Sierra Leone Approves Africell as Investment Partner for Sierratel Relaunch

The Government of Sierra Leone has announced a major step in the restructuring of its state-owned telecommunications company, Sierratel,  following Cabinet approval of Africell Sierra Leone  as its investment partner for the company’s relaunch.

The announcement was made by the Minister of Communication, Technology and Innovation,  Salima Monorma Bah, during the Ministry of Information and Civic Education’s weekly press conference. The decision marks a key milestone in efforts to revive Sierratel and strengthen the country’s telecommunications sector through private-sector collaboration.

Under the approved arrangement, Africell Sierra Leone will partner with Sierratel under a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) model. This structure will allow Sierratel to deliver mobile and telecom services to customers by leveraging existing network infrastructure, rather than building and operating its own full-scale network.

The MVNO model is widely used in global telecom markets to enable faster service rollout, reduce infrastructure costs, and expand competition by allowing multiple service providers to operate on a shared network. In this case, the partnership is expected to help Sierratel re-enter the market more efficiently while improving service delivery to consumers.

Officials say the collaboration is part of broader government efforts to modernise the telecom sector, attract investment, and improve connectivity nationwide. The Ministry noted that the relaunch will be implemented in line with national digital transformation goals and regulatory frameworks.

The press briefing also confirmed that further operational details of the partnership will be communicated as implementation progresses, with the Ministry of Information and Civic Education providing public updates through its official channels.