Vice President Dr Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh on Tuesday, 13 October 2026, inspected ongoing construction and rehabilitation works at Milton Margai Technical University’s Goderich and Congo Cross campuses, commending the progress made and calling for closer collaboration to ensure timely completion.
The visit formed part of President Dr Julius Maada Bio’s directive for the Vice President to monitor Government-supported infrastructure projects across Sierra Leone, with particular attention to quality, value for money and the benefits delivered to citizens.
The BADEA-supported works are being undertaken under the Sierra Leone Education Sector Support Project (ESSP), which aims to improve educational infrastructure and strengthen teaching, learning, administrative and residential facilities at several institutions nationwide.
During the inspection, Vice President Dr Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to quality education, stressing that investments in infrastructure must translate into improved facilities and practical benefits for students, lecturers and the wider education sector.
He described the programme as a major initiative of the Bio administration and assured contractors, project managers and consultants of the Government’s continued support in addressing challenges affecting implementation.
“My role is to support the contractors, project managers and consultants so that they can deliver these projects,” the Vice President said.
At the Congo Cross campus, he noted that some rehabilitated classrooms had already been handed over and were being used by students. He welcomed that progress, highlighting the immediate benefits of making completed facilities available for teaching and learning.
At Goderich, the Vice President expressed satisfaction with the quality of work completed so far, particularly the construction of male and female student hostels intended to ease accommodation challenges at the university.
The inspection brought together representatives of the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education, the Ministry of Technical and Higher Education, the ESSP team, Civil Society Organisations and the media.
Infrastructure planned under the university component includes an amphitheatre, an auditorium, an administrative building, male and female student hostels, staff quarters and a multipurpose building containing 18 lecture rooms. The programme also covers the rehabilitation of classrooms and other existing university buildings.
Furniture, laboratory equipment and kitchen appliances form part of the project, with procurement processes reported to be at an advanced stage.
The additional facilities are expected to expand the university’s capacity, improve the learning environment and strengthen its academic and administrative operations. The investments also complement the Government’s broader education agenda, including President Dr Julius Maada Bio’s flagship Free Quality Education programme.
According to the October 2026 Project Progress Update, overall construction completion across the ESSP’s five project lots stood at 86.4 per cent as of September 2026. Overall project disbursement reached 71.14 per cent as of 30 September 2026.
The report placed the total project amount at US$68 million, of which US$48.38 million had been disbursed by the end of September.
Beyond Milton Margai Technical University, the project covers Eastern Technical University at Bunumbu; Government secondary schools in Bo, Kenema and Magburaka; Prince of Wales Secondary School; and a ministerial building intended for the Ministry of Technical and Higher Education and the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education.
Implementation is organized into five construction lots, with different contractors responsible for specific packages of work.
Lot 4, undertaken by SKM Construction, covers construction and rehabilitation works at Milton Margai Technical University’s Congo Cross and Brookfields campuses, alongside works at Prince of Wales Secondary School and the ministerial building. Lot 5, undertaken by EBCO Bitar, covers construction and rehabilitation at the university’s Goderich campus.
The September 2026 progress figures showed that Lot 4 had reached approximately 80.1 per cent completion, while Lot 5 stood at approximately 93.1 per cent.
Civil society activist Alphonso Manley welcomed the progress, particularly the use of rehabilitated classrooms, but called for sustained monitoring and adequate funding to complete the remaining works.
“So far, so good. We appreciate the progress, though more work remains to be done,” he said.
Project managers at both campuses assured the Vice President of their commitment to completing outstanding works within the agreed timelines.
Milton Margai Technical University plays an important role in technical, vocational and professional education in Sierra Leone. The expansion of lecture rooms, accommodation and other essential facilities is intended to help the institution respond to growing demand and strengthen its contribution to national human capital development.
The inspection also provided an opportunity to review outstanding works and identify challenges that could affect delivery. The lasting benefits of the investment will depend on completing the facilities to the required standards, equipping them adequately and maintaining them for sustained use.
Vice President Dr Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh urged contractors and project management teams to work together to resolve outstanding challenges and deliver the intended benefits for the university and the country. He pledged to revisit the campuses to assess further progress and support the completion and handover of the facilities.
