By Alusine Sesay
Sierra Leone: The management of Freetown Terminal Limited, a subsidiary of African Global Logistics (AGL), has disclosed that the facility has the capacity to load between 500 and 600 trucks daily, countering claims that it is responsible for congestion at the port.
During a guided tour for journalists, dozens of trucks loaded with containers were observed stuck in the buffer zone, creating traffic bottlenecks. The congestion was largely due to government restrictions limiting container trucks to designated routes and operating hours, following a recent fatal accident involving a container truck.
Stakeholders met on Thursday to discuss solutions to ease traffic congestion at the port.
Regional Coordinator Captain Fabjanko Kokan emphasized that the company has the equipment to efficiently discharge containers, listing assets such as seven reach stackers, 14 terminal tractors, four mobile harbour cranes, four rubber-tired gantries, and two ship-to-shore cranes.
Kokan noted that in 2025, AGL ordered additional equipment including two reach stackers, seven electric terminal tractors, two rubber-tired gantries, and a fire truck to meet rising import volumes, which have increased by 15–20 percent. Planned investments for 2025 include rehabilitating warehouses 3 and 4, constructing a new workshop, installing anodes at Berth 7, paving 8,800 square meters, and erecting two high-mast lighting towers.
For 2026, AGL has committed over US$24 million to new equipment, including nine electric terminal tractors, two empty handlers, four forklifts, two rubber-tired gantries, and one ship-to-shore crane. Infrastructure investments will include upgrading the power plant with an additional 2MW, constructing a new administrative building and documentation block, installing 500Kw solar energy capacity, paving 13,000 square meters, and repairing quays 3 to 6 at a cost of US$1.2 million.
Kokan said total investments for 2026 will exceed US$60 million, underscoring AGL’s commitment to modernizing Sierra Leone’s port infrastructure and improving operational efficiency.