By: Mohamed J. Bangura
The Government of Sierra Leone has announced the creation of new districts, cities, councils and chiefdoms as part of efforts to expand local governance and bring public administration closer to communities.
The new administrative units are contained in the Sierra Leone Gazette Extraordinary, Vol. CLXVII No. 77, published on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, under Government Notices No. 246–277.
According to the Gazette, the Government has issued 29 Statutory Instruments, numbered 5 to 33 of 2026, establishing new administrative structures in various parts of the country.
Among the major changes is the creation of two new districts: Bandajuma District and Kpanguima District.
The Government has also granted City Council status to three areas: Freetown City Council, Freetown West City Council and Lungi City Council.
The expansion also includes the establishment of new rural and district councils intended to strengthen local administration and improve the coordination of development activities.
The new councils include Bandajuma District Council, Kpanguima District Council, Mountain Rural Council, Waterloo Rural Council and York Rural Council.
At the chiefdom level, the Gazette provides for the establishment of several new chiefdoms and village chiefdoms, marking a significant part of the latest expansion of the country’s local governance structure.
The newly established chiefdoms include Barawa, Biriwa Limba, Biriwa, Bongre, Kamadugu, Lunia, Magbaimba, Mapaki, Masabong, N’dohahun, Peje, Vanjelu and Yiraia Chiefdoms.
Several village chiefdoms have also been established, including Bankor Village Chiefdom, Black Johnson Village Chiefdom, Mabala Village Chiefdom and Tree Planting Village Chiefdom.
The Gazette further lists During Village, formerly During Town Village, and Majei Village, formerly Majei Town Village, among the newly recognized local administrative units.
The Government says the expansion forms part of its broader efforts to deepen decentralization, strengthen local representation and improve the delivery of public services across the country.
The creation of additional administrative units is also expected to provide communities with closer access to government structures and create platforms for local authorities to identify and respond to development priorities.
The reforms could further improve the coordination of development programmes at community level by providing local authorities with clearer administrative structures through which government services and development initiatives can be delivered.
However, the new establishment orders are expected to become fully operational after the completion of the required parliamentary and legal procedures.
The latest development marks a significant step in the Government’s efforts to reorganize Sierra Leone’s local governance system and extend state administration to communities across the country.
The full list of the Establishment Orders has been printed and published by the Government Printing Department and is available at the Government Bookshop on Wallace Johnson Street in Freetown.