By: Mohamed J. Bangura
The Government of Sierra Leone is targeting at least US$50 million to support the country’s transition from analogue to digital broadcasting, a move expected to modernize the broadcasting sector, improve services and create new opportunities in the digital economy.
Minister of Information and Civic Education Chernoh Bah disclosed the figure on Thursday, October 8, 2026, at the National Conference on Sustainable Funding for the Public Broadcaster in Sierra Leone, held at the Miatta Conference Centre in Freetown.
The conference was held under the theme, “Ring-Fencing Funding for the Sierra Leone Broadcasting Corporation.”
Minister Bah said the digital transition is one of the major investments needed to strengthen Sierra Leone’s broadcasting infrastructure and enable the Sierra Leone Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC) to effectively serve citizens across the country.
“The most conservative estimate that I’ve seen for digital transmission will cost at least 50 million United States dollars,” he said.
He explained that digital broadcasting would allow several television and radio channels to share transmission capacity, unlike the analogue system, where one frequency is largely used for a single channel.
According to him, the transition would improve picture and sound quality, increase programming capacity, support new content producers and reduce the need for individual broadcasters to establish separate transmission networks.
The Minister said the investment could also create economic opportunities through the release of valuable spectrum for mobile broadband and the digital dividend.
He cited Ghana as an example of a country where additional spectrum fees helped finance the transition to digital broadcasting.
“When they move this, it opens up the spectrum,” Bah said, adding that the process could enable Sierra Leone to generate additional revenue while modernizing its broadcasting system.
He said the government had already taken preliminary steps towards the transition.
“When I became minister, we hired a consultant, we have done the study, it’s a fully funded plan. We have it now. We’ve done all the preliminary expenditure, but no money,” he said.
Minister Bah therefore called for the digital transition to be converted into a properly funded national plan, noting that substantial preparatory work had already been completed.
He also highlighted the importance of ensuring that ordinary citizens are not left behind during the transition.
He said viewers would need to move from traditional television sets and analogue reception to digital equipment such as set-top boxes, making public education and communication essential.
“The digital future must include the people that we serve,” he said.
The Minister also identified the unfinished SLBC building as another major investment opportunity for the government and the wider information sector.
He said the massive structure, whose construction began in the 1970s before being abandoned in the early 1980s, could be rehabilitated and transformed into a modern broadcasting and information facility.
According to Bah, the building has more than 50 rooms and a large auditorium and could accommodate modern studios, production facilities, training facilities, archives and other activities.
He described the structure as a symbol of SLBC’s “great vision, great promise, a proud history” and potential that has remained unrealized for decades.
The Minister said the government was considering ways to finance the rehabilitation of the property while protecting the public interest.
He disclosed that some investors had proposed long-term arrangements involving the building but stressed the need to carefully assess such proposals before entering into agreements that could affect the country for decades.
Bah also called for more predictable public financing for SLBC and said a dedicated public broadcasting fund should be given serious consideration.
He said sustainable financing would help strengthen SLBC’s editorial independence, management and accountability while ensuring that the broadcaster continues to provide reliable information to citizens nationwide.
He stressed that any funding arrangement must be transparent and accountable, with citizens able to know how resources allocated to SLBC are received and spent.
“Citizens must be able to see what SLBC receives, how it spends those resources, and what services it delivers,” he said.
The Minister also called for stronger coordination between information and communication institutions, noting that broadcasting and telecommunications are closely linked through spectrum, infrastructure and technology.
As he closed the conference, Bah urged participants to move beyond acknowledging SLBC’s financial challenges and instead identify credible and sustainable financing options.
“We must leave with more than an agreement that SLBC needs help. We all know that SLBC needs help,” he said.
He said the government would continue discussions with Parliament, the private sector, communities and international partners to secure sustainable financing for public broadcasting.
The Minister said the digital transition and investment in SLBC should now move beyond discussion into practical action, with clear responsibilities, timelines and sustainable financing mechanisms.