Sierra Leone Poverty Reduction Strategy 2008-2012

The Sierra Leone Poverty Reduction Strategy is a national multi-sectoral strategy of Sierra Leone for the period 2008-2012. Its main objectives are to provide a reliable power supply to the country, raise quantity and value-added productivity in agriculture and fisheries, develop a national transportation network, and ensure sustainable human development through the provision of improved social services.
The Strategy aims to help eliminate food insecurity and malnutrition. For this, it plans to increase food self-sufficiency of farmers by encouraging to increase the cultivation of food crops; manage the resources sustainably in order to derive maximum benefits, which will contribute towards food security for all Sierra Leoneans; provide food aid in life threatening emergencies; promote early and exclusive breastfeeding, infant and young child feeding, promote local salt iodation, provision and distribution of micro-nutrients to both pregnant women and children; strengthen community identification and management of acute malnutrition; and sensitise communities to identify and refer severe cases of malnutrition for proper management at the health facilities.
Further, the Strategy aims to make agriculture more productive and sustainable. To this end, it is planning to promote studies, research, surveys and analyses for the improvement and protection of the environment and the maintenance of a sound ecological system; initiate and pursue formal and non-formal educational programmes for the creation of public awareness of the environment; promote effective planning in the management of the environment; establish a data bank on natural resources management and utilization; Impose and collect environmental protection levies in accordance with EPA Act; coordinate the monitoring and implementation of national environmental policies; promote the establishment of national environment standards; conduct Annual Environment Impact Assessments; formulate a new forest policy and legislation, based on the principles of sustainable forest management; sign up to future Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD) programmes; and give incentives to stimulate investment in sustainable forest management schemes.
Further, for reducing rural poverty, the document targets to undertake a broad range of actions such as cash transfers, food aid, affordable health charges, child protection services and responses to life threatening emergencies to enhance coping mechanisms of vulnerable groups; carry out social insurance schemes such as pension systems, health insurance, unemployment benefits, and services to support communities; effectuate livelihood and productivity enhancing interventions, such as conditional cash transfers, public works, and school feeding programs in order to reduce susceptibility to social risks; mainstream gender and establish mechanisms and tools for monitoring and assessing the impact of gender policies, projects, plans, and programs on beneficiaries; and set up an Independent Gender Commission to promote gender equitable development.
To enable more inclusive and efficient agricultural and food systems, the Strategy seeks to increase agricultural productivity; increase irrigation facilities; enhance agro-processing marketing and distribution; promote commercial agriculture through private sector participation; create an enabling environment that is attractive for the private sector to invest; provide post-harvest storage facilities; improve access to rural credit; reform and train farmer-based organizations; improve agricultural research and extension delivery systems; promote efficient and effective sector resource management systems; provide adequate fisheries surveillance capability; facilitate the lifting of the export ban on fish exports to the EU market; improve the infrastructure and support services for commercial fishing; provide adequate extension support for artisanal fisher folk; and strengthen capacity in the ministry of marine resources.
Moreover, the Strategy also aims to increase the resilience of livelihoods to disasters by mainstreaming disaster risk reduction into the Strategy’s framework to help prepare, mitigate and respond to natural or man-made disasters; supporting the implementation of a comprehensive National Disaster Management Programme; and support the Disaster Management Department to enhance its performance in disaster risk reduction, mitigation and response.
The Strategy also provides for measures relating mineral management. Namely, it seeks to provide optimal benefits from minerals to the country over time; exploit minerals transparently and equitably, minimizing damage to the environment; translating the revenues generated from mining into productive assets to fuel long-term growth and development; attract private investment into the minerals sector; and develop and strengthen human resources in the minerals sector.
According to the Strategy, the Government is committed to the decentralised implementation of the Strategy, enabling each district to engage closely with its population and serve specific local needs to achieve poverty reduction. At the policy level, coordination across ministries is led by Cabinet, and coordination between the Government and development partners is led by the Office of the President through quarterly meetings of the Development Partnership Committee. Monitoring and Evaluation will be focused on improving current programmes, increasing efficiency and ensuring effectiveness among the implementing agencies. To this end the focus will be on results. The targets of the Strategy are outlined in the Results Framework and will be part of a comprehensive monitoring system.