Freetown, December 16, 2025 – In a significant move to address economic hardships, Sierra Leone’s Minister of Employment, Labour and Social Security, Mohamed Rahman Swaray, announced a 50% increase in the national minimum wage from NLe 800 to NLe 1,200 per month, effective April 2026.
The announcement came during the three-day Salone Civic Festival on December 12, organized by the Ministry of Information and Civic Education.
Minister Swaray emphasized that the adjustment follows extensive nationwide consultations with employers and social partners, aligning with President Julius Maada Bio’s recognition that the existing wage, last raised to NLe 800 in 2023 from NLe 600, no longer matches current economic realities amid persistent inflation and currency depreciation.
The new minimum wage equates to roughly $52 USD at current exchange rates (around 23,000 NLe per USD), providing modest relief in a country where poverty affects over half the population and inflation, though easing, remains elevated with projections around 9-20% for 2025.
Complementing the wage hike, the government revealed plans to extend social protection via the National Social Security and Insurance Trust (NASSIT) to the informal sector, which employs over 80% of the workforce, including traders, motorcycle taxi riders (okada), fishermen, tailors, and market vendors, while currently covering only about 9-16% in formal jobs.
A draft legal framework, prepared by the Law Officers’ Department, is slated for parliamentary review in early 2026, aiming for implementation soon after. Registered informal workers would gain access to retirement pensions, survivors’ benefits, and other safeguards. This builds on ongoing efforts, including a 2025 policy draft and presidential initiatives to encourage enrollment.
These measures underscore the Bio administration’s focus on inclusive growth in an economy projected to expand 4.4% in 2025, driven by mining, agriculture, and services.
