By Ibrahim S. Bangura
Freetown, Sierra Leone – February 6, 2026: Orange Sierra Leone hosted its Annual Media Engagement on Friday at the Orange Digital Centre, Hill Station, bringing together more than 100 journalists and stakeholders to review the company’s performance, priorities, and impact during the 2025 financial year.
Company figures presented at the event highlighted Orange Sierra Leone’s significant role in national employment, with 229 direct staff, 206 outsourced staff, 10 experts, and 219 local direct employees. The company also supports an estimated 52,774 indirect jobs nationwide.
Orange Sierra Leone disclosed that approximately 29 percent of its revenue is paid to the Government of Sierra Leone. In 2025 alone, 28.6 percent of total revenue was returned in taxes and statutory payments, underscoring its contribution to public finance.
The company further revealed that it has invested more than 600 million in Sierra Leone to date. Over the past nine years, annual investment has averaged 29 percent of total revenue, with about 8 percent directed to equipment and infrastructure, reflecting sustained capital investment in network development.
Expanding Network Coverage
Orange Sierra Leone reported strong nationwide coverage:
- 2G population coverage at 98 percent, supported by 628 sites.
- 3G population coverage at 91 percent, with geographic coverage at 97.01 percent.
- 4G population coverage at 93 percent, with geographic coverage at 85 percent, supported by 583 sites.
Feasibility studies are underway to extend 4G services to deep rural and hard-to-reach areas, part of the company’s drive for inclusive digital access.
Strategic Priorities
Chief Executive Officer Aïcha Touré outlined three strategic priorities guiding operations:
- Improving network experience and reliability through investment in coverage, quality, and infrastructure resilience.
- Promoting inclusion via digital infrastructure and services, including data centers, fiber expansion, international connectivity, and financial inclusion.
- Building trust and responsibility with strong attention to ethics, compliance, cybersecurity, data protection, and social impact initiatives.
Touré emphasized the importance of media in national development and corporate accountability, thanking journalists for their role in shaping public narratives. “Together, we connect Sierra Leone beyond telecoms,” she said.
Minister of Information and Civic Education, Chernoh Bah, praised Orange Sierra Leone’s partnership with the government and people, describing it as transformative. He noted that mobile connectivity now reaches even remote communities, sharing his personal experience of finding reliable coverage in a small island village after a long boat journey.
Bah highlighted Sierra Leone’s progress in telecommunications, including over 90 percent 4G coverage nationwide and the deployment of a standalone network. He urged journalists to reflect these positive developments in their reporting and cautioned against sensational or misleading narratives, stressing the media’s responsibility to uphold truth and integrity.
“The relationship between the media and corporate institutions is symbiotic,” Bah said. “No serious institution can succeed without the media, just as no credible media institution can thrive in isolation.”