HASTINGS – Seventy security personnel of the Sierra Leone Ports and Harbours Authority (SLPHA) have completed a two-week intensive professional training at the Sierra Leone Peacekeeping and Law Enforcement Academy (SILEA) in Hastings.
The training, which ended with a passing-out ceremony on Saturday, 3rd October 2026, was designed to strengthen the capacity of port security staff and equip them with modern knowledge and practical skills to secure the country’s seaports.
Speaking at the ceremony, SLPHA Deputy Director General Madam Judith Kosseh said the training is a critical investment in securing Sierra Leone’s economy.
“More than 90 percent of Sierra Leone’s trade passes through our ports. A secured port is a secured nation,” Madam Kosseh said.
She told the graduates that they are no longer ordinary guards but now certified Port Facility Security Personnel who must operate in line with both national and international standards, including the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code.
Madam Kosseh urged them to demonstrate professionalism, vigilance, discipline and integrity in protecting port facilities, cargo, staff and port users, and to support the safe and efficient operation of the Queen Elizabeth II Quay and other ports under SLPHA management.
The Commandant of SILEA, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Brima Kamara Esq., said the programme was divided into three components – academic instruction, drills and parade, and physical training.
The personnel were trained on threat identification and response, access control procedures, perimeter security, search techniques, emergency response and human rights-compliant policing within a port environment.
SILEA, located at Hastings outside Freetown, is the country’s premier training centre for peacekeeping and law enforcement, and has in recent years trained personnel from the Sierra Leone Police, Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces, and other security institutions.
The training comes at a time when SLPHA is pushing major reforms to improve efficiency, reduce pilferage, and meet international maritime security standards as Sierra Leone seeks to attract more shipping lines and boost trade.
The new skills are expected to enhance security at the Port of Freetown, which remains the country’s main gateway for imports and exports.
