Sahr M. Kanawa, Director of Country Planning at the Ministry of Lands, Housing, and Country Planning (MLHCP), has outlined critical gaps in urban planning during the 2025 Financial Year manpower hearing session held at the Civil Service Training College, Tower Hill, Freetown. Addressing a panel from the Human Resource Management Office (HRMO), Director Kanawa revealed that Freetown lacks a comprehensive master plan, resulting in unregulated construction without considering soil type and environmental topography. He emphasized the urgent need for a master plan to guide urban development. Kanawa also disclosed that the Ministry is currently reviewing the outdated Town and Country Planning Act of 1965, along with other archaic laws. Some of these laws impose fines as low as 5 British pounds for planning-related offences, a situation he described as an embarrassment to the state. He highlighted the Ministry's ongoing challenges, including inadequate funding and severe shortages in workforce and resources. The Directorate of Country Planning, which should have over 500 staff deployed nationwide, currently operates with only 37 staff members. Additionally, the Ministry has secured seven motorbikes through the World Bank-funded Urban Resilient Project to assist in monitoring development in Freetown despite having just one official vehicle. Source: Sierra Leone News Agency