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Thousands of Sierra Leoneans living in the capital, Freetown, continue to grapple with housing challenges, including limited availability, high prices, inconvenient locations, and difficulties with housing agents.
In a recent report presented to the Freetown City Council by urban development expert Joseph M. Macarhty, the city’s acute housing shortage was extensively analyzed.
The 2024 report paints a concerning picture: limited private-sector investment, escalating land prices, and a government still struggling to attract meaningful partnerships for affordable housing, despite offering numerous concessions.
Most homes in Freetown are constructed and rented out by private individuals, which makes the sector vulnerable to market volatility and unchecked pricing, further exacerbating the housing crisis.
The challenges are layered: an inefficient land market, exorbitant building material costs, and a lack of affordable, serviced land have all contributed to the rapid expansion of informal settlements, the report read. A Local housing agent, Jonathan did say “Some single rooms now cost ten thousand Leones yearly in parts of Freetown,” “That’s outrageous for middle- and low-income earners. Many are forced to settle in slums, coastal areas, or the mountains where rent is cheaper but conditions are dire.” He continues.
Amidu a city resident explained how he has being searching for a house to rent for the past five months, “Every day I hawked within the eastern part of Freetown, searching for a place to rent for five whole months, but I couldn’t get any!” He said.“Most places I found were either too expensive or lacked basic amenities. It was a difficult search,” he continues.
Legal expert Kamara Esq. in his statement did say, “Freetown’s rental market suffers from price volatility, weak tenure security, and substandard living conditions especially in informal settlements.” He also noted that even before recent economic shocks, the city had 68 informal settlements, sheltering about 35% of the population. “This statistic alone shows the scale of the problem and the urgent need for enforceable rent rules.”
Earlier this year, a coalition of stakeholders including the Minister of Lands, housing experts, and civil society organizations met to address the crisis. Yet, the struggle persists. Families in Freetown continue to live in overcrowded, unsafe conditions, burdened by high land costs and an unregulated rental market.
“It’s extremely expensive to rent even a single room in central Freetown. That’s why people turn to disaster-prone communities because the houses there are cheaper,” said Amadu a Freetown resident.
Many residents registered their frustrations on the housing rental issue in the city and call on the authority to regulate the housing settle to avoid people living in the disaster prone areas.
In response to the housing issue in the city, the Sierra Leone Housing Corporation (SALHOC) and Banga Group have geared a plan to construct 5,000 affordable homes nationwide.
Following a July 2025 Memorandum of Understanding, both parties inspected over 380 acres across Mile 6, Mapara, and Macdonald, land earmarked for construction.
SALHOC and Banga partnership seems to be the new hope for housing issues in the capital city but the demand for housing is on the increase as the city continues to grow population.
Source: Truth Media whatsapp channel
