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Sierra Leone CBI: We Spent a Week Seeing What this $100,000 Program Is All About

Oct 12, 2026 | Residency & Citizenship by Investment

Ladislas Maurice in the meeting with the Speaker of Parliament of Sierra Leone, the Honourable Segepoh Solomon Thomas, in Freetown.

In November of 2025, my team and I joined a Sierra Leone CBI delegation organized by the Sierra Leone Citizenship by Investment program. The program invited licensed agents such as The Wandering Investor, prospective applicants, as well as those who had already been naturalized as citizens under the CBI.

While the delegation itself was only four days, our team spent an additional week in the country to film a feature-length documentary about the CBI program, as well as life on the ground in Sierra Leone and its potential as an investment destination. We filmed that week in On the Ground Diligence for the Sierra Leone Citizenship by Investment. What follows are the insights we gained on the ground.

We also had the privilege of meeting two of our clients, who had come from different corners of the globe and were examining the possibility of going through the program themselves.

Ladislas Maurice at an Istanbul Airport departure gate, with the screen behind him showing a Turkish Airlines flight bound for Ouagadougou.
Istanbul Airport, on the way to Freetown. The flight made a fuel stop in Ouagadougou. November 2025.

Arriving in Sierra Leone

  • The most convenient option coming from Eastern Europe was to take Turkish Airlines. There was a direct flight from Istanbul that made a pit stop in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, for about an hour to add fuel and drop off some passengers. Interestingly, over half of the passengers got off the plane in Ouagadougou, leaving the plane somewhat empty before arrival in Freetown.
  • The airport was brand new and likely among the best in Africa, and was built only two years ago by a Turkish contractor. Many Turkish employees remain staffed at the airport to handle ground services.
  • On arrival at the airport in Lungi, we were warmly greeted by the Honorable Aiah David Shek Kassegbama, a former member of Parliament.
  • The downside of the airport is that it has no direct land or bridge link to the city of Freetown. We took a ferry service called Sea Coach Express to reach the city. Tickets are around $45 per person one way. The shape of the coast is such that going by land would take around 3 hours, but by boat you arrive within 40 minutes.
  • There are longstanding government ambitions to construct a bridge linking the airport with the capital.

Night view of the glass facade of Freetown International Airport in Lungi, with a silver SUV parked at the entrance.
Freetown International Airport at Lungi. The terminal is new. The downside is that there is no direct land link into Freetown.

The Honourable Aiah David Shek Kassegbama speaking with Ladislas Maurice outside the entrance of Freetown International Airport at night.
The Honorable Aiah David Shek Kassegbama, a former member of Parliament, greeted us on arrival at Lungi.

A traveler pulling a suitcase along a wooden pier at night toward the yellow and blue Sea Coach Express ferry in Freetown.
Sea Coach Express, the ferry from the airport into Freetown. Around 40 minutes and $45 per person, against about 3 hours if you drive around the coast.

Freetown, on the ground

  • Freetown climbs steep hills above the water. From above you see finished houses sitting next to concrete frames that are still waiting on the next floor. Similar to other African countries, people build their houses floor by floor, finishing one livable part completely before starting the next floor once they have saved or earned enough to do so. We saw the same thing up close later in the week.
  • Downtown still has quite a few substantial colonial-era buildings, on ordinary working streets, with newer towers behind them.
  • We walked a city beach. Families were out, the sand is wide, and it felt like a local beach that people actually use, rather than something set up for tourists.
  • Getting around day to day is mostly by kekeh, the motorized three-wheelers, and by motorbike taxi. We saw schoolchildren riding on the back of bikes in traffic. It is busy and slow, which is fairly typical of a West African capital.

Aerial view of a green Freetown hillside packed with houses, some still unfinished concrete frames, with the estuary visible on both sides.
Freetown from above. Houses are often finished one floor at a time, once the family can afford the next level.

A downtown Freetown street corner with a large white colonial-era building, a tall office tower, and light traffic under a blue sky.
Downtown Freetown.

