By: Mohamed Sahr
In the most recent publication of the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Scorecard for Fiscal Year 2025, the Sierra Leone Compact Development Unit at the office of the Vice President commended the country’s significant gains in the new Gender in the Economy and Health Expenditure indicators. The performance was made known in a press release dated Thursday, 21st November 2024.
The press statement noted that Sierra Leone has maintained a passing score on the MCC scorecard over six (6) consecutive years, reflecting the Government’s deep commitment to strengthening its democratic and good governance credentials.
This year’s Scorecard also illustrates the significant gains that have been made to protect the rights of women and girls following the ratification of the landmark Gender Equality and Women’s
Empowerment (GEWE) Law in 2022.
The GEWE Act prohibits gender-based discrimination in the workplace and removes restrictions on women’s participation in certain industries. This resulted in Sierra Leone attaining the maximum score in the ‘Workplace’ category in the Women, Business and Law Report (2024) by the World Bank.
Additionally, the Act institutes progressive mechanisms that allow leave days taken to provide childcare to be calculated in Women’s pension benefits. Further, the recently enacted Prohibition of Child Marriage Act 2024, which eliminates all exclusions to the legal age of marital consent, eighteen (18), also contributed to the significant improvement in this indicator.
Sierra Leone is currently one of the regional leaders in creating an enabling and progressive legal, the social and economic environment for its women to thrive.
This upward trajectory on the MCC scorecard following the signing of the $480 million Power Compact reinforces His Excellency President Julius Maada Bio’s assurance that Sierra Leone will continue to meet MCC’s eligibility criteria because it resonates with the ethos of his governance priorities. Sierra Leone’s sustained performance on the scorecard of six consecutive passes is a testament to the successful implementation of legal and institutional reforms to promote good governance, transparency, and the rule of law.