Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSP)

Considerable progress was made in key areas in the course of implementing Sierra Leone’s first Poverty Reduction Strategy (2005-2007).

These included consolidating peace and security after 11 years of civil conflict. Relatively high economic growth rates, low inflation and macroeconomic stability were significantly achieved.

The second PRSP (2008-2012) which is also known as the 'Agenda for Change' now focuses on four key priorities:

1. Providing reliable power supply to the country. This is being done through improving the management and regulation of the energy sector, strengthening revenue collection and increasing generating capacity. This is complemented by embarking on the development of new sources of power throughout the country, including the competitive sourcing of private sector investment. In the longer term, the strategy focuses on broadening access to electricity throughout the country, with particular hopes for mini-hydroelectric schemes encouraged by the topography and high rainfall that the country enjoys.
2. Raising quantity and value-added productivity in agriculture and fisheries. This is deemed as a critical contribution to poverty reduction since the majority of Sierra Leoneans are engaged in agricultural and fishing activities. The development of agribusiness is identified in the PRSP as strategic to food security, revenue generation and wealth creation.
3. Developing a National Transportation Network: This is to enable the movement of goods and people thereby facilitating increased investment and economic activity. It includes improving road, river and air transport in the short term. It also includes the rehabilitation of 2,055 Kilometers of feeder roads and of 160 Kilometers of roads in major provincial towns. It provides for coordination to ensure that the agriculturally productive regions of the country have the feeder roads that enable Sierra Leonean farmers market their produce on time and increase their income through significant reduction in post harvest losses.
4. Ensuring sustainable human development through the provision of improved social services. Effective delivery of basic social services is deemed in the PRSP as essential for ensuring economic growth and poverty reduction. This is complemented by providing for support to the service delivery functions of the local councils.

In education, activities are aimed at improving access to education and raising the completion rate, especially for primary and junior secondary schools; improving the quality of education through extensive training programmes for teachers; providing adequate teaching and learning materials; improving the conditions of service for teachers especially in remote areas; providing early childhood care for more children; and encouraging the girl child to attend and complete school.

In health, it focuses on reducing mortality rates, especially for infants and pregnant women. The strategy provides for scaling up the minimum package of essential services, including immunization, utilization of treated bed nets, promotion of early and exclusive breast feeding, and promotion of hygiene practices as well as making available minimum maternal and neo-natal health care systems.

On safe drinking water, the strategy provides for investing in wells and gravity fed water systems throughout the country. The prevention of HIV/AIDS and mitigating its effects is deemed in the strategy as key to human development and economic growth. In the longer term, the strategy provides for developing and implementing a health insurance scheme that improves the quality of health facilities and increases access to the facilities.