Hundreds of youths in Makeni have taken to the streets to protest the non-disbursement of funds under the Productive Social Safety Nets and Youth Employment (PSSNYE) project, nearly two months after President Dr Julius Maada Bio symbolically handed over cheques to beneficiaries.

The protest, which began on 30 July 2026 at the Makeni City Council, has drawn over 700 young people who say they have not received the Leones equivalent of $300 promised to them under the World Bank-funded initiative.

The PSSNYE project, implemented by the National Youth Commission (NAYCOM) with support from the World Bank, aims to empower young entrepreneurs across the country. On 30 June 2026, President 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 $300, along with training in demand-driven skills to ensure sustainability.

However, weeks after the official photo opportunities, beneficiaries report that up to 95% of them have yet to see the funds reflect in their accounts at Rokel Commercial Bank.

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“Since the President did the disbursement during the town hall meeting, up to now, the majority of us have not been able to get the money,” the beneficiary said. “To my greatest surprise, during the first payment term, we were not paid.”

He described the humiliation beneficiaries have faced when attempting to access their funds.

“We get some of our colleagues, they will go to the bank. They will receive a lot, but trust me, when they reach the bank, they will tell them that they need someone to pull them on behalf of them,” he said.

The protest organiser claimed that up to 95 per cent of beneficiaries in Makeni have not received their funds, and called on the government to provide answers.

“We want the government and other stakeholders to be concerned and let them know that this cannot go on as they talk,” he said.

The impact of the delays has extended beyond financial hardship. Some beneficiaries told this reporter that they have faced ridicule from family members and community members who question why they participated in the programme only to receive nothing.

“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,” one beneficiary said. “People in the media want me to cry too. They say, ‘You will get the election of the president. Why don’t you give 34,000? Which is fake.'”

Beneficiaries are now demanding immediate action from the President and the government.

“I want to send this message, especially to His Excellency the President. The money is not reflecting,” one youth said. “Before we take the loan that we are unable to go there and process there, we’re going to send it to Mars every day. Because this money, we’re not ready for it to go today, tomorrow, until we get this money. No way.”

He added: “The youth are not going to exercise patience over this money. All the other districts have not got their loans. Makeni, these kinds of things happen. So, with the big corporate government, we’re going to come and we’re going to aid. Then we’re able to get their money.”

Makeni youths allege that beneficiaries in other districts have successfully received their loans, leading to accusations of regional neglect. “All the other districts have got their loans,” a youth organizer said. “The youth are not going to exercise patience over this money.”

The PSSNYE project was designed to provide both financial support and demand-driven skills training to ensure long-term impact for Sierra Leonean entrepreneurs.