Sierra Leone was ranked 163rd out of 190 economies in the World Bank Doing Business 2019 survey (PDF, 17,324KB)(economies are ranked on their ease of doing business, a high ease of doing business . More recently, a UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office report found that only 12 per cent of junior secondary-school students across Sierra Leone score passing grades in English and maths. The total number of procedures required to register a firm. This index measures the degree to which collateral and bankruptcy laws protect the rights of borrowers and lenders and thus facilitate lending. Dealing with construction permits is by far the most complicated and time-consuming aspect of doing business in Argentina. The extent of disclosure index measures the approval and disclosure requirements of related-party transactions. FREETOWN, Feb 14 2023 (IPS) - Sierra Leone's new gender equality law will benefit women with political aspirations - as well as stimulate development, say analysts. The Education Innovation Challenge (EIC) was launched in June 2019 in collaboration with the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Educations Teaching Service Commission. This topic measures the time and cost (excluding tariffs) associated with three sets of proceduresdocumentary compliance, border compliance and domestic transportwithin the overall process of exporting or importing a shipment of goods. Accessible and Quality Education is the flagship initiative of his administration; as part of this initiative, the Free Quality School Education programme was introduced to ensure every child gets an education, irrespective of their background and status. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. The cost in court fees, attorney fees (where the use of attorneys is mandatory or common) and enforcement fees expressed as a percentage of the claim value. This article will try to promote the idea of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) that can be adopted in Sierra Leone in order to reduce environmental and capitalist gains and promote development. Please do not hesitate to contact me. Their support is essential for our development. Report from Department for International Trade and the Foreign & Commonwealth Office looking at potential risks for UK businesses operating in this country. Official websites use .gov to incorporate the statistic into your presentation at any time. Talk about the earths changing climate is(), Analysis They are based on 10 topics and reflectdata corrections. Mining of minerals, especially iron ore, diamonds, gold, rutile, ilmenite, and bauxite are the main sources of foreign currency, though these are exposed to external shocks. The World Bank highlighted challenges in access to credit, resolving insolvency, access to electricity and construction permits, but noted improvements in payment of taxes, cross-border trade and starting a business. The quality of judicial processes index measures whether each economy has adopted a series of good practices in its court system in four areas: court structure and proceedings, case management, court automation and alternative dispute resolution. Are you interested in testing our business solutions? A weak central government comprised of a coalition of polarized factions jockeying for access to wealth will undermine development goals such as those set out in the governments Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper whereas a stronger, more unified central government with a visible consensus for action is more likely to be able to deliver social goods and services and produce sustainable growth. A UN inter-agency mission recently consulted with stakeholders on how to develop a peace consolidation strategy to support long-term security and development in Sierra Leone. Too many projects take 2,3,4 or more years to design - or rather over-design - are then expected to satisfy multiple goals and objectives and are required to adhere to a dizzying array of rules, regulations, trigger points, benchmarks, timetables, indicators, log frames, budgetary caps by component and sub-component; monitoring and evaluation requirements; environmental standards; reporting schedules, etc. Expats doing business in Zambia will need to learn patience when it comes to dealing with local associates and the bureaucratic procedures that accompany business dealings; meetings are never rushed and contract negotiations can take time. Other three dimensions concern shareholders rights in corporate governance (extent of shareholder governance index) and measure: (i) shareholders rights and role in major corporate decisions (extent of shareholder rights index), (ii) governance safeguards protecting shareholders from undue board control and entrenchment (extent of ownership and control index), and (iii) transparency on beneficial ownership stakes, compensation, annual meetings, and audits (extent of corporate transparency index). A procedure is defined as any interaction of the buyer or the seller, their agents (if an agent is legally or in practice required) with external parties. Implementation has been accompanied by monitoring and assessments to ensure that the innovations are educational, and to assess whether they have potential for scaling up under the Free Quality School Education programme. The investment climate in Sierra Leone presents challenges. Second, it was important to understand the context of the country and build solutions with that context in mind. Register in seconds and access exclusive features. It includes