Without emphasis, road network is a consideration for any developing nation. Good roads connect different communities, open new networks and opportunities, accelerate socio-economic activities and bolster growth. In Sierra Leone, successive governments have embarked on road construction as its economy relies heavily on the movement of people and commodities by road. After the eleven-year civil war, the Government of President Ahmed Tejan Kabba (late) undertook several post-war developmental initiatives of which road construction was pivotal. He started and completed a good number of road projects nationwide, notably the Freetown-Makeni highway connecting the capital to the Northern province.

The late President also started a series of major road projects between 2005 and 2007, including the Masiaka-Bo as well as the Bo-Kenema Roads, which the Ernest Koroma-led government inherited in 2007 and completed by 2012. Koroma also initiated other major projects believed by many to be the nucleus of his administration’s agenda. His idea of constructing roads was commendable. However, a lot of the road projects undertaken by the erstwhile administration were at the centre of suspicion and debates due to allegations of inflated costs with poor quality that did not represent value for money.

In this article, we discuss the New Direction approach to road construction, taking into consideration sustainability, cost benefits, and value addition to the economy. We further highlight a flurry of road projects undertaken by the Julius Maada Bio-led government, thereby providing in-depth analyses of the extent to which these projects have helped to improve the lives of citizens, reduce the level of poverty and stimulate activities that support sound economic growth and development in the country.

There is an endless list of road projects being constructed, expanded and rehabilitated under the Bio administration. One such major road project is the USD$94 million Sefadu–Kaindordu–Guinea Boarder, which was recently launched by the government to connect the Eastern District to the Republic of Guinea. Guinea is Sierra Leone’s closest and, without a doubt, its most important trading partner. When completed, this new 78km route will improve the transportation network, increase socio-cultural exchanges among the people and, more importantly, accelerate trade volume between the two sister countries. Locally, the project will also connect several towns and chiefdoms within the Kono District, linking once hard-to-reach areas within the district, having a multiplier effect on domestic trade, tourism and agricultural activities.

Recently, a team from Sierra Leone Roads Authority and the GuicoPres Construction Company inspected the Kono-Guinea Road project to assess progress, monitor timelines, and discuss challenges with the relevant stakeholders. The project, funded by the European Union Development Fund (EDF), is expected to be completed in approximately 3 years.

Similarly, the largest European Union-funded project in Sierra Leone is the multimillion Euro Bandajuma-Liberia Road and Bridges Rehabilitation Project. The project makes provision for upgrading the 105km road between Sierra Leone and Liberia, including three new bridges crossing the Sewa, Wanjie and Moa Rivers. This project has boosted Sierra Leone’s core road network and opened the gateway to Liberia.

In view of the above, the African Development Bank, a Pan-African development agency, described it as a tangible project aiming to provide reliable access to socio-economic facilities, including schools, markets and health centres, to boost the local economy and contribute meaningfully to poverty alleviation. The newly rehabilitated road would also serve international traffic within ECOWAS/Mano River Union region (Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone), thus contributing to regional integration.

Additionally, the €33.8 million Moyamba Junction-Moyamba Road project in the Southern province has improved connectivity between Moyamba Town and Masiaka-Bo Highway, providing easy access to the South-Eastern districts. It caters for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of a 36km road, including four bridges (Gbangbama River, Yambatui River, two-lane bridges over the Rokel River and the Ribbi River). This road has opened the small mineral-endowed district to trade and investment opportunities.

In November 2020, His Excellency Dr Julius Maada Bio turned the sod for the construction of the 2.2km major road network in the Funkia – Goderich & Gbendembu – Majay Town communities; the over $3.6 million project is expected to benefit an estimation of over 40,000 people in the highlighted communities as well as boost the country’s tourism and fishery sectors. In his snappy delivery note, the President said his government had placed priority on the transport sector to improve living standards and spur economic growth.

*“The rehabilitation of the Funkia-Goderich Road is a fulfilment of the overall government strategy to open communities, towns and cities nationwide, seamlessly facilitate goods and services, helping to improve the living standards of the people. Roads are part of the cornerstones of my government, and we shall continue to invest in the maintenance, rehabilitation and construction of more roads nationwide,”* he affirmed enthusiastically.

Since President Julius Maada Bio commissioned the Lumely-Juba Sengbe Pieh Bridge in 2019, several significant roads and feeder roads in Freetown have been constructed/rehabilitated; the Babadorie–Regent Road, Minah Drive and Sugar Land Drive, together with the Lumley Bypass Road linking Juba and Aberdeen Creek totalling 5.27km, as well as the 3.2km Limkokwing-Regent Ring Road and the 2.2km Hill-Side Bypass Road (Phase II) have all eased traffic congestion, expanded the city and created access for citizens and businesses.

Other completed and ongoing township and provincial road projects, such as the 7.9km Waterloo Roads, the 23km Bonthe Township Roads that include a Sea Face Protection; the 5.7km in Makeni, Magburaka, Bo and Kenema, the 7.56km Blama, Hangha, Dama Roads and Kefrey Bridge in Kenema City, Bo-Mattru Jong Road linking Bo and Bonthe Districts respectively, the 5.5km Roads in Kabala, the 71.33km Songo Junction-Moyamba Road, the 85km Mano Junction-Tongo Field-Bumpeh Road linking Kenema and Kono Districts, the 21km Kuwait-funded Lumley-Tokeh Road, linking Freetown and Western Rural peninsula, are purposeful infrastructural developments undertaken by the New Direction administration.

As part of ongoing efforts to expand the road network across the country, the Government of Sierra Leone has completed feasibility studies and detailed engineering design for the construction of the 30km road linking Kambia Town to Kychom, 97km Bo-Yele-Matotoka Road connecting the South and the Northern provinces and the 90.70km Falaba-Krubola-Yengema Road. Before President Julius Maada Bio folds up his first term in office, it is believed that several roads linking cities, towns and villages will have been constructed and rehabilitated. This is the New Direction approach – connecting people and communities, providing access to social services and improving international and domestic trade networks.