A wide sandy city beach in Freetown with families standing near the water and a dark hotel building on the headland.
A city beach in Freetown. Families were out. It is very much a local beach.

View from inside a vehicle on a busy Freetown commercial street, with kekeh three-wheelers ahead and flags along the sidewalk.
Kekehs, the three-wheelers, are one of the main ways to get around downtown Freetown.

Motorbike taxis crowded at a Freetown intersection, including a bike carrying two schoolgirls in uniform, seen from inside a vehicle.
Motorbike taxis in Freetown traffic. Schoolchildren often ride on the back.

Religion in Sierra Leone

  • We attended Mass at St. Anthony’s Catholic Church on Sunday morning. This is just one of the many Christian services available.
  • Sierra Leone is both religiously diverse and tolerant. Muslims and Christians coexist peacefully, and there are many examples of intermarriage between faiths, with the President and the First Lady serving as an example. He is Christian, she is Muslim.
  • We had a meeting with the Inter-Religious Council of Sierra Leone, after which we had a chance to chat with Reverend Tamba Eric M’baryo and Sheikh Ibrahim Barri, both executive members of the council. They talked about the long history of peace between followers of both religions, emphasizing again that even within the same family people sometimes follow two different ones.
  • Counter to the assumptions of many, the Civil War in Sierra Leone was not fought on religious divisions, and was instead political and economic in nature.
  • Nevertheless, the council was founded in 1997, in the middle of the war, as a way to contribute towards peace in the country.

The stone facade and bell tower of St. Anthony’s Catholic Church in Freetown, seen from the front garden on a sunny day.
St. Anthony’s Catholic Church, Freetown.

A packed Sunday congregation standing in the pews of St. Anthony’s Catholic Church, with people in both Western and West African dress.
Sunday Mass.

Ladislas Maurice in conversation with two executive members of the Inter-Religious Council of Sierra Leone, standing outdoors among palm trees.
After the meeting with the Inter-Religious Council. Reverend Tamba Eric M’baryo and Sheikh Ibrahim Barri are both executive members.

Food, water, and a night out

  • In Sierra Leone, like in many other West African countries, water is typically drunk from small plastic pouches sold on the street.
  • We ate at Chicken Town, a local chicken restaurant. It ended up being Costa’s favorite meal of the trip. The restaurant is part of a poultry business we heard more about later in the week.
  • In the evenings we went out. One place was a fairly polished lounge, with neon and mirrored walls. Another was a neighborhood bar where everyone was gathered around the pool table. Both were easy to walk into, and the atmosphere was relaxed.

A woman at a roadside stall in Freetown selling fruit and a tied plastic sachet of drinking water to a member of the delegation.
Drinking water sold in a plastic sachet, which is how most people buy it on the street. Fruit was being sold from the same basin.

A member of The Wandering Investor team standing in front of the Chicken Town restaurant in Freetown, under a red rooster sign.
Chicken Town in Freetown. It ended up being Costa’s favorite, and it is part of a local poultry business we heard about later in the week.

A crowded neighborhood bar in Freetown at night, with a man lining up a shot on a worn pool table and a small bar behind the players.
A neighborhood bar in Freetown. Most of the room was gathered around the pool table.

Two men walking into a sleek Freetown lounge lined with blue neon, mirrored walls, and red circular ceiling lights.
A lounge we walked into in Freetown. The evenings cover quite a range.

Locals and daily life

  • The population was highly sociable. People were welcoming and happy to talk, rap, and appear on video. Although it is important to note that filming or taking pictures without permission is extremely frowned upon, as is the case in much of Africa.
  • English is the official language, used in government administration, higher education, and the media, but also spoken on the street. Krio is an English-based creole spoken by roughly 97% of the population as a first or second language. For a foreigner, this makes Sierra Leone one of the easier countries in the region to actually operate in.
  • Sierra Leone is among the poorest countries in the world, with a GDP per capita of less than $1,000.
  • Patrick, from the chimpanzee sanctuary, invited us over to his house, where we took the opportunity to see and experience the type of life locals live. Many people have small gardens and farms near their homes where they grow basic food supplies. His own house is a good example of the floor-by-floor building you see all over the hills.
  • Patrick pays the equivalent of $250 per year in rent for a typical house with a living room, kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom.
  • Many average citizens are banked and are now using online banking apps on their smartphones.
  • Cellular data is considered expensive by locals. They are able to purchase it on a weekly basis from many providers, with 1GB costing around $3.
  • Fees for higher education are difficult for many locals to afford. Patrick noted a master’s degree at a state university would cost him around $2,500.

