By Foday Moriba Conteh

According to investigations conducted by this medium and corroborated by multiple credible sources within both Government and private sector institutions, the claims that Pavi Fort AL-Associates Group Ltd received a payment of over $60 million from the Government of Sierra Leone are entirely false and misleading.

The company believes this is in stark contrast to what is circulating on the social and mainstream media that IMF and World Bank have suspended all their projects in Sierra Leone. This medium was reliably informed that such a large single disbursement could not have been made, considering government’s current financial constraints and the array of competing national priorities. It is, therefore, reasonable to conclude that no such transaction ever took place in anyway.

Without credible evidence, allegations of payments for so-called “invisible roads” do not only lack merit but appear to be part of a deliberate attempt to malign the reputation of a company that continues to deliver tangible development outcomes both within Sierra Leone and across the West African region.

According to Pavi Fort company it often undertakes implementation of projects through pre-financing by securing  guarantees from commercial banks with Government later on reimbursing only after performance milestones have been satisfactorily verified.

This was independently confirmed through financial oversight documentations that were made available. Therefore, any saying that public funds were disbursed arbitrarily to the company is baseless as it not supported by facts.

In contrast to contractors who rely solely on upfront public financing, it was also reliably learnt that Pavi Fort distinguishes itself on this structured performance-based model.

It was underscored that comparisons made between Pavi Fort and other companies are fundamentally flawed. Pavi Fort is reportedly the only Sierra Leonean-owned engineering firm that is currently engaged in active infrastructure projects across five West African countries, with a project portfolio valued at over $500 million  – an achievement which only few local or regional contractors can match.

In terms of its local footprint, this medium verifies that Pavi Fort’s contributions are not only visible but are also widely acknowledged. For instance, the company successfully constructed the Lumley Transport Transit Terminal in Freetown, which was officially commissioned by President Julius Maada Bio in November 2024 under the World Bank-funded Integrated and Resilient Urban Mobility Project.

Additionally, Pavi Fort has played a central role in transforming the Masiaka-Bo Highway, upgrading township roads throughout Freetown and executing the 38.1-kilometer Tikonko-Kpetema-Mattru Jong road project; critical for boosting rural access and agricultural trade. The ongoing 261-kilometer Kabala-Mongor-Krobola-Kono Road Project, which was monitored recently by the Parliamentary Committee on Works and Public Assets, is another flagship venture that underscores the company’s operational capacity and accountability.

Other key developments include the installation of traffic lights at Ferry Junction, Congo Cross and Lumley Roundabout, as well as the construction of a multi-story commercial complex in Lumley that will house a hospital, storage facilities and entertainment spaces.

Reliable sources also have confirmed that Pavi Fort’s operations extend beyond Sierra Leone.

For example, in The Gambia, the company is undertaking a $50 million urban road project funded by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, which includes 50 kilometres of modern roads with drainage, street lighting, and pedestrian walkways.

In São Tomé and Príncipe, Pavi Fort signed a $100 million Memorandum of Understanding for three transformative projects: a 40-kilometer highway supported by Afreximbank, a $35 million hospital partially financed by the Kuwait Fund and a 700-hectare investment zone near the São Tomé International Airport that is expected to grow to over 1,000 hectares in its second phase.

In Guinea, the company owns and operates the Bawa Quarry in Dubreka, supplying construction-grade aggregates for public and private sector use. In Liberia, Pavi Fort is already fully registered and it is actively exploring strategic infrastructure investments.

This medium further has established that despite Pavi Fort’s verifiable performance record, it has become the target of misplaced public criticisms stemming from broader frustrations on a stalled on national development.

According to informed sources, much of this stagnation pointed out  is due to the restrictive policies imposed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which has reportedly blocked public spending and delayed key national projects. This heavy-handed approach by the IMF, as described by Government insiders, has frozen public investments across multiple sectors, including energy, water, healthcare, education, agriculture and infrastructure. These restrictions have led to severe economic strain, with several local contractors facing bankruptcy and citizens enduring a slowdown in basic service delivery.

According to Ministry of Finance insiders, there is no official record of a payment exceeding $60 million to Pavi Fort.

“All Government payments are subject to detailed scrutiny involving multiple oversight bodies, including the Road Maintenance Fund Administration and, where applicable, development partners,” according to information.

If any concerns exist around such transactions, officials advise that the appropriate channels for redress are the Audit Service Sierra Leone, Parliament or the Anti-Corruption Commission.

Therefore, on the above allegations against Pavi Fort, we note that reliance on unverified claims and speculative media narratives only serve to undermine public trust in credible institutions and development-oriented private sector players.

In light of these verified facts and credible sources, this medium concludes that Pavi Fort continues to uphold its commitment to infrastructure development, regional partnership and service delivery across Sierra Leone and beyond. The company’s success serves as a testament to what indigenous African firms can achieve even in challenging environments, and so its performance should be measured by facts and not on fiction.