By Kadijatu Bangura, Daily Scope
Freetown, April 19, 2026 More than 1.25 million tons of sand are extracted annually from the Freetown Peninsula and Lungi corridor, driving shoreline retreat and threatening tourism, ecosystems, and coastal infrastructure, World Bank findings show.
Presenting an assessment of sand mining in selected tourism and coastal communities, Urban Research Centre Director of Research Braima M. Koroma said Sierra Leone’s shoreline has receded by an average of 53 metres since 2000. The study covered extraction hotspots including John Obey, Lakka, Hamilton, and Mahera Beach.
Koroma said the practice is degrading protected ecosystems, with over 14% of marine protected areas and more than 12% of mangroves in the Western Area affected. About 60% of hotels along the Lakka–Hamilton corridor have reported erosion-linked structural damage.
Louise Twining-Ward, Global Sector Lead for Tourism at the World Bank, warned that unchecked extraction could end tourism along the Freetown Peninsula and Mahera corridor. “We will not only be talking about Hamilton, Lakka or Bureh Beach being gone, but also Lumley and Aberdeen,” she said, noting that visible changes in seawater and coastal conditions show the damage is already underway.
World Bank consultant Allieu Jalloh told stakeholders in Lungi that sand mining remains largely informal, supporting coastal livelihoods but exposing workers to risk and undermining fishing and tourism. Weak regulation and overlapping institutional mandates are key drivers, he said, adding that some local councils rely on revenue from the activity.
In Yongoro, Section Chief Pa Alimamy Kargbo described severe erosion, with land that once hosted homes now lost to the sea. “Areas that were once hundreds of feet from the shoreline are now submerged,” he said. He added that landowners are selling properties as they anticipate further encroachment.
Head of Climate Financing at the Ministry of Finance Sellu McCarthy said truck drivers pay communities and local councils, even as government disburses community development funds. “If sand extractors are also paying the local council, then the government will be overstretched,” he said. He recommended that the National Revenue Authority be involved in community-level payments to ensure state oversight.
Authorities are calling for a new national policy, stronger enforcement, and a Sand Mining Steering Committee to regulate extraction and protect coastal areas. Without intervention, experts warn, continued mining will accelerate beachfront loss, damage agriculture, and jeopardize hotels and other infrastructure.
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