By Kadiatu A. Turay

The Africa Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP), in partnership with Sierra Leone’s National Minerals Agency (NMA), has convened a high-level policy dialogue in Freetown to tighten fiscal governance, curb revenue leakages, and unlock greater value addition in the country’s growing dimension stone subsector.

The dialogue brought together government officials, mining operators, civil society organisations, and policy experts to examine long-standing gaps in oversight, taxation, and regulatory compliance within the extraction and export of granite, marble, limestone, sandstone, and other industrial minerals.

Opening the session, a representative from ACEP stressed that strengthening governance in this subsector was crucial to broadening Sierra Leone’s tax base, enhancing value addition and improving fiscal discipline around dimension stones can create the economic linkages needed to accelerate socio-economic development,” the speaker said.

Speakers noted that demand for construction materials driven by urban expansion and infrastructure development across Africa continues to rise. This presents Sierra Leone with significant economic potential, but only if governance and oversight are strengthened.

The potential for local beneficiation remains largely untapped, an ACEP analyst observed, value addition could create jobs, support industrial growth, and position Sierra Leone as a competitive supplier in the regional market.”

The event featured a series of technical presentations focusing on taxation, technology adoption, and value-chain development.

Cedric D. Palmer examined the current policy architecture, calling for clearer regulatory guidance to improve accountability and sector alignment.

Yusuf D. Suma, Chief Inspector of Mines, highlighted regulatory bottlenecks and proposed strategic solutions for better monitoring and compliance.

In his address, Ing. Hadji Dabo, Director General of the NMA, provided a frank assessment of the sector’s current challenges. While Sierra Leone has vast deposits of dimension stones, he noted that some extraction companies rely solely on quarry licences and engage in illegal exports that deprive the state of substantial revenue.

He attributed the problem to outdated legislation, weak regulatory frameworks, and limited oversight, Beyond lost revenue, he warned of environmental degradation caused by unregulated quarrying, the country loses not only revenue but also environmental integrity, he said, we must ensure that mining activities are properly monitored and that companies comply with both fiscal and environmental responsibilities.

Maybel Acquaye, senior policy analyst at ACEP, led discussions on improving tax efficiency and closing loopholes that enable revenue losses.

Three key technical presentations followed
Ms. Acquaye explained how independent digital monitoring tools could track production in real time, ensuring accurate royalty and tax assessments.

Samuel Bekoe, executive director of the center for Extractives and development Africa (CEDA), called for stronger contract terms and enhanced transparency.
Curbing illicit financial flows requires bold reforms and full disclosure across the value chain, he emphasized.

Dr. Charles G. ofori, policy lead for climate change and Energy transition at ACEP, highlighted the economic benefits of processing dimension stones locally rather than exporting them in raw form, we must move beyond extraction to real industrial development, he said.

Participants expressed optimism that the dialogue would lay the groundwork for a clear reform roadmap, we hope the outcomes of today’s session will inspire a concrete blueprint for addressing governance challenges and strengthening domestic revenue mobilization,” an ACEP representative noted.

Closing the event, Ms. Acquaye summarized key resolutions and reaffirmed ACEP’s and NMA’s commitment to advancing oversight, transparency, and sustainable value addition in Sierra Leone’s dimension stone subsector.

Copyright –Published in Expo Times News on Wednesday, 3th December 2025 (ExpoTimes News – Expo Media Group (expomediasl.com)