MoPED Minister and ECOWAS Hand Over Wai Border Market Site, Pledge Completion Within President Bio’s Tenure

The Minister of Planning and Economic Development (MoPED), Madam Kanyah Barlay, together with ECOWAS Ambassador to Sierra Leone, Mr John Azuma, on Monday, 17 November 2025, officially handed over the site for a new border market in Wai Village, Sorogbema Chiefdom, Pujehun District, to contractors Sierra Brothers Construction Services (SL) Limited. The project, supported by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), is intended to bolster cross-border trade and regional integration between Sierra Leone and neighbouring Liberia.

Wai was selected for its strategic location between Sulima and the Liberian border, a position organisers say will facilitate the flow of goods and people and strengthen livelihoods in border communities. At the handover ceremony, Madam Barlay said the market forms part of a broader development agenda anchored in the government’s five “big game changers,” and she expressed confidence that the works would be delivered within the stipulated four-month timeframe — a timeline she tied to the priorities of President Julius Maada Bio.

Madam Barlay said agriculture remains central to the government’s plans under the Feed Sierra Leone initiative, which she described as the engine of growth. She emphasised human capital development and urged parents to send their children to school so they can take full advantage of emerging economic opportunities. Other priorities she listed under the five game changers include improved access to health care, an ambitious youth employment scheme aimed at generating jobs for some 500,000 young people through public-private partnerships, and continued infrastructural development. Madam Barlay also noted that ECOWAS Vision 2050 aligns with Sierra Leone’s national priorities and observed that 2025 marks the 50th anniversary of ECOWAS, adding symbolic weight to the market project.

In his keynote address, ECOWAS Ambassador John Azuma conveyed fraternal greetings from Dr Omar Alie Turay, President of the ECOWAS Commission in Abuja. He said ECOWAS places strong emphasis on economic cooperation and people-centred development and is taking tangible steps to promote cross-border trade and empower border communities. The ambassador described the new market as a product of collaborative planning among multiple stakeholders and as a catalyst for income generation, women’s economic empowerment and community cohesion. He said such investments not only boost trade but can lead to wider social benefits, including improved schooling and enhanced peace and security in the locality.

The market design includes an office space, a cold room for preservation of perishable goods, storage units, concrete walkways and water tanks. Contractor Ibrahim Kowa, representing Sierra Brothers Construction Services, told attendees that his company won the contract through a competitive bidding process and reiterated a firm commitment to complete construction within four months. He said the project will create significant local employment — between 60 and 70 per cent of workers on site will be recruited from surrounding communities — supporting a local content policy while also improving market infrastructure and stimulating the development of access roads.
Local leadership at the ceremony expressed gratitude and pledged support for the project. Augustine Zoka, speaker of Sorogbema Chiefdom and chairman of the event, described hosting the market as a historic honour for the community, noting that other localities had competed for the opportunity. He assured stakeholders that the people of Sorogbema would take ownership of the facility and protect the investment for the wider benefit of their community.
Paramount Chief Mustapha Massaquoi recalled the intense contest among the district’s 14 chiefdoms for the market’s location and noted with pride that Sorogbema had avoided cases of Ebola and COVID-19 in past outbreaks. He said that despite the district’s 19 known illegal crossing points, there is no prevailing security threat in the chiefdom, and he urged government and partners to pursue further development interventions in the area. The Paramount Chief also raised concern over a separate proposed FIFA-funded project — a stadium, football academy and health centre — for which the chiefdom had donated 100 acres of land, but which has not yet commenced. He appealed to the minister to follow up on that outstanding commitment.

Komba Momoh, head of the ECOWAS National Office in Sierra Leone, explained that the market site selection followed field visits and consultations by an ECOWAS team with local stakeholders and a subsequent procurement process that led to the award of the contract. A multi-ministerial committee — including representatives from Education, Social Welfare, Gender and Children’s Affairs, Local Government, and Internal Affairs — was established when ECOWAS initiated support, ensuring cross-sectoral inputs into the project.
Cultural performances, the presentation of traditional cloths to the ECOWAS ambassador and the MoPED minister, the formal delivery of a position paper by the Paramount Chief, and a vote of thanks by community representative Musu Kabai were among the event’s highlights. Kabai emphasised that the market would particularly benefit women traders.
With the site formally handed over, officials, contractors and community leaders expressed optimism that the Wai market will quickly become a hub for trade and a tangible example of national and regional partnership — provided the construction remains on schedule and local cooperation continues.