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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFrench engineering firm Matière is expanding its Sierra Leone work through the MATIERE/SECON joint venture, which won Lot 1 of the World Bank-financed Sierra Leone Connectivity and Agricultural Market Infrastructure Project (P178683). The award, notified on 28 September 2026, covers the design and construction of two climate-resilient long-span bridges and their link roads. The signed contract is worth US$24,195,636.29 and has a 30-month delivery period.
What Matière is building
Lot 1 combines bridge engineering with the roads needed to connect each crossing to the surrounding network. The contract is not limited to replacing a bridge deck: it requires design and construction of two long-span crossings and their link roads, with resilience to Sierra Leone’s challenging weather and river conditions built into the project brief.
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The World Bank procurement notice records the signed price as US$24,195,636.29. That is the contract value stated at award, rather than an estimate or a recurring annual budget. The 30-month term establishes the planned delivery window from contract commencement; actual completion will depend on mobilisation, site conditions, approvals and construction progress.
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Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallHow the MATIERE/SECON joint venture is structured
Matière is delivering the work with Sierra Leonean partner Sean Parpah Chendeka through the MATIERE/SECON joint venture. The award notification identifies Marcel Matière and Philippe Matière as French beneficial owners, each holding at least 25% of the joint venture, alongside Chendeka.
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This ownership disclosure matters because World Bank-financed procurement places responsibility on the named joint venture while also making its beneficial ownership visible. The arrangement pairs an international bridge contractor with local participation, which can support permitting, workforce coordination, local subcontracting and knowledge of site access and operating conditions. Those potential benefits should be judged against the project’s actual staffing, subcontracting and delivery records as construction proceeds.
Where the contract fits Sierra Leone’s infrastructure programme
The award is part of a broader push to make rural transport usable throughout the year. Sierra Leone’s Ministry of Information and Civic Education has described four earlier bridges—Manowa, Gendema, Tompare and Mattru-Senehun—as investments in agricultural connectivity, movement of people and goods, and community resilience.
The ministry also reported advanced procurement for bridges at four further locations:
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- Kabba Ferry
- Sumbuya
- Moselolo
These locations are a pipeline, not part of the US$24.2 million Lot 1 contract unless separately awarded. They show how the government is sequencing bridge investments beyond the two crossings covered by Matière and SECON.
The Sierra Leone Roads Authority reported that 443.86 kilometres of roads and 56 bridges were constructed or rehabilitated between 2018 and 2025, including 18 major bridges. The figures describe the authority’s reported national delivery over that period; they do not represent the output of this single contract.
Why climate-resilient bridges matter for farm-to-market travel
For rural producers, a bridge can determine whether crops reach a market at all during the wet season. Flooding, damaged approaches or a weight-restricted crossing can force long detours, raise transport costs and interrupt access to schools, health services and trading centres.
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President Julius Maada Bio has framed the issue in food-security terms: “Farmers cannot access markets without roads and bridges. If our farming communities are not connected, we cannot achieve food sufficiency.” The Matière/SECON scope addresses that connectivity problem by pairing long-span bridges with link roads, rather than treating the crossing as an isolated structure.
“Climate-resilient” is a project requirement, not a guarantee that a bridge will never be disrupted. Performance will depend on the final design, foundations, drainage, approach protection, maintenance and the quality of construction. The useful test will be whether the completed routes remain safe and passable through heavy rains and normal agricultural traffic.
Delivery lessons from earlier rural bridge works
Earlier implementation records show why schedule management will be important. A 2024 World Bank update placed physical progress on four rural bridges between 25% and 48%. Heavy rains halted works from July to November 2023. An attempted coup on 26 November 2023 and the two-week curfew that followed affected contractor mobilisation and the resumption of work.
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The Bank proposed extending that project’s closing date to 30 June 2025 so the bridges could be completed. Those events do not establish that the new Lot 1 contract will be delayed, but they identify concrete risks for any bridge programme in the country: seasonal access constraints, security-related restrictions, remobilisation time and the need to align the work schedule with the rainy season.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What to monitor during the 30-month term
Design and resilience decisions
Watch for the approved bridge designs, foundation and flood-protection measures, drainage details and standards for the link roads. These decisions will show how the resilience requirement is being translated into buildable work.
Mobilisation and local participation
Early evidence should include site establishment, surveys, access works, local hiring and disclosed subcontracting. The joint venture’s performance will indicate whether local participation is substantive rather than only a legal feature of the bid.
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- BROOKLYN BRIDGE – 2 Sheet Model with a moderate difficulty level. Once assembled, dimensions are 5.39"L x 0.91"W x 1.97"H (13.7 x 2.3 x 5 cm)
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Schedule and contract management
Progress updates should be compared with the 30-month contractual window and should explain any weather, security, land-access or design changes. A missed milestone is most useful when the cause, revised date and mitigation are made clear.
Connectivity outcomes
After opening, the practical measures are year-round passability, travel-time reliability, safe movement of farm goods, and access for communities on both sides of each crossing. Those outcomes will determine whether the investment delivers more than a completed structure.
The significance of the award
Matière’s Lot 1 award gives the French firm a defined role in Sierra Leone’s rural connectivity programme: two climate-resilient long-span bridges, their link roads, a US$24,195,636.29 contract and a 30-month schedule under a World Bank-financed project. Its wider importance will be established by delivery—on time, with effective local participation, and with roads that keep agricultural communities connected when seasonal conditions are at their worst.
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