weighted score 5.2 · nine dimensions
Country Risk Profile
Sierra Leone
Sourcing risk, regulatory exposure and audit intelligence for Sierra Leone-origin supply chains.
Forced & child labour
5
ASM diamond and gold sectors carry documented child labour and forced labour risks. US DOL lists diamonds and gold. EITI compliant but enforcement capacity limited.
Worker rights & FOA
5
ILO core conventions ratified. Freedom of association legally protected but practical enforcement weak. Trade union activity exists but institutional support is limited.
OHS & audit transparency
5
Occupational health and safety standards poorly enforced in mining and agriculture. Third-party audit coverage minimal outside large-scale industrial mining.
Food & product safety
5
Limited food safety regulatory infrastructure. Sierra Leone Standards Bureau exists but testing and enforcement capacity constrained.
Environmental & regulatory
5
Environmental Protection Agency established but enforcement weak. Artisanal mining causes significant environmental degradation. Mineral Wealth Fund created 2026 signals improving governance ambitions.
Governance & anti-corruption
8
TI CPI 2025: 34/100. Corruption remains systemic. Anti-Corruption Commission active but institutional capacity limited. Mining licence transparency improving through EITI.
Tariff & preferential access
2
EU EBA provides duty-free, quota-free market access. Significant tariff advantage for Sierra Leone-origin goods entering the EU.
Non-tariff barriers
5
EU Conflict Minerals Regulation requires due diligence for gold imports. EU Forced Labour Regulation (2027) will apply to ASM-origin minerals.
Supply chain traceability
7
ASM supply chains are opaque. Kimberley Process covers diamonds but traceability below export level is weak. Multi-tier mineral supply chain visibility limited.
Labour & Social Risk
Labour & Social Risk
- Forced labour risk
- Artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) sector carries documented forced labour and child labour risks. Diamond and gold ASM operations involve hazardous conditions with limited regulatory oversight.
- Child labour
- Child labour prevalent in artisanal mining, agriculture, and domestic service. US DOL lists diamonds and gold as produced with child labour. Sierra Leone ratified key ILO conventions but enforcement capacity is weak.
- Audit limitations
- Social audit infrastructure is minimal. Most mining operations outside the large-scale industrial sector lack credible third-party audit coverage. EITI compliance provides some revenue transparency but does not extend to labour conditions.
- ILO conventions
- ILO C029 (Forced Labour), C138 (Minimum Age), and C182 (Worst Forms of Child Labour) ratified. Enforcement capacity constrained by institutional weakness and limited inspectorate resources.
EU Regulatory Exposure
EU Regulatory Exposure
- GSP status
- Sierra Leone benefits from the EU Everything But Arms (EBA) arrangement, providing duty-free, quota-free access to the EU market for all products except arms. Tariff advantage score: 2.
- EU Conflict Minerals Regulation
- Regulation (EU) 2017/821 applies to tin, tantalum, tungsten, and gold from conflict-affected areas. Sierra Leone is not currently listed as a conflict-affected area under EU guidance but ASM gold and diamond supply chains require enhanced due diligence.
- EU Forced Labour Regulation
- Regulation (EU) 2024/3015 applies from December 2027. ASM-origin minerals from Sierra Leone present moderate risk of investigation under Article 5 given documented child labour in mining.
- EUDR exposure
- Limited direct EUDR exposure. Sierra Leone is not a major exporter of EUDR-regulated commodities (soy, palm oil, cocoa, coffee, rubber, wood, cattle) to the EU.
Logistics & Supply Chain
Logistics & Supply Chain
- Primary export corridor
- Freetown port → West African coast → EU ports (Rotterdam, Antwerp, Hamburg)
- Port infrastructure
- Freetown port is the primary commercial port. Capacity is limited and congestion is common. The government has invested in Queen Elizabeth II Quay upgrades but deep-water capacity remains constrained.
- Mining logistics
- Iron ore from Marampa and Tonkolili requires rail transport to Pepel port. Road infrastructure outside Freetown is poor, particularly during the rainy season (June-October).
- Typical transit time
- 12-16 days to Northwest Europe from Freetown