Sierra Leone

== Economy ==
{{Main|Economy of Sierra Leone}}
[[File:GDP per capita development in Sierra Leone.svg|thumb|right|Historical GDP per capita development]]
[[File:Sierra Leone Product Exports (2019).svg|thumb|right|A proportional representation of Sierra Leone exports, 2019]]

By the 1990s, economic activity was declining and economic infrastructure had become seriously degraded. Over the next decade, much of the formal economy was destroyed in the country's civil war. Since the end of hostilities in January 2002, massive infusions of outside assistance have helped Sierra Leone begin to recover.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Jackson |first1=Emerson Abraham |title=Economic Methodology: Paradox of Ceteris Paribus Law in the Context of Sierra Leone |journal=Méthod(e)s: African Review of Social Sciences Methodology |date=2 July 2017 |volume=2 |issue=1–2 |pages=31–40 |doi=10.1080/23754745.2017.1354553 |s2cid=31830778 }}</ref>

Much of the recovery will depend on the success of the government's efforts to limit corruption by officials, which many feel was the chief cause of the civil war. A key indicator of success will be the effectiveness of government management of its diamond sector.

There is high unemployment, particularly among the youth and ex-combatants. Authorities have been slow to implement reforms in the civil service, and the pace of the privatisation programme is also slackening and donors have urged its advancement.

The currency is the [[Sierra Leonean leone|leone]]. The [[central bank]] is the [[Bank of Sierra Leone]]. Sierra Leone operates a floating [[exchange rate]] system, and foreign currencies can be exchanged at any of the commercial banks, recognised foreign exchange [[Service bureau|bureaux]] and most hotels. Credit card use is limited in Sierra Leone, though they may be used at some hotels and restaurants. There are a few internationally linked [[automated teller machine]]s that accept [[Visa card]]s in Freetown operated by ProCredit Bank.

=== Agriculture ===

{{Further|Agriculture in Sierra Leone}}

[[File:Sierra Leone rice farmer.jpg|thumb|A farmer with his rice harvest in Sierra Leone. Two-thirds of Sierra Leone's population are directly involved in [[subsistence agriculture]].<ref name = "future">{{cite web
  |title = Settling for a future in Sierra Leone
  |publisher = New Agriculture
  |date = November 2007
  |url = http://www.new-ag.info/focus/focusItem.php?a=291
  |access-date = 20 February 2011
  |archive-date = 4 August 2020
  |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200804200645/http://www.new-ag.info/en/focus/focusItem.php?a=291
  |url-status = dead
  }}</ref>]]

Two-thirds of the population of Sierra Leone are directly involved in [[subsistence agriculture]].<ref name="future"/> Agriculture accounted for 58 per cent of [[gross domestic product]] (GDP) in 2007.<ref name = "AFEC">{{Cite book |first=OECD – Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development|last= African Development Bank|title =African Economic Outlook 2009: Country Notes: Volumes 1 and 2|publisher=OECD Publishing|year =2009|pages =561–562|isbn=978-92-64-07618-1}}</ref>

Agriculture is the largest employer with 80 per cent of the population working in the sector.<ref name = "tour">{{Cite book |last=König|first=Dirk |title =Linking Agriculture to Tourism in Sierra Leone – a Preliminary Research |publisher =GRIN Verlag|year =2008|page =67 |url =https://books.google.com/books?id=ChOkCqPu_QMC&q=agriculture+economy+sierra+leone&pg=PA65|isbn=978-3-638-94680-3}}</ref> [[Rice]] is the most important staple crop in Sierra Leone with 85 per cent of farmers cultivating rice during the rainy season<ref name = "deep rice">{{Cite book |last=Catling|first=David|title = Rice in deep water|publisher =Int. Rice Res. Inst.|year =1992|page = 372 |url =https://books.google.com/books?id=N5JxwKx1RAgC&q=rice+sierra+leone&pg=PA372|isbn=978-971-22-0005-2}}</ref> and an annual consumption of 76&nbsp;kg per person.<ref name = "rice facts">{{Cite book |title =Rice today, Volume 3:Rice facts |publisher =International Rice Research|year =2004|page =48 |url =https://books.google.com/books?id=3PZjte6EADYC&q=rice+sierra+leone&pg=PA48}}</ref>

=== Mining ===

{{Further|Mining in Sierra Leone}}

Rich in minerals, Sierra Leone has relied on mining, especially diamonds, for its economic base. The country is among the top ten diamond producing nations. Mineral exports remain the main [[currency]] earner. Sierra Leone is a major producer of gem-quality diamonds. Though rich in diamonds, it has historically struggled to manage their exploitation and export.

