By: Aminata Sesay
Sierra Leone is set to strengthen local expertise in geohazard assessment and environmental management in the mining sector through the country’s first PanAfGeo training course, scheduled for December.
The six-day training, to be hosted by the National Minerals Agency (NMA) from December 7 to 12 in Freetown, will bring together about 35 geoscientists and five international trainers from Africa and Europe.
The training will equip participants with practical skills to identify and manage geological hazards, assess mining-related environmental risks, and improve technical approaches to slope stability and waste management.
Preparations for the training have included engagements between the NMA and an international delegation led by Professor Stanisław Wołkowicz of the Polish Geological Institute, alongside Giuseppe Delmonaco and Dr. Francesco Traversa of the Geological Survey of Italy (ISPRA).
As part of the programme, participants will conduct field assessments of landslide-prone areas in Freetown, examine geotechnical conditions at amphibolite quarries, and assess slope stability and waste management practices at an active hematite mine.
The training forms part of Sierra Leone’s participation in PanAfGeo+ (2025–2029), an EU-supported geological cooperation programme aimed at strengthening geoscience capacity across Africa.
For Sierra Leone, the programme is expected to enhance technical capacity to better understand and manage geological hazards while strengthening environmental management practices in the mining sector and other areas where geoscience expertise is required.