Important Travel and Arrival Information for WAIGF 2026 Participants
Dear Participants,
Greetings from the WAIGF Secretariat.
Please read this message carefully as it contains important information regarding your arrival, airport procedures and transportation arrangements for WAIGF 2026 in Freetown, Sierra Leone.
Participants are kindly advised that Sierra Leone’s international airport, officially known as Freetown International Airport and commonly referred to as Lungi International Airport, is not located directly in the city of Freetown. The airport is situated in Lungi, across the Sierra Leone River estuary from the capital city. As a result, all international travellers arriving in Sierra Leone must cross from Lungi to Freetown after completing airport formalities before reaching their hotels and the conference venue.
The most common and recommended means of transfer between Lungi and Freetown is by water taxi. The crossing generally takes approximately 30 to 40 minutes depending on weather and operational conditions.
Please note carefully that the water taxi is different from the airport transfer arrangement provided by the organizers. The water taxi is the transportation used to cross from Lungi Airport to Freetown by sea, while the airport transfer arranged by the Ministry team applies only after participants arrive in Aberdeen, Freetown.
For WAIGF 2026 participants, airport pickup coordination has been arranged. Mr. Yansaneh and Mr. Jaward will be present to assist participants upon arrival at the airport and guide travellers throughout the process up to the Seacoach Water Taxi departure point.
Contact details
Mr. Yansaneh
+232 76888064
Mr. Jaward
+232 77308269
Please note that, unless specifically advised otherwise by the Secretariat or officially sponsored by ECOWAS, IGF Secretariat or Smart Africa, participants will be required to pay the standard airport immigration fee of 25 USD upon arrival.
WASIG Fellows are exempted from the airport immigration charges.
Participants are also informed that the water taxi fare of 60 USD remains the responsibility of each traveller unless otherwise advised by the Secretariat. Once again, this water taxi payment is separate from the local airport transfer arrangement in Freetown.
These charges apply upon arrival and similar transport costs should also be anticipated upon departure from Freetown to Lungi International Airport at the end of the event.
Participants are strongly encouraged to travel with sufficient USD cash to facilitate airport procedures, water taxi transportation and related travel expenses, as card payment facilities and currency exchange services may not always be readily available during transit procedures.
Upon arrival at Aberdeen in Freetown after the water crossing, a Ministry team will be present to facilitate onward transportation to the New Brookfields Hotel and other designated hotels. This transportation from Aberdeen to the hotels is the airport transfer arrangement provided locally in Freetown and is different from the water taxi crossing from Lungi.
For additional practical guidance regarding travel and local logistics in Sierra Leone, participants may consult the official Ministry of Communication, Technology and Innovation Travel Guide available below:
MoCTI Sierra Leone Travel Guide
We strongly encourage all participants to keep these contact numbers accessible during travel and to inform the Secretariat in case of major flight delays or itinerary changes.
We look forward to welcoming you to Freetown for a successful WAIGF 2026.
Kind regards,
WAIGF Secretariat
For further information
WAIGF Secretariat
info@waigf.org
www.waigf.org