taxes withheld by the company, such as sales tax, VAT and employee-borne labor taxes. Furthermore, Sierra Leone exports far fewer goods and services (26.1% of GDP) than other countries in the region, such as Guinea (37.1%), Ghana . But together we must try to promote stability and development by using the tools available to us - democracy, financial and human capital and our collective human will. Overview of best prospect sectors, major infrastructure projects, significant government procurements and business opportunities. OPPORTUNITIES & CHALLENGES. Scores. For example, the quarantine app was met with objections from field staff when they had to abruptly move from recording data in a logbook to doing so in a mobile application. Before you decide to expand abroad, make sure that you understand international trading regulations. Deviating from development orthodoxy is often punished by reduced aid and any attempt to pursue a different approach is met with resistance and sometimes hostility. As remote working became a necessity just as driving a robust public-health response remained a priority, TBI supported the government with establishing systems to enhance information sharing and communication among the different pillars of the response: surveillance, security, nutrition, risk communications, psychosocial matters, labs, case management, and drug and medicine supply. But each has certainly played its part in crafting our current reality. The data from the Directorate of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI)s Education Data Hub was used to select the participating schools, guided by criteria such as student enrolment levels and the physical location of schools. The business sector has a direct interest in promoting good governance in order to build a more stable and predictable enabling environment for the private sector. TheInternational Trade Administration,U.S. Department of Commerce, manages this global trade site to provide access to ITA information on promoting trade and investment, strengthening the competitiveness of U.S. industry, and ensuring fair trade and compliance with trade laws and agreements. This topic records the taxes and mandatory contributions that a medium-size company must pay or withhold in a given year, as well as measures the administrative burden of paying taxes and contributions and complying with postfiling procedures. have made major contributions complemented by our bilateral partners, especially Great Britain (DfID) who did so much both in the security and economic areas. Facing a Foreign Trade AD/CVD or Safeguard Investigation? 15516 views, By Titus Boye-Thompson, Freetown, Sierra Leone. Doing business in Sierra Leone is fraught with problems. Tony Blair Institute, trading as Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, is a company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales (registered company number: 10505963) whose registered office is One Bartholomew Close, London, EC1A 7BL. June 2015 It is much easier to recount and analyse the experiences of the past and to comment on the performance of external actors than it is to find specific solutions that work. Foreign Direct Investment Attraction Events, Services for U.S. Companies New to Exporting, Services for U.S. Companies Currently Exporting, Leading Sectors for US Exports & Investments. The World Bank ranked Sierra Leone 163 among 190 countries in 2020 Doing Business Report, a drop from 140 in 2015. We do this through developing policy and advising governments. The reasons given included poor internet connectivity, having limited time to learn to use the application, and not having enough mobile devices to go around. Efforts to construct major roads leading to district headquarter towns and rehabilitate feeder roads linking agricultural suppliers with urban markets remain ongoing. Very low literacy rates that inhibit participation; 42% of Sierra Leone's population is age 15 or under. I am engaged in many freelance work such as teaching and research. TBIs role is to support governments as they scope out, identify and deploy targeted programmes that will improve the lives of citizens. The time and cost for documentary compliance include the time and cost for obtaining documents, preparing documents, processing documents, presenting documents, and submitting documents. As a Premium user you get access to the detailed source references and background information about this statistic. As a Premium user you get access to background information and details about the release of this statistic. It includes all official fees and fees for legal or professional services if such services are required by law for married men. Tony Blair Institute, trading as Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, is a company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales (registered company number: 10505963) whose registered office is One Bartholomew Close, London, EC1A 7BL. In 2022, the fashion industry was valued at $473.42B, with a growth rate of 8.3% over last year. Shown below are the procedures, time, and costs to build a warehouse, including obtaining necessary licenses and permits, completing required notifications and inspections, and obtaining utility connections. Bachelor of Science - BSSociology. As a result, decentralised monitoring officers were able to use the quarantine-compliance application to record the daily services administered to each home. For economies that have a different procedure list for men and women, the graph shows the time for women. A hierarchical agrarian