Sierra Leone is known for its [[blood diamond]]s that were mined and sold to diamond conglomerates during the [[Sierra Leone Civil War|civil war]], to buy the weapons that fuelled its atrocities.<ref>{{cite news|title=UN targets 'blood diamonds' trade|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/3117421.stm|work=[[BBC News]]|access-date=28 April 2011|date=1 August 2003}}</ref> In the 1970s and early 1980s, economic growth rate slowed because of a decline in the mining sector and increasing corruption among government officials.

{|class="wikitable infobox" style="margin-right: 0; margin-left: 1em; text-align:right;"
|+ style="font-size: 115%;" |Percentage of GDP by sector (2007)<ref name="AFEC"/>
|-
! scope="col" |Rank
! scope="col" |Sector
! scope="col" |Percentage<br /> of GDP
|-
! scope="row" |1
|Agriculture
|58.5
|-
! scope="row" |2
|Other services
|10.4
|-
! scope="row" |3
|Trade and tourism
|9.5
|-
! scope="row" |4
|Wholesale and retail trade
|9.0
|-
! scope="row" |5
|Mining and quarrying
|4.5
|-
! scope="row" |6
|Government Services
|4.0
|-
! scope="row" |7
|Manufacturing and handicrafts
|2.0
|-
! scope="row" |8
|Construction
|1.7
|-
! scope="row" |9
|Electricity and water
|0.4
|}

Annual production of Sierra Leone's diamond estimates a range between US$250 million–$300&nbsp;million. Some of that is [[Smuggling|smuggled]], where it is possibly used for [[money laundering]] or financing illicit activities. Formal exports have dramatically improved since the civil war, with efforts to improve the management of them having some success. In October 2000, a UN-approved certification system for exporting diamonds from the country was put in place which led to a dramatic increase in legal exports. In 2001, the government created a mining community development fund ([[Ministry of Mineral Resources (Sierra Leone)|DACDF]]), which returns a portion of diamond export taxes to diamond mining communities. The fund was created to raise local communities' stakes in the legal diamond trade.

Sierra Leone has one of the world's largest deposits of [[rutile]], a [[titanium]] ore used as [[paint]] pigment and [[welding]] rod coatings.

=== Transport infrastructure ===

{{Main|Transport in Sierra Leone}}

[[File:Kenema-Kailahun Road.jpg|thumb|The road from [[Kenema]] to [[Kailahun District]]]]

There are several systems of transport in Sierra Leone, which has a road, air and water infrastructure, including a network of highways and several airports. There are {{convert|11,300|km|abbr=off}} of highways in Sierra Leone, of which {{convert|904|km|0|abbr=on}}<ref name="CIA"/> are paved (about 8% of the roads). Sierra Leone's highways are linked to [[Conakry]], Guinea, and [[Monrovia]], Liberia.

Sierra Leone has the largest [[natural harbour]] on the African continent, allowing international shipping through the [[Queen Elizabeth II Quay]] in the [[Cline Town, Sierra Leone|Cline Town]] area of eastern Freetown or through Government Wharf in central Freetown. There are {{convert|800|km|0|abbr=on}} of waterways in Sierra Leone, of which {{convert|600|km|0|abbr=on}} are navigable year-round. Major port cities are [[Bonthe]], [[Freetown]], [[Sherbro Island]] and [[Pepel]].