A member of the team smiling in a group handshake with five young men on a tree-lined Freetown street.
People were welcoming and happy to talk. Filming without permission is extremely frowned upon.

Ladislas Maurice talking with Patrick outside his single-story house in the Freetown hills, with the city spread out behind them.
Patrick, from the chimpanzee sanctuary, outside his house in the hills.

Patrick gesturing as he explains daily life to Ladislas Maurice in front of his house, with a dog in the yard and unfinished buildings on the hillside behind.
Patrick’s house. He pays the equivalent of $250 a year in rent. Houses on the hill behind are still being built floor by floor.

The Immigration Department

We met the Chief Immigration Officer, Dr. Moses Tiffa Baio, for a discussion about the CBI program.

  • Countries like Sierra Leone start CBI programs not only to attract investors and promote the country, but also to invest that money in their own governmental infrastructure.
  • The process is made easy for investors and includes help, advisory, and assistance following a successful investment. The country views the CBI program as a real opportunity for growth.

The green, white, and blue sign for the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Immigration Department headquarters at 14 Gloucester Street, Freetown.
Immigration Department headquarters, 14 Gloucester Street.

Ladislas Maurice standing with a Sierra Leone immigration officer in a green uniform and beret at the entrance of the Immigration Department.
Outside the Immigration Department.

Dr. Moses Tiffa Baio, Chief Immigration Officer, speaking from behind his desk at Immigration Department headquarters in Freetown.
Dr. Moses Tiffa Baio, Chief Immigration Officer.

Stephen Barnes and the Go-For-Gold program

Stephen Barnes is the architect of the Go-For-Gold citizenship program. Stephen and his team accompanied us on all the meetings organized as part of the delegation. We had already filmed a longer conversation with him about how the program is put together, in Sierra Leone Citizenship by Investment: a conversation with the program architect.

  • He noted that there are many pending initiatives for growth coming from the government directly, some from the President’s office itself.
  • Part of the point of the delegation is that prospective citizens can come and see the country before they commit. New citizens who had already gone through the program were on the same trip.

Stephen Barnes, in a grey hat and blazer, standing with Ladislas Maurice in front of portraits of Sierra Leonean women.
Stephen Barnes, the architect of the Go-For-Gold citizenship program.

Ladislas Maurice and Stephen Barnes standing together indoors before a delegation meeting in Freetown.
Stephen and his team accompanied us on the meetings organized for the delegation.

Ladislas Maurice and Stephen Barnes shaking hands while seated on leather sofas during an interview in Freetown.
A conversation with Stephen Barnes during the delegation.

Banking

We met with several local banks to get an idea of what consumer and business banking facilities are like in the country. Since this trip, the program has also started including a locally incorporated company and a bank account for new citizens, which we covered in the update on the Sierra Leone Citizenship by Investment program.

  • Ecobank, the pan-African bank, offers internet banking for personal accounts. It was the customer-service-focused one, and the best rated of the banks we saw.
  • UBA, the Nigerian bank, quoted offshore charges of $35 fixed. The bank then charges 1% of the sum, depending on the amount, plus 15% government GST.
  • Access Bank was actively and openly pitching for new clients. They were quite keen once they understood who was in the room.
  • Banks in Sierra Leone are willing to meet and deal with foreign investors. If your CBI application is accepted by the government, that is proof enough for the banks that you are an upstanding individual.
  • Banking in Sierra Leone is privacy-focused. The country is not signed up for CRS, so your banking information is not automatically shared with participating jurisdictions.
  • Nevertheless, Sierra Leone is not really a place to use as a full-on offshore banking hub. It is practical to open an account and keep some money here as part of a Plan B, in the same way a local account is useful in other countries where you might actually spend time.
  • Local banks are not afraid to deal with large sums in cash.
  • There are no significant capital controls, though some do still apply to individuals, and there are no broad foreign exchange restrictions.
  • Online banking is available, which makes day-to-day transacting straightforward.

