Category: Business & Finance

Freetown, September 15, 2025  – Sierra Leone’s informal economy continues to flow beneath the surface of official trade statistics, with new data from Statistics Sierra Leone (Stats SL) revealing that unrecorded cross-border trade hit NLe24,089,399 in March 2024 alone. The findings, drawn from the 2024 Informal Cross Border Trade (ICBT) survey, underscore the scale and strategic importance of informal commerce between Sierra Leone and its neighboring countries.

Freetown, September 15, 2025  – A performance audit into the Freetown City Council’s management of tied grants has revealed disturbing irregularities in the disbursement of youth start-up funds, raising serious questions about transparency, accountability, and the integrity of public spending.

Freetown, September 15th 2025- A performance audit of Sierra Leone’s Youth Empowerment Programmes has revealed systemic financial mismanagement totaling over NLe2.8 million between 2020 and 2022, casting doubt on the Ministry of Youth Affairs’ (MoYA) ability to deliver on its strategic plan for youth developmen

Freetown, September 8th 2025- Sierra Leone’s external debt service obligations are projected to grow steadily over the coming years, raising critical questions about the sustainability of the country’s debt and its ability to fund essential public services. According to projections for 2023–2027, the country faces escalating debt repayments across multilateral, bilateral, and commercial creditors.

Freetown, 8th September 2025- Sierra Leone’s latest inflation data for July 2025 paints a subtle picture of regional economic dynamics, revealing both signs of resilience and pockets of concern. According to the national index benchmarked to December 2021, inflation eased slightly at the national level, down from 7.10% in June to 6.45% in July, yet regional disparities remain stark.