National Adaptation Plan (NAP) 2021.

This National Adaptation Plan (NAP), developed by the Government of Sierra Leone through the Environment Protection Agency following a broad-based consultative process and the participation of relevant stakeholders and the private sector, describes the efforts to address the country’s vulnerability and resilience to the threats and impacts posed by climate change, particularly erratic rainfall, rising temperatures, seasonal floods, water shortages, rising sea level, low crop yield and mudslides. Therefore, this Plan presents the government’s commitment to reduce the potential for further damages, to improve the country’s fragile ecosystems, and to integrate adaptation measures into national development processes, in compliance with sustainable development goals. This National Adaptation Plan (NAP) is structured as follows: Chapter 1) including: vision, mandate, guiding principles, goals. Chapter 2) concerning National circumstances, gender and environmental issues. Chapter 3) concerning climate impacts, vulnerabilities and risks. Chapter 4) regarding climate change adaptation plans and policies, projects and programmes. Chapter 5) including: priority adaptation actions. Chapter 6) providing for Institutional arrangements for the NAP process. Chapter 7) focusing on implementation strategy, actions and next steps.
The Plan identifies the following priority sectors as central pillars to develop programmes and actions: 1) agriculture and food security, including: cultivation of rice, sugar cane, fruits and vegetables; small-scale farmers livelihoods and rural poverty; incidence of pest and disease outbreaks; 2) water resources management and energy, including domestic, agricultural and industrial use of water: drinking, irrigation and hydroelectric power production; groundwater resources quality and quantity; 3) coastal zone management, fisheries and coastal ecosystem, including: artisanal fisheries, boat building, wood cutting, fish transportation, sale of fishing gears, living conditions of coastal communities, coastal erosion; 4) environmental preservation, including: pollution control, biodiversity conservation, reduction of deforestation, fight against invasive alien species, shift in vegetation, from tropical rain forest to tropical dry forest; 5) disaster management; 6) gender equality and social inclusion of youth, women and persons with disabilities; 7) hard and soft infrastructure, including: transportation, public health and increasing of waterborne diseases, water and sanitation.