Three bank representatives standing in front of a projector screen while presenting account services to the Sierra Leone delegation.
One of several banks that asked to present to the delegation.

A UBA banker in a navy suit presenting to the delegation, with a colleague in a UBA polo shirt holding client folders beside her.
UBA. Offshore charges were quoted at a flat $35, plus 1% of the sum and 15% government GST.

Bank executives seated along a conference table in Freetown, with a woman in a pink blazer speaking to the delegation.
If the government has accepted your CBI application, the banks treated that as proof enough that you are an upstanding client.

Parliament

We had an unexpected opportunity to meet the Speaker of Parliament, the Honorable Segepoh Solomon Thomas, who was able to help us understand more about the tradition of the democratic process in Sierra Leone. We also had a tour of the Parliament chambers.

  • Sierra Leone is focused on the future and on the betterment of its citizens’ lives as fast as possible, passing laws to unite the community and bring in investment that will allow the country to grow and provide for its people.
  • New legislation focuses on improving the rights of women and children.

Ladislas Maurice walking under the sign for the House of Parliament of the Republic of Sierra Leone at Tower Hill, Freetown.
The House of Parliament, Tower Hill.

The Speaker of Parliament, the Honourable Segepoh Solomon Thomas, meeting the delegation across his desk, with his official portrait on the wall behind him.
The Honorable Segepoh Solomon Thomas, Speaker of Parliament.

A closer view of the meeting with the Speaker of Parliament, papers spread across the desk and the Sierra Leone flag behind him.
The Speaker explaining how Parliament is approaching investment, and new legislation on the rights of women and children.

Culture

  • We had a chance to experience a performance by a local dance and instrumental band using traditional instruments.
  • Stephen decided to get up and dance with them.
  • New citizens who joined the delegation also received a traditional welcome into the Sierra Leonean nation.
  • We also stopped at Music Cafe by Cassava, a small place with a piano, guitars, and traditional instruments on the wall. It is a quieter way to hear music in Freetown if a stage performance is not what you are looking for.

A traditional Sierra Leonean dance troupe with drums on stage, while a man in a purple outfit dances in front of them at a delegation reception.
A local dance and instrumental band that performed for the delegation.

A dancer in a raffia costume and a red, green, and yellow knit hat mid-jump during a traditional performance in Freetown.
Traditional dance during the performance for the delegation.

Stephen Barnes dancing on stage with a microphone, surrounded by traditional drummers and dancers at the delegation reception.
Stephen Barnes got up and danced with the band.

The interior of Music Cafe by Cassava in Freetown, with an upright piano in front and guitars, drums, and a violin mounted on the wall.
Music Cafe by Cassava, a small Freetown spot with a piano, guitars, and traditional instruments on the wall.

The National Investment Board

We had a meeting with Dr. Edward Hinga Sandy, Executive Director of the National Investment Board of Sierra Leone, who is in charge of attracting foreign investment to the country. This sits with the public-private partnership work of the Office of the Vice President.

  • The main areas of focus he described were agriculture, since Sierra Leone is still very much an agrarian society, infrastructure development, energy, where blackouts remain an ongoing issue, and tourism.
  • They are very willing to provide all possible help to foreign investors. There is a clear understanding that investment is very much needed in the country.

A hand holding the National Investment Board brochure titled The Republic of Sierra Leone, Investment Opportunities, during a meeting in Freetown.
The National Investment Board’s briefing on investment opportunities in Sierra Leone.

