Sierra Leone: Sustainable fishing, a new pillar of the blue economy under President Julius Maada Bio
President Julius Maada Bio has made fishing a key focus for Sierra Leone’s economic diversification. Through the Feed Salone program, the government is working to better regulate fishery resource use, crack down on illegal fishing, and create jobs in seafood processing.
Fishing is a major pillar of the economy—it makes up 12% of GDP, provides the main source of protein for 80% of the population, and employs about half a million people. But these benefits are under threat from decades of illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, especially by foreign fleets, notably Chinese, which are depleting marine stocks. President Bio estimates this costs the country around $50 million each year.
To tackle the problem, several big initiatives have been rolled out. In December 2020, the president opened the country’s first fish processing plant, Sierra Fishing Company, in Freetown. Funded with $15 million from the European Union, it has created nearly 1,000 jobs and allows fish to be sorted, frozen, and packaged for local markets and export. Bio highlighted this as a step toward a “value-added economy” that goes beyond simply catching fish.
On the diplomatic side, Sierra Leone is boosting regional cooperation. During Bio’s visit to Nouakchott in June 2026, Mauritania and Sierra Leone agreed to work together on sustainable marine resource management as part of developing the blue economy. Both countries, blessed with rich fishing grounds, aim to fight illegal fishing and promote sustainable practices.
Still, big challenges remain. Local fishermen complain about foreign trawlers illegally entering exclusion zones, cutting nets, and draining resources. The government says it has stepped up monitoring and required transponders on vessels.
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