[{"bbox": [97, 122, 1133, 175], "category": "Text", "text": "or external shocks and the basis to further develop technical skills. Just 61% of primary school teachers are trained, which is compounded in rural areas where there are higher numbers of unqualified and volunteer teachers."}, {"bbox": [97, 186, 1133, 320], "category": "Text", "text": "Food insecurity remains very high. Half of the population is affected by insufficient food consumption and uses crisis or above crisis level food-based coping strategies. **One quarter of the population lives under acute hunger (IPC Phase 3+).** In Sierra Leone, stunting of children reached 29,5 % in 2019 and wasting of children was 5,4% in 2019. Those ratios are high and worrying. School feeding reaches only half of the pupils and is particularly challenging in remote areas."}, {"bbox": [97, 331, 1133, 492], "category": "Text", "text": "The **Sierra Leonean economy was severely affected by the effects of the Russian aggression on Ukraine**, which obliged the government to adopt a supplementary budget in June 2022. As of March 2023, the Government projects GDP growth to reach only 2.1 % in 2023 (versus an initial forecast of 5.9% in December 2021) and **public finances are under high stress. According to the full-year estimates for 2022 included in the approved budget proposal for 2023, budget revenue as % of GDP is 13.90% while budget expenditure as % of GDP is 25.8%** (i.e. a deficit of USD 132 million with grants and USD 316 million without grants)"}, {"bbox": [97, 503, 1133, 610], "category": "Text", "text": "**Sierra Leone is among the countries with the highest food price inflation rates in Sub-Saharan Africa (29.40% in 2022).** In terms of food insecurity, Sierra Leone is among the most affected countries in the sub-Saharan region (19% of the population affected). **Strikes and protests against the rising cost of living turned violent on 10 August 2022** in Freetown with six police officers and about 30 civilians killed."}, {"bbox": [97, 621, 1133, 729], "category": "Text", "text": "In the context of a very tight fiscal position and high risk of debt distress, the financing of the development goals remains highly challenging and Sierra Leone continues to rely heavily on **official concessional credits and grants**. The country will need **to generate and attract alternative sources of financing** in the long term (domestic resource mobilisation, unlocking national private sector potential and enhancing international investments)."}, {"bbox": [97, 740, 862, 769], "category": "Text", "text": "Sierra Leone faces complex, **interlinked, and persistent development challenges**:"}, {"bbox": [135, 781, 842, 809], "category": "List-item", "text": "* Economic challenges of stagnation, unemployment and low productivity,"}, {"bbox": [135, 810, 1042, 838], "category": "List-item", "text": "* Social challenges of poverty, inequality, a sizeable precariat combined with population growth,"}, {"bbox": [135, 838, 1107, 866], "category": "List-item", "text": "* Weak Government effectiveness, patronage system, high levels of corruption and a fragile democracy,"}, {"bbox": [135, 866, 1036, 920], "category": "List-item", "text": "* Environmental challenges of an alarming loss of primary natural forest and forest degradation, biodiversity loss, degrading ecosystems and high climate change vulnerability."}, {"bbox": [97, 944, 1133, 1104], "category": "Text", "text": "The negative socio-economic outlook is compounded by weak governance and an inadequate regulatory framework, together with low capacity of most public institutions in key socio and economic sectors, including environment. **Sierra Leone seems unable to address the increasing vulnerability of its rural population and to ensure the preservation and sustainable use of its natural resources.** In this fragile context, the progressive and uncontrolled depletion of the natural capital would have a significant negative effect on the economic and social stability of the country."}, {"bbox": [97, 1104, 1133, 1186], "category": "Text", "text": "This analysis is broadly shared by the EU Member States and Ireland, Germany and France developed with the EU a Team Europe Initiative, entitled “Green Pact with Sierra Leone”. These three Member States focus respectively on support to education, development of clean energies and protection of biodiversity."}, {"bbox": [85, 1225, 327, 1256], "category": "Section-header", "text": "## 2.2 Problem Analysis"}, {"bbox": [97, 1271, 1133, 1352], "category": "Text", "text": "Undiversified economy, high reliance on imports and an under-developed industrial base make the country vulnerable to significant fluctuations of prices of primary goods in international markets, disruption of supply chains, financial crisis and pandemics."}, {"bbox": [97, 1377, 1133, 1511], "category": "Text", "text": "Weak social services and social safety nets, a largely informal economy and tight national financial situation (related to the current economic crisis) exacerbate vulnerability, particularly for women. The election context has contributed to budget expenditures overrun. The departing administration adopted corrective measures with the adoption of new taxes ahead of the election. Additional measures, including better expenditure controls and a supplementary budget are likely to be necessary after the elections."}, {"bbox": [97, 1536, 1133, 1644], "category": "Text", "text": "Due to these internal and external factors, public finances are currently under severe stress. The national budget can hardly cover personnel expenditures and interest payments. There is very little margin for social or capital investments that could help to promote economic growth or safeguard the already very vulnerable and poor population from economic hardship."}, {"bbox": [1038, 1681, 1144, 1707], "category": "Page-footer", "text": "Page 5 of 33"}]