EU-Sierra Leone Partnership

EU humanitarian aid commissioner Christos Stylianides visits an EU-funded Ebola treatment center run by Médecins Sans Frontières. Photo by: European Union / CC BY-ND Sierra Leone is emerging from a decadelong civil war, which seriously damaged its economic, social and physical infrastructure. As with other post-conflict states, it faces myriad challenges, such as mass poverty, high inequality and pervasive corruption. It ranked the fifth-lowest nation in the 2014 Human Development Index, placing 183rd out of 187 countries. Most recently, Sierra Leone has been one of the three countries hit hardest by the Ebola virus in West Africa. The outbreak, which to date has more than 13,500 confirmed cases and nearly 8,700 deaths, did not only lead to a humanitarian crisis but also slowed down the West African country’s economy. It has affected almost all sectors, caused a sharp decline in employment and livelihoods, and worsened food insecurity. World Bank estimates indicate the Ebola epidemic has reduced the country’s pre-outbreak gross domestic product of 11.3 percent to just 4 percent by the end of 2014. It further projects the country’s GDP to decline 2 percent in 2015. The government, with President Ernest Bai Koroma at the helm, has expressed strong commitment to address all of these development challenges. In 2013, it launched “The Agenda for Prosperity,” which provides a road map toward an inclusive, green country with 80 percent of its population above the poverty line. The Agenda’s vision for Sierra Leone to become a middle-income country by 2035 is based on eight prosperity pillars: diversified economic growth, better-managed natural resources, accelerated human development, international competitiveness, labor and employment, social protection, governance and public sector reform, and women’ empowerment. The international community has been providing a great deal of assistance to the West African country both through financial aid and technical assistance. In particular, the European Union is providing support through its 2014-2012 national indicative program for Sierra Leone. The 28-member bloc is also providing substantial humanitarian assistance to address the Ebola outbreak in the country. Funding level and priorities Sierra Leone is among the 16 African, Caribbean and Pacific countries that signed the first NIPs under the 11th European Development Fund. It will receive an indicative amount of 376 million euros ($446 million) through the 2014-2020 NIP. The EU made a commitment to step up its assistance to Sierra Leone and has made considerable increases in its allocation to the country since the ninth EDF. Funding will be channeled to three focal sectors (governance and civil society, education, and agriculture and food security), an ad hoc measure for road networks and support measures. Governance and civil society — Under this sector, the EU aims to strengthen the legitimacy of the state through improved governance and public sector reforms. This will be done by modernizing public administration and consolidating peace, democracy, rule of law and security in the country. Education— The quality of and access to education in Sierra Leone was negatively affected during the conflict period and has resulted in an increase in the number of uneducated and unskilled youth. To address this, the EU will support government initiatives to achieve universal primary education and to further improve secondary, tertiary and vocational education. Agriculture and food security— Agriculture is the main driver of the economy and the largest source of employment in the country. The EU will focus on improving agricultural productivity to increase revenues, preserve ecosystem services and adapt to climate change. It will also increase food security by expanding availability and access to food, and preventing and managing food crises. Addressing issues concerning land rights and land use will be a priority under this sector as well. EU transport intervention— The intervention will be toward the completion of the Trans-West African Coastal Highway. It will rehabilitate the road connecting Sierra Leone to Liberia to facilitate trade and further promote social and economic development in the region. Support Measures— This aims to accompany the programming, preparation and implementation of actions for the next seven years. Of the 14 million euros allocated to the sector, 6 million euros will be coursed to the National Authorizing Officer as support. Recognizing the importance of information and communication technologies in driving progress, the EU will utilize and maximize ICT solutions in all sectors and areas of interventions for the duration of this NIP. Below is the breakdown of the 2014-2020 allocations to Sierra Leone by sector. Health is not a priority sector in EU’s development assistance program to the West African country. But the bloc and its member states have been providing humanitarian support not just to Sierra Leone but also to Guinea and Liberia, mainly to help in the Ebola response. The EU has already committed $1.2 billion to the region for urgent medical care and in support of government efforts to mitigate the impact of the epidemic. The 28-member bloc continues to observe the situation and will provide further assistance as the need arises. It is also closely cooperating with other development partners to better coordinate the efforts in combating Ebola. Devex analysis The EU has been active in Sierra Leone since 1976 and their relationship has grown over the years to encompass the political, social and economic spheres. Implementing the 2014-2020 NIP in Sierra Leone entails several risks such as weak institutional capacity, human resource constraints, and environmental degradation and climate change. These are compounded by the current Ebola outbreak that has disrupted a majority of the activities in the country. The situation is improving, with the number of reported cases going down, leading President Koroma to project zero confirmed cases by March. But the epidemic has revealed the fragile health systems and severe staffing shortages in countries where it struck. To address this, aid agencies and partners have been shifting their development assistance to include health sector improvement. The World Bank and the African Development Bank have already pledged to support health systems strengthening in the three worst-hit countries to ensure that they will be able to handle similar outbreaks in the future. While the EU has made no pronouncements on whether its NIP for Sierra Leone will be revised to include health as a priority sector, it has been mobilizing all available resources to help combat Ebola not just in Sierra Leone but across West Africa. Apart from humanitarian assistance, the EU is providing 210 million euros toward development and early recovery assistance in affected countries. These funds are earmarked toward reinforcing the capacity of governments to provide basic health services and maintain macroeconomic stability. On Jan. 15, a team of experts from the EU, World Bank and AfDB conducted an Ebola Recovery Assessment mission to assess the impact of the virus and support needed to drive economic and social recovery in the region. 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