IGR Exposes $171m Revenue Loss from Wellington–Masiaka Toll Gate

Andrew Lavali, Executive Director of the Institute for Governance Reform (IGR), has said that both past and current governments have signed poor public contracts, resulting in an estimated USD 171 million loss in toll revenue from the Wellington–Masiaka concession.

Speaking on Truth Media, Lavali argued that the country’s persistent revenue leakages are not accidental but stem from agreements that are knowingly structured against the public interest.

“We deliberately sign bad agreements,” Lavali said, citing the toll road concession as a clear example of how major state contracts fail to deliver adequate returns to the government.

According to IGR findings, the toll road generates approximately USD 21 million annually, amounting to about USD 172 million since operations began. However, only around USD 1 million has reportedly been paid to the National Revenue Authority over the same period.

The 65-kilometre highway was constructed under a 27-year Build-Own-Operate-Transfer (BOOT) concession agreement with China Railway Seventh Group (CRSG). The contract was initially signed under a previous administration and later inherited by the current government.

Lavali explained that such agreements often remain unchanged across political transitions, allowing revenue losses to persist regardless of which political party is in power.

The IGR report analysed more than 3,400 state contracts signed between 2016 and 2023 under both APC and SLPP administrations. It highlights systemic weaknesses in public procurement and calls for greater transparency, including the publication of toll revenue data and the renegotiation of agreements that do not provide value for money to citizens.

In response, CRSG rejected the revenue estimates as inaccurate, stating that all toll and traffic data are regularly submitted to relevant government authorities, including the Sierra Leone Roads Authority and Parliament.

The debate has intensified public scrutiny over how Sierra Leone manages large infrastructure concessions and whether such agreements deliver fair value to citizens. The IGR report warns that unless these structural issues are addressed, ongoing revenue losses could continue to undermine funding for critical sectors such as roads, healthcare, and education.