There are ten [[regional airport]]s in Sierra Leone, and one [[international airport]]. The [[Freetown International Airport]] located in the coastal town of [[Lungi, Sierra Leone|Lungi]] in Northern Sierra Leone is the primary airport for domestic and international travel to or from Sierra Leone. Passengers cross the river to Aberdeen [[Heliport]]s in Freetown by [[hovercraft]], ferry or a [[helicopter]]. Helicopters are also available from the airport to other major cities in the country. The airport has [[Pavement (material)|paved]] runways longer than {{convert|3,047|m|abbr=off}}. The other airports have unpaved runways, and seven have runways from {{convert|914|to|1,523|m|abbr=off}} long; the remaining two have shorter runways.

Sierra Leone appears on the EU list of prohibited countries with regard to the certification of airlines. This means that no airline registered in Sierra Leone may operate services of any kind within the European Union. This is due to substandard safety standards.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ec.europa.eu/transport/air-ban/pdf/list_en.pdf |title=List of banned E.U. air carriers |access-date=11 July 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090325010606/http://ec.europa.eu/transport/air-ban/pdf/list_en.pdf |archive-date=25 March 2009  }}. ec.Europa.eu</ref>

As of March 2023, the country's only [[Lungi International Airport|international airport]] had regularly scheduled direct flights to Istanbul, Paris, Brussels and most major cities in West Africa.

In September 2014 there were many Districts with travel restrictions including Kailahun, Kenema, Bombali, Tonkolili, and Port Loko because of [[Ebola virus epidemic in Sierra Leone|Ebola]].<ref>[http://news.sl/drwebsite/publish/article_200526223.shtml Sierra Leone News : Africell Presents Second Consignment of Food to all Quarantined Homes] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006141855/http://news.sl/drwebsite/publish/article_200526223.shtml|date=6 October 2014}}. News.sl. Retrieved 24 February 2017.</ref>

=== Energy in Sierra Leone ===
[[File:Sierra Leone electricity production.svg|thumb|Sierra Leone electricity production by source|300px]]

==== Overview ====

As of 2016, about 12% of the population of Sierra Leone had access to electricity. Of that 12%, 10% was in the capital Freetown, and the remaining 90% of the country used 2% of the nation's electricity.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|url=https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5aec17b7ed915d42f7c6beab/Energy_Africa_Access_Campaign_-_Policy_Compact_Sierra_Leone_Final_Report.pdf|title=Energy Africa Access Campaign Policy Compact Sierra Leone Final Report|website=assets.publishing.service.gov.uk|access-date=2018-12-16}}</ref> The majority of the population relies on biomass fuels for their daily survival, with firewood and coal used most prevalently.<ref name=":5" /> The burning of these sources has been reported to have adverse health effects on women and children.<ref name=":5">{{Cite journal|last1=Taylor|first1=Eldred Tunde|last2=Nakai|first2=Satoshi|date=19 June 2012|title=Prevalence of Acute Respiratory Infections in Women and Children in Western Sierra Leone due to Smoke from Wood and Charcoal Stoves|journal=International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health|volume=9|issue=6|pages=2252–2265|doi=10.3390/ijerph9062252|pmid=22829802|pmc=3397376|issn=1660-4601|doi-access=free}}</ref> A 2012 study was done on the correlation between Acute Respiratory Infection (ARI), and burning biomass fuels in the home. The results were that 64% of children were diagnosed with ARI where firewood stoves were used, and 44% where charcoal stoves were used.<ref name=":5" /> The use of coal and firewood has also posed environmental concerns as they are both in conflict with the push for more sustainable sources of energy.<ref name=":6">{{Cite journal|last1=Munro|first1=Paul|last2=van der Horst|first2=Greg|last3=Healy|first3=Stephen|date=June 2017|title=Energy justice for all? Rethinking Sustainable Development Goal 7 through struggles over traditional energy practices in Sierra Leone|journal=Energy Policy|volume=105|pages=635–641|doi=10.1016/j.enpol.2017.01.038|bibcode=2017EnPol.105..635M |issn=0301-4215}}</ref> As a result, the commercialisation of firewood and coal has been a point of contention with aid donors and government agencies such as the Ministry of Energy and Water Resources and the Forestry Division.<ref name=":6" /> There have been strong pushes for both solar and hydropower to become the dominant sources of energy in Sierra Leone because of the UN's [[Sustainable Development Goals]], particularly goal number seven (affordable and clean energy). Sierra Leone's tropical climate, heavy annual rainfall, and abundance of rivers give it the potential to realistically pursue more solar and hydropower alternatives.<ref name=":7">{{Cite web|url=http://www.undp.org/content/dam/sierraleone/docs/focusareadocs/undp_sle_energyprofile.pdf|title=NATIONAL ENERGY PROFILE OF SIERRA LEONE [JUNE, 2012]|website=www.undp.org|access-date=16 December 2018|archive-date=7 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200807083545/http://www.undp.org/content/dam/sierraleone/docs/focusareadocs/undp_sle_energyprofile.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==== Solar energy ====

