By Kadijatu Bangura, D.S
Black Johnson, Western Area Rural District Thursday, April 23, 2026 President Julius Maada Bio on Thursday launched construction of the Julius Maada Bio Industrial Fishing Port at Black Johnson, in a move the government says will anchor Sierra Leone’s push into the Blue Economy and overhaul its fisheries sector.
Addressing stakeholders at the sod-turning ceremony, President Bio described Sierra Leone as a maritime nation that has yet to capture the full value of its marine resources. Despite 570 kilometres of coastline and an estimated 450,000 metric tons of sustainable annual fish stock, he said, inadequate infrastructure for harvesting, preservation, processing and regulation has limited domestic benefits.
“For decades, the absence of proper port infrastructure has allowed foreign fleets to extract value from our waters while local fishing communities suffer heavy post-harvest losses,” Bio said. “This is not a failure of effort, but a failure of infrastructure, investment, and national prioritisation. Today, we begin to correct it.”
The President said the new facility will function as an integrated fisheries hub, handling vessel berthing, unloading, fuel supply, maintenance, transshipment, processing and distribution to domestic and international markets. The design also incorporates port state measures to meet global fisheries governance standards.
“This is not just a local project. It is Sierra Leone taking its rightful place in the global ocean economy,” Bio told the gathering.
Recalling his tenure as Sierra Leone’s first Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Bio noted his role in the country’s 1994 ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. He also shared personal recollections of fishing communities where hard work did not translate into fair economic returns due to systemic gaps.
The $55 million project is funded by a Chinese government grant. President Bio thanked President Xi Jinping for what he called a “responsive, respectful, and results-driven” partnership. “On behalf of every Sierra Leonean who will benefit, I say thank you,” he said.
Once completed, the port is expected to raise fisheries productivity, cut post-harvest losses, expand export capacity, generate employment and strengthen Sierra Leone’s position in the global fisheries value chain.
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