Every calendar year, for a straight six to seven months, between May and November, Sierra Leone gets rain soaked from heavy downpour. While rainfall is vital for life, too much of it can pose a significant threat to life. 

The rainy season in Sierra Leone comes with flash floods, making inland movement treacherous. As the rivers swell, floods wash away crops, property and homes, displacing thousands of people, causing infrastructure damage and disrupting delivery of essential services. In terms of human impact, flooding also causes loss of lives.

A tragic story is told of 15-year-old Aminata Kamara, who was headed to a riverbank along Ribbi river to sell roasted groundnuts. While it had rained heavily, Aminata could only get to the other side of the river using a canoe, as there was no bridge for the river crossing. On the fateful day, her family escorted her to the riverbank to board a canoe and bid her farewell but before she was safely on the other side, her canoe capsized and sank in the river’s deep waters. 

Efforts to rescue Aminata and 5 others in the canoe proved futile. They all drowned. Aminata’s elder sister Kadiatu Kamara describes the river as a graveyard, citing many lives that had been lost there. Aminata’s fatal accident is just one of many accidents that occur across Sierra Leone, where commuters sometimes have no option but to canoe their way to their destinations due to a lack of good bridges and roads. 

The Sierra Leone perspective 

A country of 8.9 million people, Sierra Leone has a public road network of 11,700 kilometres, of which only 936 kilometres is paved. The development of the country’s road infrastructure is therefore a vital component of the country’s growth and economic prosperity.

In the North-western part of the country, at the edge of River Ribbi where Aminata perished is Mabang village. Residents of this village heave a sigh of relief, following the construction of the towering Koblo-Gulama Bridge, formerly known as Mabang Bridge. Because of the bridge, commuters can now use Makolo road to gain access to Mabang district and beyond. This is a dream come true to communities who live in this area and who had to contend with using canoes and improvised boats to cross the Ribbi river. 

The construction of the Koblo-Gulama Bridge started in 2019 with the support of the European Union. The bridge, which connects Northwestern Sierra Leone to the Southern region cost the European Union 11.7 million Euro.

Glimmer of hope

Commissioned in July 2022, the 231-metre-long bridge has completely transformed lives in villages in its vicinity. Named after Sierra Leone’s first female Member of Parliament, the bridge has ignited positive change, inspired a sense of pride, of community and belonging to the people of Mabang and surrounding areas. The once sleepy villages are now abuzz with economic activity.

“I came to stay here permanently after this bridge was constructed. I used to live in Waterloo, near Freetown and hardly came here to visit because I did not like crossing this (Ribbi) river. Although the crossing is a short distance, it can be very dangerous by boat,” remarked Kadiatu. 

Upune Buma, a 40-year-old Okada rider has used the road for the last eight years and knows only too well the dangers that the river posed before the bridge was constructed. 

“Before now, it was difficult even for us as transporters to move from one end of this river to the other point, not to talk about commuters. Back then, I used to cross this river once a day, if necessary, because in the evening, it was difficult to get hand carted ferry operators to carry our bikes across the river,” he explains.

Buma expressed gratitude at the current ease of mobility, which he added has boosted his business as an Okada rider. Although the bridge is fully complete, construction is ongoing along the Makolo Junction to Songo road.

Engineer Alfred Jalil Momodu, the Director General of the Sierra Leone Roads Authority (SLRA), lauded the European Union for its support to Sierra Leone. He described the EU as a long-standing partner of the government in many areas, including in road infrastructure. He emphasized that EU support to roads improvement in the country was through grants and underscored the importance of professionally erected bridges at all water crossings in the country.

“That is what informs the current construction of the road from Makolo Junction to the bridge that links Rotifunk, Bradford and other communities,” the SLRA D.G noted.

Roads and their economic significance

Millions of Sierra Leoneans depend on the country’s road network to enhance their livelihoods. Good roads support agricultural production, eases access to markets, facilitate movement of persons, promote access to essential services such as schools and hospitals and boosts regional integration. 

Foday Bendu, another Okada rider, cannot agree more. 

“The construction of the bridge and the road has reduced transportation costs, especially on motorbikes. We used to charge 120 Leones per passenger from Makolo junction to Rotifunk when the road was bad, but now, we charge 80 Leones per passenger with the new road,” he explained.

Hassaatu Kargbo, a petty trader, expressed her satisfaction with the prevailing cost of transportation. She now pays only 5 Leones from Makolo Junction to Songo, instead of 10 Leones charged previously. She said the new road has minimized accidents that were common especially during the rainy season.

“Before now, we looked out for strong and skilled bike riders to take us to our destination; otherwise, we could be thrown in the mud, depending on the time of the year,” she mused, while calling for strict maintenance of the new bridge to keep them in good condition.