ECOWAS Orders Sierra Leone to Reduce High Cost of Air Travel, Slash Security & Passenger Charges

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has issued a binding directive to the government of Sierra Leone to eliminate its Foreign Travel Tax and significantly lower airport utility charges, in a major regional push to slash the high cost of air travel
The order is contained in the newly adopted Supplementary Act A/SA.2/12/24 Relating to the Common Policy on Aviation Charges, Taxes and Fees, signed by West African Heads of State, including President Julius Maada Bio, during the 66th Ordinary Session in Abuja on 15 December 2024.
Under the specific terms of the Act, Sierra Leone must abolish the Foreign Travel Tax within 12 months. According to the legislation’s Annex on tax removal, Sierra Leone is one of four countries—alongside Togo, Niger, and The Gambia—currently applying this levy.