The Honourable Minister of Employment, Labour, and Social Security, Mohamed Rahman Swaray, today concluded a three-day compliance and enforcement mission in the Southern and Eastern Regions, signaling the government’s renewed commitment to enforcement of the Employment Act, 2023 and the Work Permit Act of 2023. The high-level visit, which began on Wednesday, has focused on workplace inspections, stakeholder engagement and improving inter-agency coordination ahead of an intensified nationwide enforcement campaign.
The delegation was led by Minister Swaray and included the Commissioner of Labour and Employment, Sinneh Bockarie and senior directors at the Ministry and officials from Constrat Systems SL Limited, the government’s PPP contractor for the Unified Resident and Work Permit System. The Constrat team was led by Ms Mercy Oguama, Head, Compliance, Complaints and Resolution and Ms Lydia Jalloh, Head, Corporate Services, representing the public and private sectors of the permit regime.
Over the three days, the delegation had live radio discussions, met with employers and workers and inspected several workplaces in Bo and Kenema. They visited Splash Purified Water Company, First Tricon Construction and Civil Engineering Company, Hill Top Hotel and other places. Non-compliant employers were served with directives and improvement notices to take immediate corrective actions to comply with new labour and work permit laws.
The mission also focused on building working relationships with security agencies. Minister Swaray and his team met with the Regional Police Commands of the two regions to coordinate enforcement, intelligence sharing and operational support for inspections at workplaces, airports, and borders. The discussions were aimed at developing a consistent operational framework across agencies to support future compliance activities and to improve the integrity and effectiveness of enforcement actions.
Commissioner Sinneh Bockarie commended the collaboration during the mission and stressed the overall benefits of the Unified Work Permit System. “I am encouraged by the high level of collaboration between Labour Officers, Immigration personnel, Sierra Leone Police and Constrat Systems teams in Bo and Kenema. “Despite the challenges, this partnership assures us that the Unified Work Permit System will be a success with joint enforcement and continuous public education,” she said. Commissioner Bockarie added that the system will not only improve regulatory compliance but also improve national security and increase government revenue by ensuring that foreign nationals employed in Sierra Leone are properly documented, traceable and working in accordance with the laws of the Republic.
The need for government and the private sector to work together in the design of an effective permit system was underlined by Mercy Oguama, on behalf of Constrat Systems SL Limited. She said that Constrat Systems, as the Government’s implementation partner for the Unified Resident and Work Permit System, remains committed to supporting the Ministry of Employment, Labour and Social Security and the Sierra Leone Immigration Department through efficient service delivery, stakeholder engagement and responsive compliance support. Our role is to assist in making sure employers and foreign nationals meet the legal requirements, and provide a professional and accessible service that enhances the integrity of the system.
The field mission is part of a larger national strategy to decentralise services and make compliance more accessible, Minister Swaray said. Regional offices have been opened in Bo, Kenema and Kono and will soon be officially commissioned. These offices will serve as regional hubs for processing work permits, compliance monitoring, inspections and employer support, making enforcement and service delivery more accessible to employers and employees outside of the capital.
The Ministry said enforcement efforts at transportation hubs are already paying off. Enforcement activities today at Freetown International Airport, where the Resident Permit regime is being implemented, led to the denial of boarding for five foreign nationals travelling on Air Peace for failing to present authentic resident documentation. The Ministry said similar enforcement will be conducted at seaports and land border crossings where foreign nationals will be required to present valid Resident Permits and, where applicable, Work Permits in accordance with Sierra Leonean law.
At the end of his visit, Minister Swaray said: “This mission is the dawn of a new era of compliance and enforcement. We trained employers, decentralised our services, and opened regional offices to make compliance more accessible. Both employers and foreign nationals are responsible for ensuring that they comply with the law. We will continue to uphold the Employment Act and the Work Permit Act without fear or favour. The message is clear from workplaces to airports, seaports and land borders: every foreign national must have the necessary documentation and every employer must abide by the law. Sierra Leone wants investment but wants it to be done in a compliant way.”
The government has reaffirmed its commitment to continue nationwide inspections under the new legal framework to protect workers’ rights, promote decent work, safeguard national security and ensure that all foreign nationals employed in Sierra Leone are doing so legally under the Employment Act of 2023 and the Work Permit Act of 2023.
