Freetown — More than 2,300 Sierra Leoneans have passed through Guinea’s airport in search of jobs abroad, Labour Minister Umaru Napoleon Koroma has disclosed, raising fresh concerns about the risks of unregulated overseas recruitment.
Speaking at the Ministry of Information and Civic Education’s press conference, Minister Koroma used the figure to highlight the growing scale of labour migration through neighbouring Guinea and the urgent need for stricter controls.
He revealed that a recent incident involving 12 Sierra Leoneans, both men and women, found stranded at the Guinean airport had exposed the dangers. The group claimed their recruiters had abandoned them. Although they presented labour permits and other official-looking documents, investigations showed that papers purportedly issued by the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Labour were fraudulent.
Two agencies have been linked to the case: Explore Sierra Leone Ltd and Daresallam Traveling and Employment Recruitment Agency (SL) Limited. The latter’s licence has been suspended since 2024. The matter has been referred to the police for investigation, while one ministry staff member has been handed over to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) for questioning.
Minister Koroma explained that the Ministry licenses overseas recruitment agencies under the Overseas Employment and Migrant Workers Act 2023 and sets clear rules for their operations. Despite this, some agencies continue to operate outside the law, placing vulnerable job seekers at serious risk.
He warned that poorly managed or criminalised labour migration can easily lead to human trafficking and other forms of exploitation, including the trafficking of persons for human organs.
As an immediate response to the Guinea incident, the government has issued a temporary directive suspending the recruitment of Sierra Leoneans travelling through Guinea for overseas employment.
The Minister stressed that the government remains committed to ensuring labour migration takes place through safe, legal and dignified channels, in line with President Julius Maada Bio’s efforts to create employment opportunities for citizens.
He added that the Ministry is implementing the Employment Act 2023 to give priority to Sierra Leoneans when employers seek workers, except where qualified locals are unavailable. Work is also under way to make the national job portal more effective, while investigations continue into compliance with residential and work permit rules inside Sierra Leone.
Minister Koroma urged all Sierra Leoneans seeking overseas jobs to first consult the Ministry of Employment, Labour and Social Security, describing it as the first and last point of call for legitimate opportunities.
He called for stronger supervision of recruitment agencies, closer monitoring of the migration process, and warned that anyone involved in illegal recruitment will face the full force of the law.
Citizens were also encouraged to report suspected cases of illegal recruitment and migration, stressing that preventing such abuses requires collective action.
