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Sierra Leone’s approach to housing development and land management entered a transformative phase today as the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Country Planning and the Ministry of Defence formalized a new partnership through a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).
Rather than a routine administrative exchange, the event, held in the Ministry of Lands Conference Room, represented a deeper shift in national development strategy: mobilizing the country’s security sector as an engine for infrastructure delivery, land protection, and urban expansion.
Presiding over the ceremony, Senior Permanent Secretary Mr. Abdul R.M. Fofanah emphasized that the agreement reflects a pragmatic evolution in how government institutions can work together to solve long-standing national challenges.
Minister of Lands Dr. Turad Senesie framed the MOU as a deliberate redesign of the country’s housing development model. Calling the collaboration “history making,” he underscored the need for coordinated state action amid Sierra Leone’s severe housing deficit.
According to Dr. Senesie, the military’s involvement is both timely and strategic:
“Across the sub-region, we see the armed forces leading development initiatives. This partnership recognizes our military as not just defenders of peace, but also partners in building the nation.”
The MOU empowers the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF) to take on new development-oriented roles, including:
Participating in the establishment of new cities to ease congestion in Freetown and other urban centers
In one of the ceremony’s most direct messages, Dr. Senesie warned land grabbers and institutions aiding them that the era of impunity is coming to an end.
“This collaboration will wipe out the era of fraud,” he declared. “Any entity working with land grabbers is working against Sierra Leone.”
With the military now formally integrated into land protection efforts, the ministry expects enhanced enforcement and quicker response to illegal occupation of state property.
The Chief of Defence Staff reaffirmed that the RSLAF remains committed not only to national security but also to national development. He praised the MOU as a natural extension of the military’s peacetime responsibilities.
The Deputy Minister of Defence echoed these sentiments, describing the partnership as a reinforcement of the military’s alignment with the government’s development priorities and the President’s broader agenda.
The Deputy Minister of Lands celebrated the renewed momentum, stating that the collaboration has moved from goodwill to tangible action.
What emerges from this agreement is not just a technical partnership, but a re-engineering of how Sierra Leone intends to manage land, deliver housing, and expand its cities. With the military stepping into a more active development role, the government signals a more assertive and coordinated push towards sustainable national transformation.
