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The National Commission for Social Action (NaCSA) has announced that grant payments for youth beneficiaries in Makeni under the Youth-Led Enterprise Support Project are now largely resolved, with 1,144 out of 1,500 trained beneficiaries having received their funds.
The update comes just days after hundreds of youths took to the streets of Makeni to protest the non-disbursement of funds under the Productive Social Safety Nets and Youth Employment (PSSNYE) project.
In a statement released on Sunday, NaCSA said payments in Freetown, Bo and Kenema were completed successfully, but Makeni experienced delays due to discrepancies between some National Identification Numbers and bank account details.
“These issues have now been largely resolved,” the commission said. “To date, 1,144 beneficiaries in Makeni have received their grants. The remaining 356 verified beneficiaries have now been cleared for payment, and their grants will be disbursed no later than Thursday.”
The project, funded by the World Bank and the Government of Sierra Leone, supports young entrepreneurs in Freetown, Bo, Kenema and Port Loko. On 30 June 2026, President Julius Maada Bio held a Town Hall engagement in Makeni where he symbolically presented cheques totalling $450,000 to 1,500 young people. Each beneficiary was to receive the Leones equivalent of $300, along with training in demand-driven skills.
However, weeks after the presidential handover, beneficiaries reported that up to 95% of them had yet to see the funds reflect in their accounts at Rokel Commercial Bank. The delays sparked a protest on 30 July 2026 at the Makeni City Council, drawing over 700 young people demanding answers.
Beneficiaries had expressed frustration over the humiliation they faced when attempting to access their funds, with some reporting that bank staff told them they needed someone to “pull” the money on their behalf. Others said they faced ridicule from family members who questioned why they participated in the programme only to receive nothing.
One beneficiary told this reporter: “In fact, even my family members bash at me. Most of them bash at me, they say I go and allow them to use me, at the end of the day waiting for benefit.”
NaCSA has urged beneficiaries to remain patient as the remaining administrative issues are resolved. The commission did not address allegations that beneficiaries in other districts received their funds while Makeni youths were left waiting.
The PSSNYE project was designed to provide both financial support and demand-driven skills training to ensure long-term impact for Sierra Leonean entrepreneurs. With 1,144 youths now paid and the remaining 356 cleared for disbursement, the commission says the matter is close to full resolution.