Stephen Barnes and Ladislas Maurice standing beside a large gold-framed official portrait after the National Investment Board meeting.
After the National Investment Board meeting.

New citizens on the delegation

New citizens among the investors attending the delegation participated in an official ceremony. The full fees, documents, and timelines are on the Sierra Leone Citizenship by Investment program page, and we have also written separately about who should apply.

  • Investors who were part of the delegation came from France, the United States, and Germany, and from quite different fields. There was a university professor, a software developer, medical doctors, as well as investors focused on agriculture and renewable energy.
  • Top-level government officials can be made available to assist investors and help them establish themselves and their businesses in the country.
  • The base investment is $100,000 for the main applicant if applying without dependents. The main applicant donation for families starts at $140,000 plus dependent fees. Families with a main applicant who can prove continental African descent via a DNA test can apply starting at $120,000 plus dependent fees.
  • It is possible to obtain the citizenship remotely, but obtaining a National ID requires submitting your biometrics locally, in-country.

Tourism and eco-lodges

We had the opportunity to interview Mr. Mohamed Jalloh, Director at the Ministry of Tourism and Cultural Affairs. He explained the Ministry’s initiatives for investors creating eco-lodges in Sierra Leone.

  • There is an abundance of animal and plant species in the country, as well as green plots of land, which are accessible by road and connected to the grid. Such opportunities are not only around Freetown, but also close to the country’s national parks.
  • Those plots are available to investors on a free lease, for people who want to build eco-trails, campsites, botanical gardens, or recreational leisure areas, but also meeting or conference spaces.
  • Based on the research done for the Ministry, the ROI is about 15% on such investments.
  • The Ministry promises help with finding suitable land and with all the processes connected to it.

Ministry of Tourism staff seated along a conference table in Freetown during a briefing, with a tourism campaign banner behind them.
The briefing at the Ministry of Tourism and Cultural Affairs.

Ladislas Maurice shaking hands with Mohamed Jalloh in front of a Ministry of Tourism banner reading Eco Tourism Salone, 2025 Year of Ecotourism.
Mr. Mohamed Jalloh, Director at the Ministry of Tourism and Cultural Affairs. The banner behind him marks 2025 as a year of ecotourism.

Energy

We had a brief interview with the Deputy Minister of Energy, Dr. Abdul Rahim Jalloh.

  • Sources of energy in the country consist of hydropower, solar power, and thermal power.
  • Additionally, energy is purchased from neighboring Guinea and Ivory Coast.
  • There is only one transmission line, with an operational capacity of 60 megawatts, which is not enough for the country’s power needs. There are plans to increase this to 90 megawatts.
  • There are also plans to develop Northern and Southern transmission lines, so that power can actually be carried through to the capital.
  • The Ministry is actively looking for partners for those projects.
  • There is also a pressing need to upgrade Freetown’s distribution network. Generating more power only helps if the city grid can carry it.

Ladislas Maurice interviewing Dr. Abdul Rahim Jalloh, Deputy Minister of Energy, at a conference table, with a portrait of President Julius Maada Bio on the wall.
Dr. Abdul Rahim Jalloh, Deputy Minister of Energy.

Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary

The delegation took us to Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary, only a short drive from Freetown. The visit was a good illustration of the eco-lodge incentives the Ministry of Tourism and Cultural Affairs had just described to us.

  • We had a chance to talk with Patrick Bantamoi, an environmental conservationist and data analyst at the sanctuary, and one of the many people on staff who is genuinely passionate about the work.
  • We also met Bala Amarasekaran, the founder and director. The sanctuary is looking for partnerships so that it can continue its mission and do even more in conservation.
  • The work spreads outside the sanctuary itself. They work with three national parks and with local communities to monitor chimpanzee behavior, carry out research, and educate people about the species.
  • There are 123 chimpanzees in the sanctuary, and around 5,500 monitored in the wild.
  • The chief mission is protecting chimpanzees living in the wild, so that they do not end up in the sanctuary after being orphaned. Poaching in Sierra Leone is still an issue.

