Sierra Leone has great natural resources, such as high quality iron ore and diamonds. There is also plenty of rutile, bauxite and gold. The diamonds are often easily accessible in river deposits. Oil and natural gas have been found offshore, but no recovery has yet begun. Iron mining on a larger scale was initiated in 2012, but almost all operations ceased as a result of the Ebola outbreak in 2014 (see Finance).
In recent years, the US-based oil company Anadarko Petroleum has announced that new, large oil discoveries have been found. Several other companies, such as Russian Lukoil, have also obtained licenses to search for and extract oil. However, the Ebola crisis has set a bar and with reduced demand and a record low world market price of oil, it is uncertain whether a recovery can pay off.
COUNTRYAAH: Major exports by Sierra Leone with a full list of the top products exported by the country. Includes trade value in U.S. dollars and the percentage for each product category.
From 2000 until June 2003, the UN Security Council banned trade in Sierra Leonean diamonds, which was not accompanied by an official certificate that they had been legally broken. The intention was to prevent the Ruf rebels from financing their warfare with the help of “blood diamonds”. The embargo was lifted when the government managed to convince the Security Council that it had taken power to gain control of the diamond mining. Sierra Leone participates in the so-called Kimberley Process, where upwards of 50 diamond-producing and importing countries have committed to counteract the illegal diamond trade that has fueled several African wars. However, this does not mean that all diamond smuggling has ceased.
All the electricity in the capital Freetown and other major cities are still coming from oil-powered power plants. Due to oil shortages, power outages are common. Large parts of the hinterland have no electricity supply at all. A large hydroelectric power plant at Bumbuna Falls in the north was completed in 2009 after decades of work. The project largely stopped during the 1991–2002 war, but then resumed and expedited the work. The facility was financed to more than half by the World Bank. However, an even bigger expansion is ongoing and is expected to be completed in 2017.
Abbreviationfinder: A popular acronym site in the world covering abbreviation for each country. For example, SL stands for Sierra Leone. Visit itypeusa for more information about Sierra Leone.
Renewable energy is also invested. Among other things, Abu Dhabi has funded a solar energy investment. Sierra Leone also participates in a collaborative project financed by the African Development Bank in the field of energy between several countries in West Africa. The government’s (optimistic) goal is to extract 1000 mW by 2017, which would then cover a large part of the country’s electricity needs.
FACTS – ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT
Carbon dioxide emissions in total
1 309 thousand tonnes (2014)
Carbon dioxide emissions per inhabitant
0.2 ton (2014)
The share of energy from renewable sources
77.7 percent (2015)
2017
December
Police Chief gets to go
December 4th
President Koromo dismisses Chief of Police Francis Munu and appoints him new ambassador to Liberia. Koromo does not say what motivated the decision, but the dismissal comes after pressure from the SLPP, including since the party’s spokesman Lahai Lawrence Leema and several party activists were arrested.
“Peace Diamond” brings in just over $ 6 million
December 4th
The sale of a 709 carat diamond, the size of an egg and the largest found in Sierra Leone, brings in $ 6.5 million at a New York auction. The so-called peace diamond was found by a Christian pastor, Emmanuel Momoh, who decided that it should be sold and that the proceeds go to local development projects.
November
Ecowas Court: Failure to dismiss Vice President Sam-Sumana
November 27th
President Koroma made mistakes that dismissed Vice President Samuel Sam-Sumana after he was excluded from the APC government in March 2015. It states an Ecowas court, citing that it had not followed the applicable procedures and thus goes against the Supreme Court ruling in September 2015 It states that the government must pay Sam-Sumana’s salary and also bear the costs of the trial. The Ecowas Court’s decision is binding and cannot be appealed. However, the Sierra Leonean Ministry of Justice claims that the Ecowas Court has no mandate to decide the case. Samuel Sam-Sumana intends to run for office in the March 2018 presidential election.
Ebola money disappeared into corruption
November 3
The Red Cross apologizes for the equivalent of $ 6 million in aid funds disappeared through corruption and fraud during the Ebola crisis in West Africa 2014 to 2016. For Sierra Leone, it was about $ 2.1 million that disappeared in a scam where former Red Cross employees cooperated with a Bank.
October
Kamara and Bio will be the main candidates in the 2018 presidential election
October 16
The country’s two largest parties will announce their candidates in the March 2018 presidential election. The ruling party General People’s Congress (APC) appoints Foreign Minister Samura Kamara as its presidential candidate. Kamara is an economist and has previously worked for the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP), weakened by strong internal contradictions, will, as in the 2012 elections, be represented by a former military: Julius Maada Bio. So far, 13 parties have been registered to stand in the parliamentary elections, while another seven are waiting for the go-ahead. Tensions in the country are rising before the election, among other things, death threats have been directed at two members of the election commission.
August
At least 400 dead in landslides
August 14th
At least 400 people have died in connection with floods and landslides in Freetown. Vice President Victor Foh warns that the death toll may rise as another 600 people are missing. About 3,000 people are estimated to have lost their homes. Those affected were residents of houses, often erected without permission, along rock walls on the outskirts of the capital. According to a national environmental organization Society 4 Climate Change Communication (S4CCC), the disaster was triggered for several reasons: climate change, forest harvesting, lack of urban planning.
