By Kelfala Kargbo
Freetown, September 30, 2026 – The Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF) has announced plans to recruit and train 4,000 new personnel in 2027, in what officials describe as a major step to strengthen national defence capacity.
Chief of Defence Staff, Major General Idara Bangura, disclosed the plan during the Financial Year 2027 budget hearing at the Miatta Civic Centre. He explained that the recruitment will be conducted in two phases, with 2,000 personnel trained in the first six months and another 2,000 in the second half of the year, describing it as a “brigade exercise.”
While the army’s budget document initially requested the recruitment of 1,800 personnel, including 300 specialists, Major General Bangura said the figure was revised upward to 4,000 to address manpower gaps and replace retiring officers.
Major General Amara I. Bangura highlighted the financial implications, noting that training one soldier costs the country more than US$45,000, underscoring the significant investment required to build and maintain a professional force.
Currently, 1,452 personnel are undergoing training, including 500 border guards yet to be formally recruited. In addition, 1,048 soldiers recruited in 2025 are already in service, according to the Defence Chief.
Despite these efforts, Major General Bangura admitted that the army lacks sufficient resources to fully secure lives and property across land, air, and cyberspace. He appealed to the Ministry of Finance to provide adequate funding for the Ministry of Defence and RSLAF to meet its 2027 deliverables, stressing that “defence is expensive.”
