Sierra Leone’s mineral wealth benefits Sierra Leoneans.
Because the truth is simple: this country does not belong to Gento. It does not belong to rogue chiefs. It does not belong to foreign investors. It belongs to the people.
And the people deserve better than crumbs from their own table.
By Joe Turay
PUBLIC REVIEW NEWSPAPER 30th August 2025 .
