USAID/Sierra Leone: Background about Guinea

MAY 28, 2007

Background About Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone continues its steady march in its transition from war to peace. Following a gruesome decade of civil violence which saw unspeakable horrors beset upon fellow Sierra Leonean's, civil society is becoming increasingly engaged in the political process while the national healing process continues. In May 2004 the country held successful District and Local Council elections -- the first in more than 20 years. The country has made remarkable strides toward growth and stability in light of such a violent and costly recent past. The remnants of devastation are seen from the charred out homes, schools and hospitals that still litter the countryside and towns, to the limbless children and adults spotting the cities and upcountry villages.

With this backdrop, it is not surprising that Sierra Leone hovers near, the bottom of the UN Human Development Index, ranked 176 out of 177 countries. The population grew from 2.9 million in 1975 to 4.8 mil in 2002 and was estimated to reach 6.1 million people in July 2007. Almost half of the population is under 15 years of age and urban migration has increased from 21.4 % of the population to 38.1% in 2002, with a projection to 47.6 % by 2015, that is, almost half the country's population is expected to move to the cities over the next 10 years. As the reintegration process continues these demographic trends will be affecting program direction.

Forty-five percent of Sierra Leone's population is youth in the age bracket of 18-35 years. Even before the war this group was largely unemployed, basically unskilled and lacking in educational and job opportunities. Worse still, these youths were hugely disenfranchised and had little hopes of participating in decisions that affected their future. Many say that this disabling environment enticed the youths to participate in the brutal 10-year war. Paradoxically, this group is sometimes abrasively identified as the real perpetrators of the war when, in fact, they were at the same time the principal victims of its violence. Youth were sometimes forced to carry arms or serve in supportive capacities to the various warring factions or face the wrath of their marauding colleagues for non-compliance. In addition, young women were forced into sexual slavery, the legacy of which local communities have yet to reconcile.

As a result, the youth remain a primary concern and potential serious threat to long term security, especially since they lost over a decade of formal schooling. For the most part, the only skills to which they were exposed were violence related. The teeming population of loitering youth in Freetown and other major urban centers, in search of scarce or non-existent jobs, only exacerbates an already untenable situation.

As early as 1996, the government of President Kabbah pursued the, "Local Government Reform and Decentralization Policy," with the main objective of improving government accountability and promoting economic development, especially at the local level. However, it was not until the 2002 Presidential election that the government was able to galvanize a strong expression of government support and commitment to embark on a decentralization program at the highest level. This commitment was matched by strong and widespread public and donor support for resuscitating the District Councils which were abolished some 20 years ago. Although successful District and Local Council elections were held in May 2004, many still believe a lot more remains to be done if these expressed good intentions and commitment are to be translated into a workable local governance program. However, many obstacles need to be overcome if the momentum of this giant first step to effective decentralization is to be maintained. Because many of the councils are dominated by the ruling Sierra Leone Peoples' Party (SLPP), there are fears that these may lend themselves to political manipulation at the expense of what is in the best interest of all of the citizens.

In May 2002, President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah made, "Agriculture and Food Security," one of the main goals for his second term. In his address to the House of Parliament he stated that a major thrust of his government's policy is to ensure that, "No Sierra Leonean goes to bed hungry by the year 2007." The food security policy also aims at creating decent and rewarding job opportunities for youth, including women, in the agricultural sector to grant them a brighter and secure future. With most people having returned to their communities which are currently peaceful, the country has a new opportunity to galvanize its huge agricultural potential, reversing its agriculture dependency and building food security for the people of Sierra Leone. The attainment of food security requires not only the government and international organizations such as USAID to help create an enabling environment under which farmers could increase their production and the unemployed gain productive employment, but most importantly, it requires the full participation of and commitment to the youth, especially young men (i.e., ex-combatants and victims of war), to work hard to achieve these goals.

As the U.N. Peacekeeping Force (UNAMSIL) continues its rapid withdrawal, there are concerns about whether the Government of Sierra Leone and its military and police forces will be able to maintain peace and stability throughout the country. So far the police and army seem to be managing this transition effectively, though the people upcountry indicate a significantly higher level of trust for the police than the military. During the civil war, the police remained loyal to the government while the armed forces split up, with many of them joining the rebel cause and exercising violent and corrupt behavior. Therefore, today, the government and international donors are investing in rebuilding an effective police force. At the same time, the Ministry of Defense, with the help of the International Military Advisory and Training Team (IMATT) is streamlining the existing military force, significantly downsizing the "old guard," while recruiting a new, better trained and smaller elite group.

