Gento Group proposes $5.9bn port and railway network in Sierra Leone

Gento Group of Companies Limited has proposed an integrated port and railway network in Sierra Leone that the company estimates would require a combined investment of US$5.9 billion.

The plans include a US$2.7 billion deep-sea port at Banana Island and a US$3.2 billion railway project linking Tonkolili District to Kent and Banana Island through a proposed 257-kilometre corridor.

The railway would also include a five-kilometre bridge connecting Kent with Banana Island. Gento Group says the wider development is intended to link Sierra Leone’s mineral-producing areas with coastal shipping facilities and regional and international markets.

Kent terminal construction under way

Unlike the proposed Banana Island port and railway, construction of Kent Harbor Terminal has commenced, according to Gento Group. The company says approximately US$35 million has already been invested in the terminal and estimates that a further US$40 million will be needed to complete it.

Planned facilities at Kent include a petroleum tank farm, cement bagging operations, warehousing, granite export services and container handling. The company describes the terminal as the operational and logistical base for its wider investment programme.

Gento Group says the Kent facilities are intended to support industrial activity as well as the construction and eventual operation of the proposed Banana Island port.

Port and mineral logistics plans

The company says Banana Island has a reported natural water depth of approximately 22 metres at low tide and a minimum channel depth of about 23 metres. These figures are attributed to Gento Group and its reference to British Admiralty Nautical Chart 686, which covers Yelibuya Sound and the Banana Islands.

On that basis, Gento Group believes the proposed port could handle larger ocean-going vessels than several established West African ports that it associates with depths of between 16 and 18 metres. The port’s proposed location is on Sierra Leone’s Atlantic coast.

Tonkolili is described by the company as the starting point for the railway because it contains more than 12 billion tonnes of iron ore deposits, according to Gento Group. The company says a direct connection between mineral resources and a deep-sea port could reduce repeated cargo handling, improve transport efficiency and strengthen the competitiveness of Sierra Leone’s mineral exports.

Gento Group also presents the projects as potential sources of employment, local entrepreneurship and opportunities for Sierra Leonean suppliers and service providers. Those benefits remain expected outcomes and have not been independently established.

Approvals and remaining uncertainty

A concession agreement covering the financing, construction and operation of Kent Harbor Terminal and the proposed Banana Island port received Cabinet approval and parliamentary ratification in July 2024, Gento Group said.

The agreement provides what the company describes as an institutional basis for advancing the developments and mobilising investment. However, the Banana Island port and railway corridor remain proposed projects, and the available information does not include a detailed construction timetable or confirmed completion dates.

Completion of the wider programme will depend on securing substantial additional financing. No detailed financing structure has been provided for the proposed port and railway, and no confirmed completion date has been given for Kent Harbor Terminal.

If financed and completed, Gento Group says the network could improve the movement of minerals and industrial goods, expand export capacity and attract investment in shipping and logistics. The company’s stated development vision is: “Gento Group: Connecting the World.”