In conjunction with the UK's [[Department for International Development]] (DFID), Sierra Leone has set the goal to provide solar power to all of its citizens by 2025.<ref name=":8">{{Cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-leone-electricity-idUSKCN0Y21Q3|title=Sierra Leone solar push aims to bring electricity to all by 2025|date=2016-05-11|work=Reuters|access-date=2018-12-16}}</ref> This overarching goal has been broken down into smaller goals as well. The first of these goals is to provide solar power to at least 50,000 homes in 2016, the second is 250,000 homes by 2017, and finally to provide power to 1,000,000 people by 2020.<ref name=":8" /> This initiative falls under the [[Energy Africa]] access campaign which seeks to provide electricity to 14 different African countries by 2030.<ref name=":2" /> Previous to this compact agreement, Sierra Leone's private sector for solar energy was weak, as it provided energy to less than 5% of the target population.<ref name=":2" /> Part of the reason for this was due to the import duties and taxes and the lack of quality control.<ref name=":2" /> To ensure that the Energy Africa goal is met, Sierra Leone has agreed to remove its import duties and Value Added Tax (VAT) on certified solar products.<ref name=":8" /> This change will attempt to encourage foreign investment while providing affordable, quality solar products to its citizens. It is estimated that there will be a 30% to 40% cost reduction on solar products with the lack of duties and taxes.<ref name=":2" />

==== Hydroelectric power ====

As of 2012, Sierra Leone has 3 main hydroelectric plants. The first is the Guma plant which was decommissioned in 1982, the second is the Dodo Plant which is located in the Eastern Province, and finally the [[Bumbuna Dam|Bumbuna plant]].<ref name=":7" /> There is also potential for several new hydroelectric plants to be opened on the Sewa River, Pampana River, Seli River, Moa River, and Little Scarcies.<ref name=":7" /> Amongst all these projects, both finished and potential, the Bumbuna dam still remains the largest of the hydroelectric projects in Sierra Leone.<ref name=":7" /> It is located near the Seli River and Freetown and was estimated to produce about 50 megawatts of electricity.<ref name=":9">{{Cite web|url=https://www.centreforpublicimpact.org/case-study/bumbuna-hydroelectric-plant/|title=The endgame of the Bumbuna hydroelectric plant project|website=Centre for Public Impact (CPI)|access-date=2018-12-16}}</ref> There were plans to increase its capacity 400 megawatts by 2017 which would cost around $750 million.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-sierraleone-energy-idUSTRE74P6PZ20110526|title=Sierra Leone signs MoU for $750 million hydropower boost|date=2011-05-26|work=Reuters|access-date=2018-12-16}}</ref> It has been projected that the Bumbuna dam could potentially reduce the amount of spending on foreign fuel and save the country at least $2 million a month.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/ozatp-sierraleone-hydro-20090924-idAFJOE58N05Y20090924|title=Hydro brings light and hope to Sierra Leone|date=2009-09-24|work=Reuters|access-date=2018-12-16}}</ref> In the past this project received its funding of over $200 million from a combination of the [[World Bank]], the [[African Development Bank]], and the Italian company [[Salini Impregilo]].<ref name=":9" />