Sonoco secures US$23M loan to build Sierra Leone’s first wheat flour mill

Sonoco Ltd. has secured a US$23 million senior loan from Proparco, the private-sector financing arm of the French Development Agency (AFD), to support the construction and working capital requirements for the development of Sierra Leone’s first industrial-scale wheat flour mill and silo storage complex in Freetown, Sierra Leone.

The financing will cover the development of a 600-tonnes-per-day flour mill, designed to produce up to 140,000 tonnes of flour annually.

In addition, the project will include an integrated storage capacity of 40,000 tonnes, enabling more stable grain handling and year-round flour availability.

The investment represents the first industrial-scale flour milling operation in Sierra Leone, a country of about 8.8 million people that has historically depended entirely on imported wheat flour.

Sadio Dicko, Proparco’s Regional Director for West Africa, emphasized the importance of the investment.

“This world-class wheat flour production unit will enable the country to have fresh and highly qualitative flour available every day. West African countries must increase their control of food value chains to ensure food security and prosperity. This is exactly what we are doing with this project,” he noted.

Sonoco Limited is part of Groupe Sonoco, a diversified West African conglomerate with origins in Guinea and operations across industry, construction, and real estate.

With the new mill in place, Sonoco is expected to transition from an importer to the country’s largest flour miller, significantly altering the structure of the local wheat and flour supply chain.

Beyond serving domestic demand, the mill is expected to supply export markets, starting with neighbouring Liberia and potentially extending further across the Mano River region.

The project is timely, as food security remains a critical challenge in Sierra Leone, where an estimated 77% of the population is food insecure, according to FAO data.

By replacing a portion of imported flour with locally milled product, the project strengthens domestic value addition, reduces exposure to global supply disruptions, and supports employment across logistics, milling operations, and downstream distribution.

The project also aligns with the “Production” pillar of the Food and Agriculture Resilience (FARM) initiative, launched in 2022 by French President Emmanuel Macron, alongside the European Union, the G7 and the African Union.

FARM focuses on strengthening agricultural production resilience in the face of climate change, geopolitical shocks, and supply chain disruptions.

In 2025, FARM-linked initiatives helped mobilize US$14 million in private-sector finance for smallholders in countries including Ethiopia and Uganda, as part of a wider US$200 million program targeting farmers, agribusinesses, and agri-food startups.

Tags: wheat, flour, investment, Sierra Leone, silo, mill, Sonoco Ltd., Proparco, Production