News

The Director General of the Sierra Leone Ports and Harbours Authority (SLPHA), Yankuba Askia Bio, is currently leading a joint decongestion exercise within the operational areas of the Queen Elizabeth II Quay, Cline Town in Freetown.

The exercise which commenced on Monday 10th August, 2026 is a multi-agency operation which

involves officials from the Sierra Leone Road Safety Authority (SLRSA), including the Executive Director, James Baggie Bio, the Indigenous Transport Owners Association (ITOA), Freetown Terminal Limited, among others. It is an exercise which seeks to create a seamless process in the movement of containers and other items out of the port upon completion of all relevant documentation, payment of revenue, and proper checks.

Mr Bio stated at the commencement of the exercise that the operation is key as it is geared towards ensuring the smooth and timely movement of containers out of the port. “The Port is currently congested. It is a fact and we know the rippling effect it has on importers and the consumers of goods – our fellow citizens – thus as a responsible institution, we are concerned which is why we are fighting to decongest the port to avoid delays in containers reaching their final destinations,” DG Bio told truck drivers as he urged them to exit the port.

Since the commencement of the decongestion exercise, faulty trucks causing traffic at the port, as well as those deemed not roadworthy, have been set aside and the owners via their drivers have been instructed to maintenance their automobiles before they will be allowed into the port. Through the SLRSA, vehicle and body licenses are being verified to ascertain the eligibility of cargo haulage trucks and drivers.

Emphasizing that decongesting the port will not only ensure a faster clearance process which greatly benefits importers and end users of goods imported into the country, D.G. Bio maintained that a decongested port will contribute to more reduced turnaround time. He furthered that a reduction in turnaround time at the port of Freetown will boost operational efficiency, thereby increasing on the productivity of the Authority. “As major contributors to the economy of Sierra Leone, we want to continue supporting national development via our services at the port thus we want no bottleneck.

There are prevailing issues but we will not play the blame game. Rather, all hands are on deck now so that we ensure a decongested port,” the SLPHA Boss stated.