Researched by Alfa Shaban
Since taking office in 2018 under the Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP), the administration led by President Julius Maada Bio has completed several bridge projects across the country.
The most recent bridge launch was on April 25, 2026, when Maada Bio commissioned the 25km Bandajuma–Pujehun Road, the Julius Maada Bio Bridge, and the newly completed Gobaru Monument, “as part of his government’s ongoing infrastructure and food security agenda.”
Weeks before opening the bridge, the President’s comment about another bridge, perhaps one of the most talked about in Sierra Leonean politics, made waves in the media and across social media.
“I never promised Lungi Bridge in my manifesto, that is just a bonus, and I’m working on it. Like I gave you the bonus of paying for all the transition examinations; it was never there,” he said on Friday, April 17, 2026, during the official launch of the new headquarters of the National Communications Authority in Freetown.
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Conversations about the status of Lungi Bridge as a political promise is not new in Sierra Leone. FactSpace West Africa has reviewed major comments made by current government officials including the president about the bridge.
Snippets of his comments were widely circulated across social media platforms including – X (former Twitter), Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
In this report, we verify the instant claim by the president and analyze other major components of the Lungi Bridge conversation.
The Facts
The SLPP’s last two manifestos were in 2018 and 2023. The 2018 manifesto was released ahead of elections that year at a time Maada Bio was an opposition leader coming against the then ruling APC’s Samura Camara.
FactSpace West Africa’s analysis of the document shows that the Lungi Bridge was expressly referred to twice in it. On page 31 under the Developing of Tourism Sector, specifically under developing infrastructure, the bridge was captured as follows: “Facilitate the construction of a toll bridge to link Freetown and Lungi Airport.”
The bridge was captured again on page 89 under the Lands, Housing, and Country Planning section where the SLPP manifesto stated an intention to: “Pursue the feasibility of extending the limits of the capital of Freetown by the construction of a modern toll bridge linking Freetown with Lungi.”
Video of VP Juldeh Jallow making a Lungi Bridge promise in 2019
During our checks, FactSpace West Africa also identified a video on YouTube where Maada Bio’s Vice President Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh was addressing an SLPP townhall gathering on a range of development issues.
He specifically mentioned the Lungi Bridge when he stated to applause: “His Excellency the President had promised you that if it is the will of God, we will build a bridge at Lungi. After that bridge is built, the journey between Freetown and Lungi will be 10 minutes.” The remarks were made during a town hall gathering in September 2019. (Watch from 1:43 – 2:00)
Lungi Bridge, connecting a capital city and its disjointed international airport
Lungi is a small coastal town in Port Loko District in the Northwest Province of the country. Uniquely, it is home to Sierra Leone’s only international airport, the Freetown International Airport (FNA, commonly known as “Lungi Airport”).
The problem is Lungi is separated from the capital, Freetown, by a sea of about 10 nautical miles.
Invariably, people travelling to Freetown are only able to make it first to Lungi before using other means of transportation to connect to their final destination.
“The easiest way to travel between the airport and Freetown is by boat, and travel time is about 20/30 minutes. Two companies offer water crossings between the city and the airport: Sea Coach Express and Sea Bird Express. Price is $45 inclusive of transfer from the airport to the dock,” the Tourism Sierra Leone portal states.
What key government officials have said about the bridge since 2018 till date
- The presidency, in an August 2018 statement on the bridge, stated that it was a fact that Maada Bio “never promised it in his manifesto and campaigns.”
- In June 2019, Sierra Leone’s leader recommitted to the project at a tender process for the bridge.
He said: “I have therefore directed the Office of Presidential Infrastructure Initiatives to be particularly attentive to all the foregoing critical elements in launching the tender process for the Lungi bridge. I will closely superintend the entire process and ensure that every tender is compliant and every tender is in the best long-term interest of Sierra Leone and Sierra Leoneans.”
- September 2019, the Vice President expressly stated that the government was committed to building the bridge.
- On Tuesday, August 6, 2024, Presidential Spokesperson Alhaji Alpha Kanu said the Lungi Bridge was not part of the President’s agenda.
- In September 2024, Deputy Minister of Information Abdel Aziz Bawoh also said the bridge, despite not being captured in the 2023 manifesto, was at best a presidential aspiration.
“If you watch the SLPP manifesto in 2023, there is nothing like Lungi Bridge, so that was not a manifesto commitment, but it is an aspiration of the president that if you have an international airport as the one we have now and we are trying to decongest Freetown, the president wants to create a business center at Lungi,” the minister said.
Conclusion
For now, the bridge still hangs around the neck of the Maada Bio government with his commitment to see its implementation as a ‘bonus promise.’ The government has between now and November 2028 when the next elections are held.
During a meeting with Chinese investors in 2018, President Maada Bio via a State House statement stated: “the bridge would open Sierra Leone for business and attract more investors and tourists.”
He added that “Freetown was too congested and that the construction of the said bridge would not only reduce that congestion but would also promote economic development.” Can the bridge be built between now and then? Time, they say, will tell.
