Chief Minister Dr. David Moinina Sengeh has described a significant infrastructural transformation underway around Freetown International Airport in Lungi, Port Loko District, placing the combined value of key projects at about US$400 million.
In a recent “Chief’s Diary” post, Sengeh pointed to developments including the upgraded Freetown International Airport terminal, the Julius Maada Bio International Conference Center, the Hilton Garden Inn hotel, and 15 Presidential VIP villas.
He said these facilities are turning the airport area into a modern hub, with the hotel located roughly a three-minute walk from the check-in terminal and the conference centre nearby.
The three major facilities are expected to draw power from a 5MW solar farm backed by 15MW of battery storage within six months, according to the Chief Minister.
He noted that the projects are already creating jobs, with about 800 people working at the airport and around 1,000 engaged at the construction site, plus hundreds more in related services.
Sengeh also referenced broader activity in Lungi, including a 10MW solar plant, additional hotels, onion farming, and the elevation of Lungi toward city status.
He claimed that government and private sector investments exceeding US$1 billion have flowed into Port Loko District in recent years, spanning iron-rod factories, industrial zones, farms, infrastructure, and mining. These, he said, reflect the broader transformation agenda under President Julius Maada Bio.
Independent reporting and official records provide further context. The Julius Maada Bio International Conference Centre, developed through a public-private partnership involving FB Group and valued at around US$124 million for the hotel, congress centre and presidential villas complex, was designed with a 1,500-person capacity and related facilities. It was commissioned in July 2026 and helped host the ECOWAS Heads of State and Government Summit—the first time Sierra Leone has hosted the gathering since ECOWAS was founded. President Bio inspected the site earlier in the year as works neared completion.
The Hilton Garden Inn Freetown Airport, Sierra Leone’s first internationally branded airport hotel under the Hilton brand, features about 110–115 rooms and forms part of the same complex near the terminal. The airport itself received a major new terminal, constructed by Turkish firm Summa and commissioned in 2023, which expanded capacity and modernised facilities.
On the energy side, a 10MW solar photovoltaic plant with battery storage in the Lungi area was commissioned in June 2026 as part of the World Bank-supported Regional Emergency Solar Power Intervention (RESPITE) project. It sits alongside a larger 30MW solar plant with storage commissioned at the same time in Newton, Western Area Rural District. These form part of efforts to expand renewable capacity and improve power reliability.
Plans to grant Lungi city status have advanced as part of national redistricting discussions. Residents and local officials have welcomed the idea, citing the airport corridor’s growth in hotels, energy infrastructure and conference facilities. Officials have described a longer-term vision of Lungi as a “gateway city” with expanded local governance.
In Port Loko District more broadly, industrial activity includes Sierra Leone’s first iron-rod manufacturing factory in Songo (Koya Chiefdom), launched by President Bio in late 2024 with capacity of about 120,000 metric tonnes annually. Additional private investments involve special economic zones, mining-related infrastructure, and other manufacturing initiatives that officials say aim to reduce import dependence and create jobs.
Government officials present these projects as part of a strategic shift to position Lungi as more than a transit point—linking aviation, diplomacy, tourism and industry. The developments have coincided with the successful hosting of the ECOWAS summit and ongoing efforts to improve connectivity and local economic opportunities in the district.
