Middle East / Africa
Country profile: Sierra Leone
| Location: | Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea and Liberia |
| Climate: | tropical; hot, humid; summer rainy season (May to December); winter dry season (December to April) |
| Terrain: | coastal belt of mangrove swamps, wooded hill country, upland plateau, mountains in east |
| Size: | 71740 sq. km total (Land area: 71620 sq. km Water area: 120 sq.km) |
| Population: | 6,294,774 (July 2008 est.) |
| Languages: | English (official, regular use limited to literate minority), Mende, Temne, Krio (English-based Creole, spoken by the descendants of freed Jamaican slaves who were settled in the Freetown area |
| Government: | constitutional democracy |
| Capital city: | Freetown |
| Legal system: | based on English law and customary laws indigenous to local tribes; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
| Currency: | leone (SLL) |
| Licensing: |
Country profile
Regional leaders created the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on May 28, 1975 in Lagos, Nigeria. ECOWAS is comprised of 15 countries, which include: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Cote d’Ivoire , The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria , Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo. The leaders established ECOWAS to promote regional integration and economic growth in West Africa, as well as to create a monetary union in the region. However, ECOWAS has encountered problems in the process of regional integration including: political instability and lack of good governance that has plagued many member countries, the insufficient diversification of national economies, the absence of reliable infrastructure, and the multiplicity of organizations for regional integration with the same objectives.
Democracy is slowly being reestablished after the civil war from 1991 to 2002 that resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and the displacement of more than 2 million people (about one-third of the population). The military, which took over full responsibility for security following the departure of UN peacekeepers at the end of 2005, is increasingly developing as a guarantor of the country's stability. The armed forces remained on the sideline during the 2007 presidential election, but still look to the UN Integrated Office in Sierra Leone (UNIOSIL) - a civilian UN mission - to support efforts to consolidate peace. The new government's priorities include furthering development, creating jobs, and stamping out endemic corruption.
Energy production and consumption
| Oil | Gas | |
| Production: | bbl/day (2005 est.) | |
| Consumption: | 8,000 bbl/day (2005 est.) | |
| Exports: | 431 bbl/day (2004 est.) | |
| Imports: | 8,864 bbl/day (2004 est.) | |
| Reserves: | ||
| Major fields: |
Sierra Leone - recent news
| 03 Nov 22 |
Sierra Leone: Wildcat Petroleum provides update on Sierra Leone Reconnaissance Study Wildcat Petroleum has announced that, further to the announcement made on 9 May 2022, it has completed a desktop study of the petroleum potential of deep-water blocks offshore Sierra Leone. |
| 09 May 22 |
Sierra Leone: Wildcat Petroleum announce Reconnaissance Permit Agreement for 20 blocks off-shore Sierra Leone Wildcat Petroleum has entered into a Reconnaissance Permit Agreement over 20 offshore petroleum blocks in Sierra Leone territorial waters comprising a total 24,000 sq kms. This Permit grants the Company a non-exclusive right to conduct reconnaissance operations within the relevant blocks for the period of six months. |
| 30 Apr 20 |
Sierra Leone awards offshore petroleum concessions to Cluff Energy Africa and Innoson The Government of Sierra Leone has announced that following the conclusion of the Fourth Offshore Petroleum Licensing Round on 28 February 2020, acreage has been provisionally awarded to Cluff Energy Africa and Innoson Oil and Gas. |
| 30 Sep 19 |
Sierra Leone extends application deadline for fourth licensing round Following the re-opening of Sierra Leone's Fourth Licensing Round in May, the Petroleum Directorate has announced that, following requests from potential investors, it has extended the deadline for submission of applications in order to allow companies additional time to complete their applications |
| 29 May 19 |
Sierra Leone announces re-opening of 4th Licensing Round - update The Petroleum Directorate of Sierra Leone, in partnership with GeoPartners and Getech, has announced the re-opening of the 4th Licensing Round. A promotional roadshow will be held in London on 7th June. |
Sierra Leone - more news
Other countries in this region
- Algeria,
- Angola,
- Bahrain,
- Benin,
- Botswana,
- Burundi,
- Cameroon,
- Central Africa Republic,
- Chad,
- Comoros,
- Congo (Brazzaville),
- Congo (Democratic Rep.),
- Cote d'Ivoire,
- Djibouti,
- Egypt,
- Equatorial Guinea,
- Eritrea,
- Ethiopia,
- Gabon,
- Gambia,
- Ghana,
- Guinea (Republic),
- Guinea Bissau,
- Iran,
- Iraq,
- Israel,
- Jordan,
- Kenya,
- Kuwait,
- Lebanon,
- Liberia,
- Libya,
- Madagascar,
- Malawi,
- Mali,
- Mauritania,
- Mauritius,
- Morocco,
- Mozambique,
- Namibia,
- Niger,
- Nigeria,
- Oman,
- Palestine,
- Qatar,
- Rwanda,
- Sao Tome,
- Saudi Arabia,
- Senegal,
- Seychelles,
- Somalia,
- Somaliland,
- South Africa,
- South Sudan,
- Sudan,
- Syria,
- Tanzania,
- Togo,
- Tunisia,
- Uganda,
- United Arab Emirates,
- Western Sahara,
- Yemen,
- Zambia,
- Zimbabwe