U.S National Interest

The United States has a number of national interests at stake in Sierra Leone. Having provided over $300 million annually in support of the U.N. Peacekeeping Forces, it is in the interest of the U.S. to ensure that this path to stability be maintained in order to capitalize on this investment and avert the need for such support in the future. Sierra Leone's stability is also intertwined with that of the neighboring Mano River Union countries where armed cross-border factions continue to be a destabilizing factor in the sub-region. Maintaining peace and security in Sierra Leone will contribute to regional security.

However, the country's priority goals of obtaining a durable peace and equitable distribution of wealth and power will only be accomplished with a long-term commitment by the international donor community to work with the host government to stamp out corruption, and prioritize citizen's needs.

USAID clearly identifies Democracy and Human Rights, Social and Environmental Issues, Economic Growth and Development and Mutual Understanding as key development imperatives. In response to these stated goals, USAID is focusing its assistance program on activities which will: further peace and stability; solidify reintegration; stimulate the economy; curtail corruption; and strengthen local communities' ability to participate in democratic processes. USAID assistance targets three traditionally marginalized Districts -- Kono, Kailahun, Koinadugu -- adding Kenema (Tongo Fields) and Freetown as new key regions considered potential flashpoints of destabilization.

The USAID Program in Sierra Leone

Stabilizing the peace, generating productive employment (particularly for youth and women), increasing agricultural production to ensure food security, reforming the mineral sector to ensure that proceeds go toward community development, eradicating corruption, building a vibrant economy, creating an environment conducive to foreign investment and supporting the devolution of national power to the local level through decentralization are all key challenges and priorities.

USAID will fund new or continuing activities under its strategy of "Enhancing Democratic Governance," which runs from 2006-2008. USAID will also scale up efforts to focus on youth and gender issues designed to reduce violence, promote community healing, and safeguard human rights.

Other Program Elements

Displaced Children and Orphans Funds (DCOF) and War Victims funding provided by USAID's Africa Bureau have supported important initiatives that foster easing the trauma and suffering of war victims by providing prosthetics, socio-psychological therapy, and basic vaccination programs to women and children. The West Africa Regional Program (WARP) continues to fund an HIV/AIDS social marketing program, along with a Kailahun-based regional human rights activity which provides counseling, community information, and training to victims of war-related sexual assault and post-war domestic violence and sexual assault. USAID Global Health supports activities that include micronutrient supplementation, polio immunization, and child survival programs.

USAID's Office of Food for Peace (FFP) has transitioned from a food-relief program to a food for development program with the startup of a major three-year, $15 million agricultural production and health program. This new program is closely coordinated with USAID's Reintegration Special Objective and shares the same targeted geographical focus.

Other Donors

In addition to the United States, the key donors active in Sierra Leone are the United Kingdom through the Department of International Development (DFID) (governance, budget support, civil society development, and the mining sector), the European Union (health sector, transport and social infrastructure, budget support, decentralization, institution building, and governance/accountability), the World Bank Group (HIV/AIDS, basic education, energy sector, transport sector, community development, capacity-building, and urban water supply) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) (procurement reform, civil service regulation, infrastructure, youth development, resettlement, policy development for decentralization and devolution of service delivery, infrastructure, poverty reduction, and justice sector support).

Coordination remains strong, with regular meetings being organized with the GOSL and major donors. For humanitarian assistance, the United States was the largest single donor to the U.N. Consolidated Appeal for Sierra Leone in FY 2004 followed by the European Union and the Japan International Cooperation Organization (JICA). Other major donors providing humanitarian assistance include Sweden, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Norway and Germany.

Population (July 2007 est.)	6.1 million
Rank on UNDP Human Development Index (177 countries, 2006)	176
GDP (2006 est.)	$5.4 billion
Per Capita GDP (PPP, 2006 est.)	$900
Population Growth Rate (2007, est.)	2.3%
Life Expectancy at Birth	40.6 years
Fertility rate, total (births per woman, 2007 est.)	6.0
Infant Mortality Rate	158/1000
Source: CIA World Factbook