Sierra Leone Civil Aviation Authority (SLCAA)

Legal basis

SLCAA says it was created by an Act of Parliament, the Civil Aviation Act 2008, in April 2008 ¹. It says ICAO audited Sierra Leone from 8 to 12 May 2006 and found the country completely deficient in all eight critical elements audited, which led to the Authority's creation ¹.

The current law is the Civil Aviation Act 2023, Act No. 27 of 2023 ². President Julius Maada Bio signed it on 12 April 2023 and it was published in a Gazette supplement dated 29 June 2023 ². Its long title says it repeals and replaces the Civil Aviation Act 2019 ².

Functions

Section 14 of the 2023 Act sets the Authority's object as promoting the safety, security, facilitation and economic and environmental efficiency of civil aviation ². Section 15 lists its functions ².

• Act as the national competent authority for civil aviation ²
• Enforce the National Civil Aviation Security Programme, section 15(2)(h) ²
• License and register aircraft, section 15(2)(i) ²
• Certify aerodromes, section 15(2)(u), and issue airport certificates under section 60 ²
• Train and certify aviation security screeners, as shown by its February 2025 screener trials ⁷

Charges it may levy

Section 15(2)(z) lets the Authority levy charges for its services and for the use of its facilities ². Section 32(1)(b) provides for a safety charge on all air tickets and freight charges ². Section 32(1)(c) lists fees, including a ticket sales charge ². Section 41(4) allows surcharges on ticket sales by international passengers, with Board approval ².

Section 32(2) splits the Authority's funds 80% for its own activities, 10% for the accident investigation bureau and 10% for the consolidated fund ². The amounts of these charges are set outside the Act and were not confirmed for this page.

EU Air Safety List

SLCAA says Sierra Leone was placed on the EU Air Safety List in 2008 for issuing air operator certificates to airlines without meeting international safety and oversight requirements ³. On 25 April 2024 a delegation led by Director General Musayeroh Barrie met the EU Air Safety Committee in Brussels ³.

SLCAA says the roadmap agreed there has three steps ³. Staff would be trained over six to eight months with support from the Italian civil aviation authority, ENAC ³. The Authority would build experience in registering aircraft and issuing certificates ³. It would then invite the Commission to review the process ³. No source found for this page confirms removal from the list by 24 October 2026.

Audit findings

In its report on the 2019 accounts, sent to Parliament in December 2020, Audit Service Sierra Leone said Le13.8 billion was deposited into the Civil Aviation Authority account ⁴. It found no evidence to confirm the accuracy and completeness of that revenue ⁴.

In its report on the 2021 accounts, sent in December 2022, the Audit Service said it could not verify non-tax revenue of Le41.13 billion disclosed for the Authority ⁵. It received no management response on this during the audit and raised it as an emphasis of matter, without modifying its opinion ⁵.

Later reports list a Civil Aviation Authority Escrow balance in the government's cash position ^8,9. It stood at NLe48,432 thousand on 31 December 2023 and NLe27,679 thousand on 31 December 2024 ^8,9. These are balances, not findings.