society characterized by low productivity; The World Bank ranked Sierra Leone 148th among 190 countries in 2017 for the ease of doing business, identifying particular challenges in getting electricity, registering property, and trading across borders. | Specifically in the case of Sierra Leone, the private sector could: Approach district councils and propose establishment of Public-Private Partnership Committees that would systematically seek areas where common efforts will help generate private and public sector wealth by strengthening the architecture of democratic governance - legal, regulatory and customary. Sierra Leone provides access to a market of more than 50 million people via its membership in the Mano River Union with Cte dIvoire, Guinea, and Liberia, and a market of over 400 million people through its membership to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). The Credit Information Index measures the scope, access and quality of credit information available through public registries or private bureaus. It ranges from 0-8, with higher values indicating that more credit information is available from a public registry or private bureau. It is also GPS-capable to ensure monitoring officers are collecting data from legitimate quarantine locations. After the return to power in 1998 of the legitimate government, with the assistance of international military intervention, a by then very weak government nevertheless worked tirelessly to re-establish its credibility and to recover those parts of the country still occupied by rebels. There is also a chilling effect on dialogue and debate when donor representatives say, as they have said to me on more than one occasion, this or that development approach is the current consensus within our organizations headquarters. The widowed mother of six, who sells soft drinks from her front porch, built the home from the ground up -- or, more precisely, from the water up. Sierra Leone is now focused on recovery. It includes all official fees and fees for legal or professional services if such services are required by law for married women. Create a National Centre for Conflict Transformation that would have a strong training role; and The World Bank even listed Sierra Leone as one of the world's top ten business reformers . The measure captures the median duration that the electricity utility and experts indicate is necessary in practice, rather than required by law, to complete a procedure. Corruption remains a serious impediment to investment. In the weeks following the confirmation of the first case, there was a weekly average of 40 new confirmed cases in Sierra Leone. Off a path in Cockle Bay, a slum in Sierra Leone's capital Freetown, lies the squat, tin-roofed house where Lamrana Bah lives and works. Sorry, an error occured during your newsletter subscription. Economy For details on the procedures reflected here, see the summary below. The time and cost for border compliance include time and cost for obtaining, preparing and submitting documents during port or border handling, customs clearance and inspection procedures. The cost is recorded as a percentage of the economys income per capita. Ease of Doing Business in Sierra Leone averaged 150 from 2008 until 2019, reaching an all time high of 163 in 2018 and a record low of 137 in 2012. Very limited organizational and management capacity in government and very low civil servant salaries that contribute to low motivation, corruption and a driving out of the best talent; (830.7 KB, pdf) = Doing Business reform making it easier to do business. As the third wave of Covid-19 hit Sierra Leone in the third quarter of 2021, the NaCOVERCs ICT pillar conducted another refresher training session on use of the application, with support from DSTI. An education system that was not necessarily designed to meet the development needs of the country; 2. The challenges required for a business to obtain a permanent electricity connection for a newly constructed warehouse are shown below. Given the number of mistakes made by donors over the past 40 years, one would think there would be greater tolerance for different approaches if there is a local consensus of views that varies from a dominant and sometimes momentary intellectual consensus. Mr. Chairman, At independence in 1961 Sierra Leone had a functioning multi-party democracy that was superimposed on a traditional political structure based on the African system of chieftancy. In my opinion, we have no other choice. ", Largest Canadian companies 2023, by market capitalization, Ease of doing business in Canada 2020, by topic, Number of employer businesses in Canada 2022, by industry, Fastest growing startups in Canada, by two-year revenue growth 2020. September 2019 The recovery rate, expressed in terms of how many cents on the dollar claimants recover from the insolvent firm, is also shown. Part of the answer is that politicians in a polarized and resource-poor society respond to negative incentives and politicians in a more cohesive society are better able to work for the common good. The ranking complements the ease of doing business score by providing information about an economys performance in business regulation relative to the performance of other economies as measured by Doing Business. Measures on credit information sharing and the legal rights of borrowers and lenders are shown below. Yet, the government needs to continue to construct other infrastructure including seaports, airports, public utilities, and telecommunications. External links to other Internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views or privacy policies contained therein. (February 28, 2021). A lock ( A locked padlock ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. You need a Statista Account for unlimited access. Our Reporter - October 24, 2019. To the contrary, the trajectory of private sector development experienced from 2002 to 2014 contributed to Sierra Leone's socio-political challenges, replicating in the . FINANCE & BANKING. Excessive centralization of decision making in Freetown; Actively support the current initiative of government and the Sierra Leone Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture to convene a National Summit on Democracy, Business and Development in September 2006 to be preceded by district and regional preparatory summits that will examine the full range of areas for potential public-private sector partnership development. FOREIGN INVESTMENTS. . Sierra Leone lacks the infrastructure necessary to support effective commercial activities. Companies must register to do business in Sierra Leone, and there are no reports that the registration process has block investments or discriminate against . They helped us to regain control of our national territory, to rebuild our military and police forces and to be secure during the post-war transition period when peace-building was our primary concern. Yet an enormous potential benefit for both sectors would flow from a more dynamic public-private partnership in critical areas of mutual interest. After slowing to 3.5% in 2018 from 3.8% in the previous year, economic growth in Sierra Leone is projected to rebound to 4.8% in 2019 driven by increased activities in agriculture and construction as well as the resumption of iron ore production and exports. These decades were marked by periods of political instability, including repeated military coups and attempted coups; the ill-advised resort to the creation of a one-party state and the abolition of elected local governments in the early 1970s; endemic corruption; periodic bursts of inflation sparked by budgetary excesses and long periods characterized by weak economic growth, little or no real development and very low levels of donor aid. * I should now turn to the final question put to me which is whether or how the private sector can help address the issues we are considering. Many organizations have done outstanding work in Sierra Leone. addressed the HIV/AIDS crisis by establishing a National AIDS Secretariat and funded AIDS projects with World Bank assistance; Off a path in Cockle Bay, a slum in Sierra Leone's capital Freetown, lies the squat, tin-roofed house where Lamrana Bah lives and works. Starting a business can be challenging but those challenges can. In 1960 there were 25 countries listed as being in the so-called Fourth World and of these only two have since grown out of this category: Egypt with massive American aid and Botswana. , Nov 17, 2021. Sierra Leone At-A-Glance. The Tony Blair Institute for Global Change supports political leaders and governments to build open, inclusive and prosperous societies in a globalised world. Over the years, Sierra Leone has made significant reforms in easing the process of setting up a business, including establishing a one-stop shop for company registration. I must also cite the work of UNICEF and several NGOs who have had such a positive impact on our children, including child soldiers; amputees; rape victims and other traumatized groups. The extent of ownership and control index measures the rules governing the structure and change in control of companies. A procedure is defined as any interaction of the company employees or the companys main electrician with external parties. | The measure captures the median duration that local experts indicate is necessary to complete a procedure in practice. = Change making it more difficult to do business. Last year's collapse in commodity prices has hurt its economy and seen growth rates fall from 20% to -21%. Doing business in Sierra Leone is difficult but overcoming the challenges is not impossible, says Nikolai Germann, managing director of Addax Bioenergy in Ernst & Young's 2011 Africa attractiveness survey.. Addax is busy establishing a large-scale sugar cane-to-ethanol factory in Sierra Leone to service the European market.. Germann says the company is experiencing difficulties around labour . Let me now comment briefly on our successes since the end of the war in 2002 and then turn to the impact of external efforts on these issues and realities. Agriculture and fishing are the mainstay of most of the population, though much of this is subsistence farming and artisanal fishing. Even with the above progress, challenges persist in corruption, skilled labor, accessing land, high interest rates, and contract enforcement. Sierra Leone's economic freedom score is 52.0, making its economy the 140th freest in the 2022 Index. Get full access to all features within our Business Solutions. This index ranges from 0 to 10 and has five components. The country's President, Julius Maada Bio, signed the new Gender Equality and Women Empowerment into law in January 2023. Blaming slavery or colonialism or debt or oil prices or globalization or war or human nature will not get us very far. DB 2020 Dealing with Construction Permits Score, DB 2020 Protecting Minority Investors Score, Details Starting a business in Sierra Leone Procedures, time and cost, Figure Starting a business in Sierra Leone Procedures, time and cost, Figure Starting a business in Sierra Leone Scores (0-100), Details Dealing with construction permits in Sierra Leone Procedures, time and cost, Details Dealing with construction permits in Sierra Leone Measure of quality, Figure Dealing with construction permits in Sierra Leone Procedures, time and cost, Figure Dealing with construction permits in Sierra Leone Scores (0-100), Details Getting electricity in Sierra Leone Procedures, time and cost, Details Getting electricity in Sierra Leone Measure of quality, Figure Getting electricity in Sierra Leone Procedures, time and cost, Figure Getting electricity in Sierra Leone Scores (0-100), Details Registering property in Sierra Leone Procedures, time and cost, Details Registering property in Sierra Leone Measure of quality, Figure Registering property in Sierra Leone Procedures, time and cost, Figure Registering property in Sierra Leone Scores (0-100), Details Credit information in Sierra Leone, Figure Getting credit in Sierra Leone Score (0-100), Details Protecting Minority Investors in Sierra Leone Measure of quality, Figure Protecting Minority Investors in Sierra Leone Score (0-100), Details Paying taxes in Sierra Leone - Tax by type, Details Paying taxes in Sierra Leone Measure of quality, Figure Paying taxes in Sierra Leone Scores (0-100), Details Trading across borders in Sierra Leone Components of border compliance, Details Trading across borders in Sierra Leone Trade documents, Details Trading across borders in Sierra Leone Domestic transport, Figure Trading across borders in Sierra Leone Scores (0-100), Details Enforcing contracts in Sierra Leone, Details Enforcing contracts in Sierra Leone Measure of quality, Figure Enforcing contracts in Sierra Leone Scores (0-100), Details Resolving insolvency in Sierra Leone, Details Resolving insolvency in Sierra Leone Measure of quality, Figure Resolving insolvency in Sierra Leone Scores (0-100), http://www.doingbusiness.org/en/methodology. Costs are recorded exclusive of value added tax. The total number of days required for married men to register a firm. Note: Online procedures account for 0.5 days in the total time calculation. A continuing sense of marginalization and alienation, especially among youths. To mitigate the shock and accelerate economic recovery, the government initiated and executed the Quick Action Economic Response Plan which aimed at saving lives and sustaining livelihoods. The training was an opportunity to test the application and incorporate final feedback for its rollout. To tackle these challenges, PMI Impact Malaria is supporting the NMCP and the DRCH to reinvigorate Sierra Leone's MIP Technical Working Group (TWG), creating a structure to coordinate stakeholder efforts, advocate for funds and strategic prioritization, monitor progress towards targets, and strengthen national integration and collaboration . While some of my comments may also apply to other governments in difficulty, I will be talking today specifically about the Sierra Leone experience since it is the one I know best and it offers a case study of government and social collapse into civil war followed by a remarkable joint national-international effort to end the conflict, build peace and regain the confidence of a badly traumatized people in their national institutions and leadership. The extent of corporate transparency index measures the level of information that companies must share regarding their board members, senior executives, annual meetings and audits. The data identifies weaknesses in existing bankruptcy law and the main procedural and administrative bottlenecks in the bankruptcy process. While this may be a statement of fact from the donors perspective, it is viewed as a not too subtle threat from the vantage of the recipient government. The total number of days required to register a firm. In addition, the international development community - including the World Bank, African and Islamic Development Banks, UNDP, the EU, etc. Each treatment school has been paired with a control school with a similar number of teachers and comparable student enrolment and terrain accessibility. Accessed March 05, 2023. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1244779/ease-of-doing-business-in-sierra-leone-by-topic/, International Economics. 2. Third, to discuss whether the private sector can make a useful contribution in dealing with the difficulties in question. These children didn't choose to be born in Sierra Leone, a country ravaged by a 10 year Civil War and more recently the Ebola Virus . The total number of procedures required to build a warehouse. GOVERNANCE & RULE OF LAW. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. A paid subscription is required for full access. Recognising the importance of data and evidence, President Bio established the HCD Incubator in 2019 with the aim of designing and piloting innovative solutions that can be scaled up if successful. Home Doing Business in Sierra Leone. In response, since 2018 the Government of Sierra Leone has allocated more than 20 per cent of the national budget to education, and President Julius Maada Bio has announced that Human Capital Development (HCD) is the priority of his administration and a key driver in Sierra Leone meeting the UNs Sustainable Development Goals. While conflict, corruption, bad policies and other factors have certainly played a major role in keeping the poor poor, this can hardly be the entire answer to why since 1960 only four countries have been added to the World Bank list of high income countries: South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore and Hong Kong.