NPRA Director General Brima Baluwa Koroma and SLSB's Executive Director, Dr. John Paul Kai SamThe National Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NPRA) and the Sierra Leone Standards Bureau (SLSB) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at NPRA’s headquarters in the British Council Building on Tower Hill to formalise their strategic partnership. The agreement, described by both institutions as a watershed moment, seeks to strengthen cooperation, harmonise standards, and improve service delivery in Sierra Leone’s petroleum sector.
Speaking at the ceremony, NPRA Director General Brima Baluwa Koroma stated that the agreement represents a significant step toward closer collaboration between the two agencies. He praised the leadership of SLSB’s Executive Director, Dr. John Paul Kai Sam, and emphasised that, while the meeting was long overdue, it is critical for addressing industry-wide bottlenecks through sustained, structured engagement.
“At this moment, we need to harmonise our institutional goals and objectives and focus on improving our working relationships for efficient service delivery,” Koroma told reporters. He emphasised that effective inter-departmental collaboration will reduce suspicion, avoid duplication of roles, shorten turnaround times, and increase efficiencies in policy implementation. Koroma also reaffirmed the NPRA’s commitment to inclusive regulatory development, stating that extensive stakeholder consultation is central to the Authority’s approach when developing new policies.
Koroma emphasised SLSB’s critical role in assisting Sierra Leone in meeting ECOWAS petroleum quality standards, and stated that the partnership will ensure that both consumers and the Sierra Leone government benefit from ongoing regulatory reforms. He acknowledged that coordination between the NPRA and the SLSB had previously been limited, but expressed confidence that the MoU will usher both organisations into a new era of productive collaboration.
Dr. John Paul Kai Sam, Executive Director of the Sierra Leone Standards Bureau, expressed his full commitment to implementing the MoU’s provisions. He stated that since taking office, he has overseen several internal reviews and that the SLSB is prepared to work more closely with the NPRA and other stakeholders to protect consumer interests and maintain product quality throughout the petroleum value chain.
Although the MoU does not specify operational details, both institutions stated that the partnership will promote common understanding, integrity, and standardisation—foundations they believe are required to provide measurable benefits to end users. The agreement is expected to promote information sharing, collaborative planning, and coordinated enforcement where appropriate, thereby reducing overlap and streamlining regulatory functions.
This latest agreement expands on the NPRA’s recent network of interagency agreements. The Authority has already signed Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) with the National Revenue Authority (NRA) and the Sierra Leone Maritime Administration (SLMA), and talks are underway for a similar agreement with the Environmental Protection Agency. These accords are part of a larger effort to create a more coherent and effective regulatory framework for the petroleum industry and related services.
Officials from both the NPRA and the SLSB described the signing ceremony as a positive and necessary development, with the hope that the formal partnership will result in tangible improvements—faster processes, clearer responsibilities, and stronger consumer protections—across Sierra Leone’s petroleum industry.
