By Claudia Redwood-Sawyerr
More than 2,300 Sierra Leoneans have travelled through Guinea within a three-month period for employment purposes abroad, raising concerns over illegal recruitment and the exploitation of citizens seeking jobs abroad.
The disclosure was made by the Minister of Information and Civic Education, Chernor Bah, who was part of the Sierra Leonean delegation to Guinea at the MOICE Press Conference on the 15th of September 2026
According to Minister Chernor Bah, information presented by the Inspector General of the Guinea Police force during the engagement showed that the number of Sierra Leoneans travelling through Guinea in search of employment had become a matter of concern, with people reportedly travelling in large groups.
The development has raised questions about the networks facilitating the movement of Sierra Leoneans for overseas employment and whether the required procedures for labour migration are being followed.
Responding to the concern, the Minister of Employment, Labour and Social Security, Umaru Napolean Koroma said overseas employment could provide valuable opportunities for Sierra Leoneans when properly regulated, but could also expose citizens to serious risks when the process is criminalised.
“Overseas employment is naturally very important, but it can be both a blessing and a curse.”
He explained that the Ministry of Employment, Labour and Social Security regulates overseas employment through licensing of recruitment organisations and the issuance of the required documentation, including an exit permit.
“When it has been mismanaged or criminalised, it can become a conduit for trafficking people, where they are subjected to inhuman treatment. “
Minister Koroma said the Ministry had inherited a list of recruitment organisations, some of which had valid licences, while others had expired licences or had neither been suspended nor cancelled but continued to operate.
He said the Government had begun investigating the situation following the concerns raised in Guinea and would take appropriate action against organisations found to be operating outside the established rules.
The Minister also disclosed a separate incident involving about 12 young Sierra Leoneans, aged between 18 and 24, who were found at the airport waiting to travel to Dubai for employment.
He said the young people had been in the airport for two days and had surrendered their passports to two individuals who were facilitating their travel. The documents presented to facilitate the recruitment were subsequently verified with the relevant institutions and found not to have been issued by either the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the Ministry of Employment, Labour and Social Security.
“They were all fake, forged documents.”
He said the matter had been referred for investigation, with the police, investigators and relevant officials from the Ministry of Employment, Labour and Social Security working together on the case.
As an immediate response to the concerns surrounding recruitment overseas, Minister Koroma said the Government had issued a temporary ban on the recruitment of Sierra Leoneans who travel through the Republic of Guinea for employment.
He said the Ministry had also started engaging recruitment agencies to reinforce the Government’s position and ensure that only properly licensed organisations operate within the sector.
“We are going to put very clear rules and regulations in place. Anybody who wants to operate within that space will have to follow them before we ever consider lifting the ban and allowing them to operate under a licence.”
He emphasized that the Government was not seeking to prevent Sierra Leoneans from pursuing employment opportunities abroad, but rather to ensure that such opportunities are accessed through safe, legal and properly regulated channels.
He said the Government also intends to pursue opportunities for professionals, including lawyers and engineers, through structured labour migration arrangements with countries seeking skilled workers.
“Any Sierra Leonean who is willing to leave the shores of Sierra Leone should be able to go out there, work in dignity, return home with dignity, and contribute to the development of this country.”
