Skip to content
Type
Webinar

ICE Africa: Sustainable infrastructure development and resource extraction

Event organised by ICE

Date
02 October 2025
Time

This event has now ended

Overview

Join us on 2 October at 16:00 UK | 15:00 Sierra Leone | 16:00 West Africa | 17:00 Central Africa & South Africa for an insightful presentation on the challenges and opportunities in Sierra Leone’s resource extraction sector.

This presentation reviews the constraints facing the resource extraction industry, agricultural practices, and infrastructure development, with a view to outlining opportunities for implementing sustainable policies in Sierra Leone.

Sierra Leone is a small West African nation situated along the Atlantic Ocean, with a population of approximately 8 million and a total land area of about 72,000 square kilometres. It is estimated that around 28,000 square kilometres are covered by mining leases, making the economy heavily reliant on mineral extraction.

We will begin by examining the key challenges associated with sustainable natural resource extraction in Sierra Leone, followed by strategies and opportunities to promote sustainability. The overall approach to sustainable development will be discussed, with the aim of highlighting how the impact of resource extraction can be minimised through a holistic strategy that enhances GDP via improved agricultural productivity and infrastructure development.

By strategically addressing these challenges and capitalising on available opportunities, we will demonstrate how Sierra Leone can foster sustainable natural resource extraction and build resilient infrastructure—paving the way for long-term prosperity and environmental well-being.

Speaker

Dr Jonathan Bonopha Tengbe

Dr Jonathan Bonopha Tengbe

regional representative

Read more

Dr Jonathan Bonopha Tengbe

Dr Jonathan Bonopha Tengbe is Chartered Civil Engineer (UK), Professional Engineer (Sierra Leone) and Chartered Environmentalist (UK).

He holds a PhD in Engineering with Distinction at University of Stuttgart, Germany, M.Sc. (Infrastructure Planning), Faculty of Civil Engineering, University of Stuttgart, Germany, 1987  and B. Eng. (Hon) Civil Engineering, Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone, 1984.

Jonathan has over 35 years’ experience in the design, project/contract management and supervision of highways and other Transport infrastructure projects. He has been working in the planning, design, project management and supervision of highway improvement schemes at various technical and managerial levels in Sierra Leone, Lesotho, United Kingdom and Qatar.

He is currently serving as the CEO/Managing Director for Sierra Civils International Limited - a Sierra Leonean owned Civil Engineering Company based in Freetown, that provide Infrastructure Delivery services for the Transport and the Road sector. Our recent activities are in the design of major Bridges across the country and the design and supervision of the 72km Tikonko to Mattru Project in Southern Sierra Leone with funding from BADEA and the Sierra Leone Government.

He also worked for the African Development Bank as an Independent Consultant for the Ex-Post evaluation of the Matotoka to Sefadu project (2020) and the Bo to Bandajuma Project (2022). Below are a list of publications that are associated with this presentation.

PUBLICATIONS

  • Tengbe (2001) Simulation Modelling in Resource Management: A Sustainable Development Approach to Resource Extraction in Sierra Leone, Journal of Environmental Planning and Management vol. 44 (6) 783-801
  • Tengbe (2000) The Application of Multi-Criteria Analysis in Environmental Assessment: A Case of Environmental Policy analysis of Mining Activities in Sierra Leone, African ournal of Environmental Assessment and Management 2 (1/2), 19-33
  • Tengbe (1994) Zur Umweltvertraglichkeitsprufung in Sierra Leone: Eine Fallstudie zur bewertung der Umweltfolgen des Bergbaus _ Umweltpolitiche Analyse mit hilfe von Simulations modellierung, ISSN 0941-651X (Arbeitsberiche Inst. Lanschaftsplanung u. Okologie Univ. Stuggart, N.F. Band 1, 1994