Sierra Leone

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Sierra Leone is a country in West Africa with a population of more than 8.6 million people (World Bank, 2022).

COL’s work in Sierra Leone is in the areas of Higher Education, Teacher Education, Lifelong Learning for Farmers and Technology-Enabled Learning (TEL) and benefits from programmes offered by COL’s regional centre, the Regional Training and Research Institute for Distance and Open Learning (RETRIDOL). Learners from Sierra Leone are also participating in COL’s free online courses and have access to other openly available resources.

Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal education and training in the previous 12 months, 15-64 years old¹
15.1%		18.6%
Female (2018)		Male (2018)

Completion rate, lower secondary education for the school year ending in 2020¹
43.4%		44.4%
Female		Male

Gross enrolment ratio for tertiary education¹
n/a		n/a
Female		Male

Proportion of teachers with the minimum required qualifications in secondary education¹
78.6%		69%
Female (2015)		Male (2015)

1. UNESCO Institute for Statistics Data Centre, retrieved in May 2023

Highlights

A National Micro-Credentials Framework for Sierra Leone was developed in December 2025.
The Tertiary Education Commission developed Guidelines for Learners’ Support Service for Open and Distance Learning for Tertiary Education in Sierra Leone in April 2025 and a draft policy on Artificial Intelligence for Tertiary Education Institutions in September 2025.
Guidelines for the Establishment and Assessment of ODL and Online Learning Tertiary Education Institutions in Sierra Leone were developed and approved in 2024.
An Open and distance Learning (ODL) policy for Tertiary Education Institutions in Sierra Leone has been approved for implementation.
Five universities in Sierra Leone are implementing the national ODL policy with COL support.
Freetown Polytechnic is strengthening its ODL operations with COL support.

Partners

Partnerships are fundamental to COL’s work. Strategic partnerships allow COL to broaden its reach and engage at global, regional and national levels, while implementation partnerships support COL’s work in communities and institutions across Commonwealth Member States. Partnerships include multilateral organisations, regional bodies, national governments, government agencies, foundations, civil society organisations, public and private (not-for-profit) institutions and the private sector. COL partnerships assist in improving and extending teaching and learning services to people in the developing Commonwealth.

COL’s partners in Sierra Leone include:

Ministry of Technical and Higher Education
Camp Women Multi-Purpose Organisation
Eastern Technical University
Ernest Bai Koroma University of Science and Technology
Freetown Polytechnic (formerly Freetown Teachers College)
Milton Margai Technical University
Njala University
Teaching Service Commission
Tertiary Education Commission
University of Sierra Leone

Key Contacts

Focal Point

Ms Sia Fasuluku
Acting Deputy Chief Technical and Higher Education Officer
Ministry of Technical and Higher Education (MTHE)

Literacy rate (2022)¹
41.3%		56%
Female, Adult (15+)		Male, Adult (15+)

Economic Activity – Labour Forces Participation (2018)¹
53.3%		57.7%
Female, Ages 15-64		Male, Ages 15-64

Political Decision Making (2023)¹
28.2%
Share of seats held by women in national parliament

Life expectancy (2023)¹
61.9		59.6
Female		Male

1. COL gender country profile October 2023

18	98
Individuals using the internet (%)¹	Mobile-cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants¹

0.0022	21
Fixed-broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants¹	Active mobile-broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants¹




1. International Telecommunication Union (ITU), retrieved in May 2023.

Sierra Leone

Highlights

Partners

Key Contacts

Focal Point

Notable Mention

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