Promote:
Invest in Sierra Leone
A short guide for companies expanding into Sierra Leone: the economy at a glance, the rules and steps to set up, and who can help, each with its source.
1. Sierra Leone at a glance
PopulationEstimate
8.82 million
Population was 8,819,794 people in 2025.
Source: World Bank WDI, population, Sierra Leone, 2025 (opens in a new tab) · as of 2025
GDPEstimate
US$7.46 billion
GDP was US$7.46 billion in 2025, in current dollars.
Source: World Bank WDI, GDP in current dollars, Sierra Leone, 2025 (opens in a new tab) · as of 2025
GDP per personEstimate
US$846
GDP per person was US$846.30 in 2025, in current dollars.
Source: World Bank WDI, GDP per capita, Sierra Leone, 2025 (opens in a new tab) · as of 2025
Real GDP growthEstimate
4.6%
Real GDP growth was 4.6 percent in 2025.
Source: World Bank WDI, real GDP growth, Sierra Leone, 2025 (opens in a new tab) · as of 2025
Inflation
15.7%
Consumer price inflation was 15.66 percent year on year in August 2026, up from 4.35 percent in December 2025.
Source: Statistics Sierra Leone, consumer price index, August 2026 (opens in a new tab) · as of August 2026
Foreign direct investment inflows
US$177 million
Foreign direct investment inflows were US$177.041 million in 2025.
Source: UNCTADstat, foreign direct investment inflows, Sierra Leone, 2025 (opens in a new tab) · as of 2025
The currency is the new leone.
Source: WTO, Trade Policy Review of Sierra Leone, March 2025 (opens in a new tab) · as of March 11, 2025
2. Before you set up
The investment agency, any one-stop route, the sectors reserved for nationals and the zones, as the guide found them.
The National Investment Board is the investment promotion agency; since 2022 it also runs export promotion and replaced the Sierra Leone Investment and Export Promotion Agency.
Source: National Investment Board, investment promotion and export page (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
The Board runs a one-stop shop, and its Business Facilitation Directorate must set up a center to help enterprises start and operate.
Source: SierraLII, National Investment Board Act, 2022 (opens in a new tab) · as of July 14, 2022
Mining licenses are reserved by ownership: artisanal licenses go only to Sierra Leone citizens or wholly citizen-owned bodies, and small-scale licenses need 30 percent citizen shares.
Source: SierraLII, Mines and Minerals Development Act, 2022 (opens in a new tab) · as of May 12, 2023
No official list or count of zones is published; the WTO's 2025 review names the Koya Industrial Zone and cites the Customs Act's zone provision.
Source: WTO, Trade Policy Review of Sierra Leone, March 2025 (opens in a new tab) · as of March 11, 2025
3. Steps to set up
The main steps, in order, each with the body responsible and its official page.
Setting up in Sierra Leone
- Reserve the business name and register the company through the National Investment Board's online portal, paying the fee at a bank in leones.National Investment Board3 to 5 working days, per the Board's FAQOfficial page (opens in a new tab)
Source: National Investment Board, frequently asked questions (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
- Register with the National Revenue Authority for a taxpayer identification number, which the Board asks for with a registration application.National Revenue AuthorityOfficial page (opens in a new tab)
Source: National Investment Board, frequently asked questions (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
- Apply to the National Investment Board for a certificate of incentives if you meet the Board's investment threshold and priority areas.National Investment BoardOfficial page (opens in a new tab)
Source: SierraLII, National Investment Board Act, 2022 (opens in a new tab) · as of July 14, 2022
- Get any sector license before you operate; mining licenses are issued by the Minister responsible for mines under the Mines and Minerals Development Act, 2022.Ministry of Mineral ResourcesOfficial page (opens in a new tab)
Source: SierraLII, Mines and Minerals Development Act, 2022 (opens in a new tab) · as of May 12, 2023
Show 2 more set-up steps
- Apply for work and residence permits online through the Unified Permit portal run by the Sierra Leone Immigration Department.Sierra Leone Immigration DepartmentAverage 8 business days for a work permit, per the portal (October 2025)Official page (opens in a new tab)
Source: Unified Permit portal, work and residence permits (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
- Arrange a land lease; as of 2025, per the WTO review, foreigners may lease land for up to 50 years, extendable by 21 years.National Investment BoardOfficial page (opens in a new tab)
Source: WTO, Trade Policy Review of Sierra Leone, March 2025 (opens in a new tab) · as of March 11, 2025
4. Organizations that help investors
Start with NIB and NRA. Each card links to the organization’s own site.
Each card says what it can help with:Get adviceFind financeMeet requirementsResearch markets
Investment and business setup
- Get advice
Investment and export promotion
NIB
National Investment Board
Registers businesses online, issues certificates of incentives and runs the directorate that took over export and investment promotion from the former agency.
