Sierra Leone Expands Rural Banking Through Fintech

Sierra Leone’s push into fintech is rooted in a basic access problem: fewer than 20% of adults can use formal services such as accounts, deposits and loans, while financial inclusion among women is about 15%. The shortfall is stark in farming districts including Kailahun, where some residents travel as far as 27 kilometers to reach a branch and can spend SLE 140 ($6-$7) on transport. Digital channels and local agents can lower those costs and bring rural households and businesses into the formal system.

UNCDF said on May 20, 2026, that its EU-funded, $13.6 million Salone Access to Finance program, running from 2023 to 2028, was expanding agency banking with Guaranty Trust Bank and Rokel Commercial Bank. The partners have deployed 222 community agents across Bo, Kenema and Kailahun, lifting the nationwide agent network to 722 from 500. More than 2,080 farmers and village savings-group members, including 1,186 women, have also been trained to use digital financial services, with USSD technology allowing transactions on basic mobile phones without internet access.