Feasibility studies for Sierra Leone's long-planned Lungi Bridge are set to begin in November 2026, with US$1.6 million in support from the United States Trade and Development Agency (USTDA). Chief Minister David Moinina Sengeh announced the development after meeting representatives of U.S.-based Acrow Corporation in New York during the 81st United Nations General Assembly week. The meeting also involved National Investment Board Executive Director Dr Edward Hinga Sandy.
The studies, to be undertaken by Acrow, will include a traffic-flow study and environmental and social studies. These are necessary to establish the information required to make the project bankable and support efforts to secure private-sector financing. The Lungi Bridge project aims to develop a direct road connection between Freetown and Lungi, where Sierra Leone's international airport is located.
This is not the first feasibility work conducted on the proposed bridge. The African Development Bank financed a Freetown-Lungi road study that examined technical feasibility, economic viability, and environmental and social impacts. In 2019, the Sierra Leone Government completed a national feasibility study on the Lungi Bridge and began efforts to mobilise resources through a competitive process.
The project entered a new phase in June 2025 when the Government of Sierra Leone signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Acrow Corporation of America for the design, build, operation, and transfer of the Lungi Bridge. The National Investment Board described the agreement as the basis for moving the project into its next stage.
The proposed arrangement places Acrow at the centre of efforts to develop and finance the project. U.S. Ambassador-designate Daniel Travis told a U.S. Senate confirmation hearing in August 2026 that an agreement was in place between Sierra Leone and Acrow for the bridge. However, the Sierra Leone Government clarified that the United States' role is being pursued primarily through private-sector investment rather than direct U.S. government funding for construction.
Chief Minister Sengeh said the Lungi Bridge project already has a commitment from the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), although details on the value or final terms of that support were not provided. The additional studies will help provide the basis for securing the private financing needed for the bridge. The government has presented the bridge as a major infrastructure project intended to improve connectivity between Freetown and Lungi and strengthen access to the country's international aviation gateway.
The government will take a systematic approach to the project and will not rush the process of securing foreign investment. The November studies are expected to provide updated technical, traffic, environmental, and social information that can be used in determining the project's financial and investment viability as Sierra Leone and Acrow work towards the next stage of the Lungi Bridge project.
Key points
- The Lungi Bridge feasibility studies will begin in November 2026 with US$1.6 million in support from USTDA.
- The studies will include a traffic-flow study and environmental and social studies to make the project bankable.
- The project aims to develop a direct road connection between Freetown and Lungi, strengthening access to Sierra Leone's international airport.
