By Kelfala Kargbo
Freetown, 4th May, 2026 — Parliament has pledged stronger oversight of Sierra Leone’s mobile network operators (MNOs), as lawmakers push for affordable and reliable communication services to support the country’s digital transformation.
The commitment was made during a stakeholders’ engagement convened by the Parliamentary Committee on Communication, Innovation and Technology at the Atlantic Hotel, bringing together key players in the sector, including Africell, Orange, and Qcell.
Clerk of Parliament Karmoh Conteh, delivering the keynote, urged committees to go beyond routine status reports and exercise their full mandate under Section 93 of the Standing Orders. “We know we have to call for documentation. The tradition has been to call for status reports, ask a few questions, and stop there. That must change,” Conteh said, stressing the need for deeper probes to inform legislation and policy.
Committee Chair Hon. Boston Munda said the engagement was aimed at validating service quality and driving reforms. “We came out of Parliament to discuss the way forward as consumers ourselves, to ensure proper quality of service in the sector,” he noted.
Minister of Communication, Innovation and Technology, Salima Bah, highlighted government investments of NLe 400 million in infrastructure over the past five years, alongside a US$15 million World Bank grant to land a second cable. She said the expansion will connect Falaba and Karene to the fiber backbone, bringing coverage to 14 of 16 districts, with 90% population coverage and 80% modernization achieved.
Hon. Munda emphasized that Parliament’s oversight role now extends to verifying these figures. “We will go out on oversight to monitor and evaluate what the minister said. These are numbers, and we must validate them through presence and activity,” he said.
Industry representatives raised challenges, with Africell CEO Shadi Gerjawi citing fuel price hikes as a major driver of costs. Minister Bah acknowledged that MNOs consume around 2 million liters of fuel monthly, underscoring the link between energy costs and service affordability.
The Clerk concluded by urging committees to conduct further research and strengthen technical capacity, ensuring resources are allocated effectively. He stressed that robust oversight, backed by law, is essential to guarantee accountability and sustainability in Sierra Leone’s communications sector.
