Mamamah Airport

Mamamah Airport was an airport development project which was planned to serve the city of Mamamah, Sierra Leone. In Oct-2011, China agreed in principle to partially finance the construction of a new airport for Sierra Leone through a loan from ExIm Bank; the other planned contributor was the Government of Sierra Leone, according to a 2011-2015 budget annex. The government of Sierra Leone said that USD190 million would be needed to complete the project. The airport was to be located in Mamamah, a small town on the outskirts of the capital and was planned to be accompanied by infrastructure for an "airport city" that overall would have taken four years to complete, commencing Mar-2018. China International Railway Group was officially awarded the contract in 2012. The project was cancelled in Mar-2023.

Mar-2023. Sierra Leone's President Julius Maada Bio confirmed the cancellation of the Mamamah Airport project, stating: "We are not moving the airport from Lungi to Mamamah". Mr Bio said the project represented "debt with interest" of USD350 million and added: "We do not believe that Sierra Leone should be indebted with hundreds of millions of dollars of debt with interest just to build an airport".

Oct-2018. Sierra Leone's new government announced plans to suspend the construction of Mamamah Airport.

Mar-2018. Sierra Leone's President Ernest Bai Koroma inaugurated construction of Mamamah Airport. The new airport is being constructed by China Railway Seventh Group over a period of four years.

Feb-2018. Sierra Leone's Minister of Transport and Aviation Leonard Balogun Koroma signed a contract with China Railway International Group and China Exim Bank on 08-Feb-2018 for the financing and construction of Mamamah Airport.

Oct-2016. China's ambassador to Sierra Leone Zhao Yanbo announced construction of Sierra Leone's Mamamah Airport project is expected to commence in Dec-2016 and conclude in three years' time.

Jan-2016. Sierra Leone’s Minister of Transport and Aviation Balogun Logus Koroma assured the airport development project for the proposed Mamamah Airport will “soon kick-start”, and reported that negotiations are underway between Sierra Leone’s President Ernest Bai Koroma and China’s President Xi Jinping. China Railway International Group is awaiting approval to begin construction works.

Sep-2013. Sierra Leone's Deputy Minister of Finance and Economic Development Mabinty Daramy said the country secured a USD315 million loan from China's Government for the construction of the new international airport at Mamamah.

Minister of Transport and Aviation Leonard Balogun Koroma further encouraged China Railway International to commence construction of a new airport at Mamamah by early 2014. Mr Koroma said the government intends for the airport to be complete by 2017.