The wooden entrance sign for Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary, set in dense green forest outside Freetown.
Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary, a short drive from Freetown.

Ladislas Maurice on the forest footpath to Tacugama, beside hand-painted signs for the walk-up trail.
The footpath up to the sanctuary.

Ladislas Maurice talking with Patrick Bantamoi on a forest trail at Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary.
Patrick Bantamoi, who works at the sanctuary and later invited us to his house in Freetown.

Ladislas Maurice with Bala Amarasekaran, founder of Tacugama, under a sign that reads Sierra Leone is our home too.
Bala Amarasekaran, founder and director of Tacugama, under a sign that reads “Sierra Leone is our home too.”

Truestone and a poultry business

We held a meeting with Paul Szkiler, CEO of Truestone Impact Investment Management, a UK-based impact investor that provides capital and expertise to stimulate growth in Africa, especially in Sierra Leone.

  • We also had a chat with Stuart Henderson, general manager of C4 Africa. They operate a chicken farm to meet high local demand for both meat and eggs, most of which is currently imported.
  • We spoke with Jeppe Bakmand, Truestone’s portfolio director, who noted that combining investment and know-how can drastically improve local egg production.
  • The company also has a chicken restaurant in its portfolio, Chicken Town, which was Costa’s favorite.
  • On the slide they walked us through, they cited more than 15 years of investing in Sierra Leone, seven companies built from the ground up, and more than 15,000 jobs, with a target raise of $5 million so they can scale further. Those figures come from their own presentation.

A Truestone presentation projected in a Freetown meeting room, with a slide titled We build profitable and scalable businesses in Sierra Leone and a photo of a poultry farm.
Truestone’s presentation. The figures on the slide, including the jobs created, are the company’s own numbers.

Ladislas Maurice in conversation with Paul Szkiler of Truestone and a colleague on a shaded veranda in Freetown.
Truestone portfolio team behind the poultry business in Sierra Leone.

Final thoughts

  • It is an English-speaking country, which is genuinely practical. Meetings with ministers, meetings with bankers, and conversations on the street all happened in English, and Krio is close enough that you can follow a good part of daily life as well.
  • The religious tolerance is real. You see it inside families, not only in official meetings, and that makes the country feel more comfortable than a lot of people would assume before arriving.
  • The government is openly looking for investors. We heard the same message at the National Investment Board, at the Ministry of Tourism with the eco-lodge land, at the Ministry of Energy with the transmission projects, and from the banks, who were actively trying to sign the delegation up.
  • It is still one of the poorer countries in the world. Power is a real constraint, the airport sits on the other side of the water with no bridge yet, and everyday life for most people is a long way from a middle-income city. You have to go in with your eyes open about that.
  • The new citizens who came with the delegation were recognizable people. Medical doctors, a university professor, a software developer, and investors in agriculture and renewable energy. Senior officials made time for them.
  • Banking is usable, and because Sierra Leone is not signed up to CRS it has a place in a Plan B, as a local account and, since this trip, a local company included with the program. It will not replace a proper offshore bank.
  • We spent a similar week on the ground in São Tomé and Príncipe, which is the other low-cost African citizenship program, if you want to compare the two directly.

Apply through The Wandering Investor

The Wandering Investor is a licensed agent of the Sierra Leone Citizenship by Investment program. We do not charge any additional agency fees on top of the official donation. Individual applicants may apply for $100,000 and two unrelated applicants can apply for a total of $165,000 all-in. As for families, you are looking at $140,000 for the main applicant, or $120,000 if you can demonstrate continental African descent through a DNA test, plus $10,000 for each normal dependent and $20,000 for each special dependent.

The detailed pricing, requirements and timelines are all on the Sierra Leone Citizenship by Investment program page. If you want to discuss your specific case, book a call with our team and we will walk you through it.

Costa CBI Consultation
Costa Mavroleon
CBI Program Specialist The Wandering Investor
Message Costa on WhatsApp
Contact us to apply for Sierra Leone Citizenship by Investment

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