IllustratifSierra Leone Palm Oil
Sierra Leone · NationwideAgro-processing · Palm oil, estates, milling and refining
Rehabilitation and expansion of 40,000 hectares of oil palm in Sierra Leone, with 40 community mills, eight medium integrated mills and four refineries, serving domestic, ECOWAS and EU markets, for an estimated c. USD 285.7m.
Justification
Palm oil is Sierra Leone's second-largest agricultural export, about 50,000 t of crude oil a year worth about USD 50m,¹ while ECOWAS imports about 1.5 million tonnes a year. About 70% of smallholder output already flows informally to Guinea, and the 2022 Customary Land Law eases land access.
- Estates
- 40,000 ha rehabilitated or expanded
- Processing
- 40 community mills, 8 integrated mills, 4 refineries
- Markets
- Domestic, ECOWAS and EU buyers
- Stage
- Greenfield, at feasibility
Opportunité d'investissement
Structure de l'opération
Private and PPP components of a government-prioritised investment plan, open to estate, milling and refining investors.
Utilisation des fonds
Estates USD 123.2m; community mills USD 80.0m; integrated mills and refineries USD 80.0m; finance windows USD 2.5m.¹
Source des revenus
Crude and refined palm oil sold to domestic, ECOWAS and EU buyers.
Ce qui est recherché
Investors in estate development, outgrower schemes, milling and refining capacity, through private or PPP structures.
Pourquoi le projet est bancable
About 50,000 t of crude palm oil a year, worth about USD 50m, from 18,000 ha of estates and 32,000 ha of smallholdings.¹
An ECOWAS import gap of about 1.5 million tonnes; about 70% of smallholder output already flows informally to Guinea.
The 2022 Customary Land Law eases land access; Feed Salone (2023–28) prioritises import substitution and value addition.
Sierra Leone palm oil businesses have recently raised USD 7m and USD 20m from agribusiness and development finance investors.
Données et éléments probants · Sector base and regional market
Degré de maturité et calendrier du projet
- OriginationGreenfield
- FeasibilityCurrent stage
- StructuringTo follow
- Financial closePost-diligence
- ConstructionTo follow
Principaux risques et mesures d'atténuation
Not contracted; domestic, ECOWAS and EU demand, with about 70% of smallholder output already sold into Guinea.
Estate land access plans are released under NDA; the 2022 Customary Land Law eases access.
Expansion must avoid forest loss; E&S and deforestation safeguards are in the Tier 2 data room.
Conditions de l'opération
- Offtaker
- Domestic and regional buyers; about 70% of smallholder output already exported to Guinea
- Contract status
- Not contracted
- Structure
- Private and PPP components within a government investment plan
- Technology
- Estate rehabilitation and expansion; 40 community mills, 8 integrated mills, 4 refineries
- Capacity
- 40,000 ha rehabilitated or expanded, across 52 processing sites
- Location
- Bo, Kambia, Port Loko, Pujehun and Kailahun; sites under NDA
- WAIIS pillar
- Agribusiness & Food Systems
Impact sur le développement
Social
29,421 direct and 176,500 indirect beneficiaries, with per capita income up USD 270.¹
Economic
Ends palm oil imports (about USD 2.7m in 2024) and lifts export earnings by 2032.
Smallholders
400 Farmer Field Schools and 800 km of feeder roads alongside the estates.¹
Climate
Net balance of about –3.59 million tCO2-e over 20 years (FAO EX-ACT tool).