The company, based in the diamond-rich Kono District, has reportedly let go of more than 1000 employees. Workers have been at loggerheads with management for months over poor pay and unfair working conditions. The unrest began with a strike in December 2024, which was paused to allow for negotiations, only for employees to resume their walkout in March after talks collapsed.

Speaking to local media, the President of the Koidu Limited Workers’ Union, Charles Kainessie, said the dispute centres on the company’s outdated salary system. He claimed that workers were being short-changed, paid in Leones using an exchange rate set in 2016, despite their salaries being pegged to the United Sates Dollar. As a result, most employees were reportedly receiving only around 30 percent of their actual earnings.

“We’ve tried to engage management time and again, but nothing changed,” Kainessie said. “People can’t survive on that kind of money, especially with the way the cost of living keeps rising.”

Koidu Limited has not issued an official statement on the shutdown or the mass layoffs.

The mine has long been a cornerstone of employment in Kono District and a significant contributor to Sierra Leone’s economy. Its sudden closure has raised concerns not only about job losses, but also about the broader impact on families and communities that depend on the mining sector for their livelihoods.

--ChannelAfrica--