August 9, 2021
By: Mohamed Jalloh
Sierra Leone’s economy has shown signs of resiliency amidst the ravaging effect of the Covid-19 pandemic on economies around the world.
The economy is believed to have maintained buoyancy which is validated by facts and figures during the launch of the Sierra Leone’s Economic Update 2021 by government and development partners.
While the Covid-19 pandemic has led to food insecurity and the disruption of distribution channels in some developed countries, contrary to fears and expectations; the mobility restrictions did not hurt rice production in Sierra Leone.
The report identifies farmers as the least affected given their limited dependency on the market.
Rural households were also least affected, as higher food prices, declining incomes and mobility restrictions that created increase poverty in urban households had a less severe impact on rural households.
However, the report further highlighted the period between March –June 2020 as challenging for many urban households whose bread winners are dependent on self-employed income.
In the middle of 2020, fears of food insecurity worsened especially among urban households including those in the capital city Freetown.
In most cases, the report captures children as the most affected when it comes to food insecurity, noting that their long-term physical and cognitive growth could be affected by lack of access to sufficient and healthy food during the pandemic.
The report cautioned government to implement mobility restrictions with a human face as mobility constrains could jeopardize and disrupt supply chains.
“Mobility restrictions should be seen as the last resort as they have significant consequences on loss of income, increase food insecurity and lower economic activity especially among the urban self-employed”, the report waned.
The report advised government to lessen on the imposition of restrictions and instead focus on targeted interventions that could minimize the economic hardships on both the rural and urban poor.
The report commended government for rolling out a targeted income support programme of emergency cash transfer to informal sector workers and vulnerable groups in Freetown and other cities across the country.
The report ends by further lauding the government for a supplementary budget that increased spending on health, public works and other public services.