In 1960, a 24-person Sierra Leone delegation led by Milton Margai met British officials at Lancaster House, London to set out plans for independence. These constitutional conferences formalised the process of independence which was granted on 27 April 1961.

The Guardian reported on political developments in Sierra Leone in relation to the Lancaster House meeting between the Sierra Leonean delegation and the Colonial Secretary Iain Mcleod in the following article:

“Sierra Leone

To-morrow the Colonial Secretary will be back at Lancaster House to meet another colonial delegation seeking self-government. He should find the Sierra Leone conference much smoother going than the Kenyan conference. Although Sierra Leone has nine or ten political parties–a generous allowance for a population of less than 2,500,000–all the parties decided three weeks ago to come together and form a united national front to work (work, not fight) for independence; and they have promised to bring all their resources to bear, not merely on the impending discussions but on the lasting problem of bringing about efficient administration afterwards. So self-government is now, as ‘West Africa’ has put it, not a political issue but ‘an administrative and constitutional exercise.’ the Colony’s administrative problems are however, by no means easy. Its resources are limited: its dual development (as a Creole colony and an indigenous protectorate), though no longer a cause of political strife, has left behind it important divergences in the bases of government such as land tenure and chiefs; and it would be sorely hit if self-government was followed at once by a withdrawal of expatriate civil servants on the scale observed in Nigeria and Ghana. But it will help greatly if, in accordance with the party truce, these difficulties are not exploited to make grievances. Sierra Leone has enough gifted leaders to see it through this stage safely if they can work together; and their respect for the Prime Minister, Sir Milton Margai, has been shown by the unanimous desire that Independence Day should be fixed for December 7, his birthday.”

Source: ‘Sierra Leone’, The Guardian, 19 Apr 1960

See below, a British Pathe News report on Sierra Leonian independence: