🌉 New bridge in Sierra Leone cuts journey from half a day to five minutes

• The Gendema Bridge replaces a 50-year-old hand-pulled ferry across the Sewa River and connects four chiefdoms in Sierra Leone.
• Farmers who previously lost their harvests due to delays and spoilage can now reach markets in five minutes by car.
• The bridge is part of a larger effort where a total of eight bridges are being built to connect farmers with markets across the country.

A river that held back development

For decades, the Sewa River was an obstacle for the communities of Simbaru, Wando, Gorama Mende and Konike Sanda in Sierra Leone. The only way across was a hand-pulled ferry that was over 50 years old. The ferry was slow and unreliable and often unusable during the rainy season. The wait could be half a day. This meant that entire communities were cut off from markets and schools. Harvests were destroyed and economic growth was stunted.

In November 2025, President Julius Maada Bio commissioned the new Gendema Bridge. A crossing that was previously risky and time-consuming became a safe five-minute drive. The bridge connects the region year-round.

Immediate difference for farmers and families

The effects were felt immediately. Farmers now have predictable access to roads and their produce reaches markets quickly. Transport costs have dropped, increasing farmers' incomes. Travel is safer for schoolchildren and traders.

Aminata Adamu, a resident of Gendema, says that residents previously had to watch their produce rot and that people even drowned trying to cross the river. Youth leader Thomas Moriba says that children can now get to school safely and that harvests are no longer destroyed on the riverbanks.

A new trade route

The bridge strengthens an important route between Sierra Leone's northern and southeastern parts. It also opens new trade opportunities with neighboring Liberia. Farmers gain access to larger markets and traders get a more reliable supply chain.

The infrastructure also affects other parts of society. Nurses, teachers and essential supplies can now be transported more safely. Reliable connectivity makes it more attractive for agribusinesses to invest in the area.

Part of a larger effort

The Gendema Bridge is part of Sierra Leone's national Feed Salone strategy and is the second major bridge commissioned in 2025. Bridge construction is led through two projects: the Smallholders Commercialization and Agribusiness Development Project (SCADeP) and the Sierra Leone Connectivity and Agricultural Market Infrastructure Project (CAMIP).

Under SCADeP, the Mattru–Senehun Bridge and the Gendema Bridge have been completed. Two more bridges, Manowa and Tomparie, are expected to be finished by the end of January 2026. Through CAMIP, four additional bridges are under construction: Kabba, Komrabai, Moselolo and Sumbuya. In total, eight bridges are being built to connect farmers with markets across the country and the region.

The SCADeP project, led by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, has also built feeder roads, provided grants to agribusinesses and producer organizations, and expanded access to markets and processing capacity.

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