The African Development Bank (AfDB) has approved a $500 million strategy to promote inclusive growth and strengthen economic resilience in Sierra Leone. This new strategy is designed to enhance the country’s economic development, focusing on key areas such as agriculture, infrastructure, and trade.
The strategy aims to improve supply chain efficiency and market access throughout the agricultural sector, which will support Sierra Leone’s smallholder farmers and boost food security. It aligns with Sierra Leone’s Medium-Term National Development Plan and the African Union’s Agenda 2063, as well as the AfDB’s Ten-Year Strategy.
In addition, the strategy supports Sierra Leone’s commitments under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) by improving trade infrastructure and boosting agricultural exports, which will help the country tap into regional markets.
Cross-cutting themes are central to the strategy, including climate change mitigation, gender equality, and youth empowerment. A key focus is reducing Sierra Leone’s carbon footprint through the promotion of renewable energy projects and climate-smart agriculture. These initiatives are designed to mitigate the impacts of floods and droughts, which have increasingly affected the country in recent years.
The implementation of the strategy will begin immediately, with close coordination between the government, private sector, and civil society to maximize impact and ensure alignment with national priorities. Environmental and social safeguards will be implemented to ensure compliance with Sierra Leone’s regulations, including the 2022 Environmental Protection Act.
The strategy also addresses the structural drivers of fragility in Sierra Leone, focusing on targeted investments in infrastructure and agricultural value chains. A robust monitoring system will track progress toward measurable development outcomes, including gender-inclusive results, to ensure that the benefits of the strategy are widely distributed across the population.