A field-based-work mission to Sierra Leone was conducted in the framework of the Data for Decisions (D4D) Project and the Sierra Leone National Accounts rebasing project. The mission assisted the National Accounts and Economic Statistics Division (NAESD) of Statistics Sierra Leone (Stats SL) in...

The onset of COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 highlighted the importance of digital technologies for remote learning and building better education technology (Edtech) ecosystem in the country. The 5-Year Education Sector Plan (ESP 2022-2026) developed in post pandemic period sets out ICT education...

Access to finance and equal economic opportunities are crucial for female entrepreneurs, fostering business growth and economic participation. Drawing on interviews with key stakeholders involved in the legal reform processes, this Brief examines how Sierra Leone made strides in its reform...

Mining activity in developing countries is frequently associated with the most severe and disastrous environmental impacts, posing a threat to the survival and livelihoods of local communities where agriculture is the primary sustenance. Therefore, this article explores the effects of mining...

This research investigates the potential impact of proposed tollgate price adjustments on inflation dynamics in Sierra Leone using a suite of Bayesian Vector Autoregressive (VAR) models with data from 2007M1 to 2024M1. Around 2015-2016, the government of Sierra Leone initiated a crucial road...

Sierra Leone faces important development challenges. This includes dealing with the impacts of climate change such as rising temperatures, more frequent extreme hot days, and increasingly erratic rainfall patterns, with intensified single-day precipitation events. This is especially important...

Sierra Leone faces important development challenges. This includes dealing with the impacts of climate change such as rising temperatures, more frequent extreme hot days, and increasingly erratic rainfall patterns, with intensified single-day precipitation events. This is especially important...

The Government of Sierra Leone (GoSL) has launched a new Medium-Term National Development Plan (MTNDP). Unlike the previous plans that were implemented for five years, the new plan will be executed for a period of seven years spanning 2024-2030, in order to be fully aligned with the remaining...

Political and social stability have been tested by a cost-of-living crisis, a coup attempt, and allegations of electoral fraud. To help maintain calm, the ruling coalition and the opposition released a joint statement promoting a constructive political dialogue. The Tripartite Committee...

The assistance assessed how climate change impacts and mitigation and adaptation responses are addressed in the public investment cycle using the Climate Module of the Public Investment Management Assessment (C-PIMA). Sierra Leone was found to perform moderately well in some areas of the Climate...

Sierra Leone faces significant climate-related challenges, including rising temperatures, unpredictable precipitation patterns, and increased risks of extreme weather events, which threaten its infrastructure and coastal communities. This assistance assessed Sierra Leone's public investment...

This Human Capital Review (HCR) report presents an in-depth analysis of human capital indicators throughout a person's lifetime, from in utero to productive aging. By examining the various stages of human capital accumulation, the report aims to provide accurate recommendations for specific...

Sierra Leone is one of the poorest countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, with a gross national income per capita of USD 510 in 2022. The country ranked near the bottom of all countries in the latest Human Development Index. Despite these low rankings, in the years since the end of the 10-year civil...

Increasing plastic pollution in Sierra Leone threatens not only the public health or the local economy, but also the national tourism sector. The volume of plastic waste visible on beaches in the Western Area of Sierra Leone has made plastic pollution a significant problem. Hotels reported that...

The survey shows that nationwide 21.1% of Sierra Leone households have access to electricity via the national grid (20.5%) or mini-grids (0.6%) and 14.7% have off-grid access. Off-grid sources predominantly include solar products such as solar lanterns, solar home systems, and solar lighting...

This paper uses a Bayesian estimation approach to examine the behavior of the Sierra Leone’s economy by creating a small-open economy DSGE model that includes financial frictions. The study utilises a New Keynesian framework to examine the actions of diverse economic agents, such as...

The African continent needs $68-108 billion in new financing each year to bridge its critical infrastructure gaps, according to President Adesina of the African Development Bank. Meanwhile, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) calculates that climate change adaptation alone will cost Africa up...

Development assistance funding by international donors is rarely channelled to/through local actors. While there are strong normative and practical arguments for localizing funding, progress has been piecemeal as donors are largely left to their own devices to decide how, when, where, and how...

This study examines the duality of the exchange rate market in Sierra Leone, delving into the distinct impacts of the official and parallel exchange rates (between the Leone and the United States Dollar) on inflation. Employing the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) approach and utilizing...

Can name analysis be used to study elite persistence in African contexts? Taking Sierra Leone as a case study, we use surnames to measure how two historical elites (descendants of settlers that comprise Sierra Leone's Krio community and members of Chiefly Ruling Houses) have fared over the...

This paper examines the determinants of inflation in Sierra Leone using monthly time series data from 2010M1 to 2021M12, with the application of the ARDL model. The emphasis of the empirical study as outlined in the objectives is to examine both supply-side and demand-side pressure as observed...

The objective of the paper is to investigate the value-addition that expenditure on education has on economic growth in the Sierra Leone. The vector autoregression methodology is applied to annual data spanning 2000 – 2021, taking the time series properties of variables into consideration. A...

The Corporate Governance practice has been in existence but became topical and the focus of research interest with the collapse of organizations such as Enron, Parmalat, Tyco, WorldCom, Barings, Volkswagen, and Lehman Brothers. The collapse of these organizations brought waves of panic to...

This research focussed on the effects of Microfinance (MFI) on Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) in Sierra Leone. The study examined the detailed profile of SMEs in Sierra Leone, particularly Freetown Municipality, and how these SMEs benefited from the Munafa Fund. The analysis of this...

This study explored strategic purchasing of health services in Sierra Leone. Purchasing of healthservices in Sierra Leone is at a formative stage. Our study identified nine such purchasing schemes, which can be grouped into five major categories of purchasers: a) the ministry of health and...

As tax revenues became an essential source of funding for governments, the rulers' dependence on these funds created an incentive for them to be accountable to the taxpayers; citizens expected their governments to use tax revenues responsibly and efficiently, leading to improved governance...

This paper takes stock of the insights and learnings from a COVID-19 emergency cash transfer program that was administered to vulnerable informal sector workers in Sierra Leone. It starts by reviewing relevant examples of cash transfer programs that were instituted in response to the COVID-19...

Sierra Leone is highly vulnerable to natural hazards whose impacts are exacerbated by unplanned rapid urbanization. The main victims of climate change risks and impacts in urban Sierra Leone are the urban poor who also bear the brunt of multiple crises such as Ebola and Coronavirus Disease...

Sierra Leone's economy experienced overlapping setbacks during 2022, as external spillovers from the Russian invasion of Ukraine aggravated domestic macroeconomic vulnerabilities. This led to high levels of inflation, a substantially weaker currency, greater imbalances in public finances, and...

The investment in education creates present costs but brings benefits in the future such as increased earnings, improved health, economic growth, long life, and better service delivery in the place of work. The student expenses include but are not limited to tuition fees, books, and lodging...

Most Tax administrations around the world have now resorted to digitalization in tax administration due to continuous technological innovation, business change, and the need to improve services, optimize operational efficiency and increase tax compliance and revenue collections. Digitalizing tax...

Development assistance funding by international donors is rarely channelled to/through local actors. While there are strong normative and practical arguments for localizing funding, progress has been piecemeal as donors are largely left to their own devices to decide how, when, where, and how...

This paper presents Sierra Leone's Eight Review under the Extended Credit Facility (ECF) Arrangement, Request for a Waiver of Nonobservance of Performance Criterion, and Financing Assurances Review. Successive shocks and policy slippages contributed to a build-up in macroeconomic imbalances in...