Visit NIB (opens in a new tab)Source: National Investment Board, overview and services page (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
- Meet requirements
Immigration authority
Immigration Department
Sierra Leone Immigration Department
Runs the online portals for work and residence permits and for electronic visas.
Visit Immigration Department (opens in a new tab)Source: Sierra Leone Immigration Department, home page (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
Show 3 more organizations
- Get advice
Small business support agency
SMEDA
Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency
Registers small businesses and offers a diagnostics tool, training, and access to loans and grants.
Visit SMEDA (opens in a new tab)Source: SMEDA, home page (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
- Meet requirements
Local content regulator
Local Content Agency
Sierra Leone Local Content Agency
Runs local content compliance, a Made in Sierra Leone certification scheme and a technical skills database for businesses working under the local content policy.
Visit Local Content Agency (opens in a new tab)Source: Local Content Agency, home page (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
- Meet requirements
Government registry
OARG
Office of the Administrator and Registrar General
Keeps national registries and publishes the Trade Marks Regulations 2024 and the Patents Regulation and Industrial Designs Act 2022 for businesses protecting a brand or invention.
Visit OARG (opens in a new tab)Source: OARG, home page (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
Customs and tax
- Meet requirements
Tax and customs authority
NRA
National Revenue Authority
Collects taxes and runs customs, including ASYCUDA World declarations, tax clearance certificates and the list of tax laws.
Visit NRA (opens in a new tab)Source: National Revenue Authority, home page (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
Chambers and industry associations
- Get advice
Chamber of commerce
SLCCIA
Sierra Leone Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture
Certifies origin for preferential exports to the United States, ECOWAS states and the European Union, per the WTO's 2025 review.
Visit SLCCIA (opens in a new tab)Source: WTO, Trade Policy Review of Sierra Leone, March 2025 (opens in a new tab) · as of March 11, 2025
5. Worth knowing
Customs single window
The Finance Act 2026 provides for one Customs Single Window System for import, export and transit documents, while the WTO says a window began in 2020.
What to do: Ask customs which declarations go through the single window before you book a shipment.
Sources: Finance Act, 2026 (in force January 1, 2026) (opens in a new tab); WTO, Trade Policy Review of Sierra Leone, March 2025 (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
Reserved sectors
Mining licenses are reserved by ownership, and the Board may reserve areas of investment for Sierra Leoneans, but no list of reserved areas is published.
What to do: Check the license category and the citizen ownership share it requires before you start a mining project.
Sources: SierraLII, Mines and Minerals Development Act, 2022 (opens in a new tab); SierraLII, National Investment Board Act, 2022 (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
Company law reform
The Board's home page presents a 2026 company law as an Act, but its published document is a bill with no commencement date.
What to do: Confirm with the Board which company law applies before you file.
Sources: National Investment Board, home page (opens in a new tab); National Investment Board, Companies and Business Registration Bill, 2026 (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
Local content requirements
As of 2025, per the WTO review, incentives require a local content plan, and companies must fill at least 50 percent of managerial posts with nationals.
What to do: Prepare a local content plan with your incentive application and check the Local Content Agency's requirements.
Sources: WTO, Trade Policy Review of Sierra Leone, March 2025 (opens in a new tab); Local Content Agency, home page (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
Show 2 more
Currency and settlement
The central bank reports gross reserves covering about 2.1 months of imports in the first quarter of 2026.
What to do: Arrange dividend transfers through official channels and confirm timing with your bank.
Source: Bank of Sierra Leone, Monetary Policy Report, June 2026 (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
Insolvency framework
As of 2025, per the WTO review, the authorities say a weak insolvency framework raises credit costs and discourages bank lending.
What to do: Check security and recovery terms with a local lawyer before you lend or take guarantees.
Source: WTO, Trade Policy Review of Sierra Leone, March 2025 (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
6. How Promote:Global helps
- Compare Sierra Leone with other countriesSet Sierra Leone beside other countries on investment momentum, fundamentals and trade access, before site, tax and legal work.
- Find advisors and service firmsAsk an advisory firm a scoped, paid question, or browse firms that list their own services, from legal work to logistics.
- Organize your next stepsKeep each product and market in a project, with a roadmap of steps you work through.
Turn this guide into your Sierra Leone project.
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Promote:Sierra Leone is an independent guide by Promote:Global, not an official government portal. The organizations named here are independent public and membership bodies, not Promote:Global partners, and every link goes to their own site.
Facts read from public sources, with an editorial cut-off of October 31, 2026. Nothing here is investment, legal, tax or sanctions advice. Check current status with the organization before you rely on it.