Vice President of Sierra Leone, Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh, has launched a micro-grant initiative targeting women in sand-mining communities along the Sussex Peninsula. The program aims to reduce destructive sand-mining activities that have severely damaged coastal ecosystems and placed local children at risk.
Announced on Saturday, 29 November 2025, the initiative seeks to provide vulnerable families with safer and more sustainable livelihood alternatives, thereby reducing their dependence on sand extraction.
Sand mining along Sierra Leone’s coastline including communities such as Sussex, Hamilton, Lakka, and surrounding areas have contributed to significant coastal erosion, loss of biodiversity, increased vulnerability to storms and flooding, and declining livelihoods connected to fishing and tourism.
Additionally, unregulated sand-mining operations have exposed children to dangerous working conditions.
The new micro-grant program forms part of broader national efforts to restore environmental balance, strengthen community resilience, and protect vulnerable populations in affected coastal areas.