ANTECEDENTES A NIVEL MUNDIAL

Public revenues from the non-renewable natural resources of Sierra Leone are an important source of income for the Government budget and in the future will provide an alternative to support from the donor community for self-sustained development. Earnings from natural resources hold great potential for long-term,   sustainable   economic   development.   The   exploitation   of   Sierra   Leone’s   raw   materials involves converting existing assets into income: a sustainable approach to the management of commodity revenues must therefore also aim to take account of future generations.

However, revenues from natural resource deposits present the Government with two fundamental problems: firstly public revenues could be subject to severe fluctuation, and secondly the extraction and sale of raw materials constitutes a liquidation of our assets.

The future inflow of revenue from mining and oil extraction potentially will stretch the limits of Government’s   absorptive   capacity   as   regards   public-sector investment. Conversely, when revenues from commodities suddenly fall, there is the risk of being forced into debt, because existing medium to long term investment projects cannot easily be cancelled without further costs.

The establishment of a Transformation Development Fund therefore is an important, forward-looking step that will enable Government to exert better control over national revenues from the natural resources sector. Through this mechanism, specific receipts from natural resources would initially be placed in the Fund and earmarked for public investments for the transformation of the country. Payments from the Fund would be affected to only a very limited extent by the volatility of exchange rates, global market prices or output. This will make it possible to feed constant and predictable revenues into the national budget, and to direct revenues into high quality public investments. Transparent administration of the Fund, comprehensive reporting, and supervision by competent authorities, will promote transparency and accountability as fundamental democratic elements, and are essential factors for the Fund to be successful.

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3.3: Pillar 3 – Accelerating Human Development

Developing human capital in the next five years is fundamental to improving living conditions, increasing national prosperity, and building international competitiveness in an equitable environment. Empowering people through human capital development will ensure equal opportunity for participation in the economy and society, regardless of gender, location or circumstance.

The goals of this Pillar are to develop human capital, to empower people through the provision of human services to reduce poverty, and to accelerate the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The focus is on strategies that will accelerate human development in Sierra Leone, through population policy, improving quality of and access to education, providing extensive health services, controlling HIV/AIDS, providing safe water and improved sanitation, and mainstreaming gender parity.

Sierra Leone made significant strides in the last five years towards reducing poverty and achieving the MDGs. Strategies for Accelerating Human Development will address remaining challenges, targeting further poverty reduction efforts. Special attention will be given to vulnerable groups – children, women, the disabled, elderly, mentally-ill, and the poor – in the quest to improve their access to, and utilization of, services. Human development, in particular good health, has huge ramifications on  labour  productivity  and  prosperity.  Sierra  Leone’s  Human  Development  Indicators  are  summarised   below, together with the 2018 targets.

Table  5:  Sierra  Leone’s  Performance  on  Selected  Human  Development  Indicators

Headline Indicators Baseline Target By 2017

Population Growth Rate 1.8%@ _1.3%

Infant Mortality Rate 89/1,000 live births& _{45/1,000 live births}

Under Five Mortality Rate 140/1,000 live births& _{80/1,000 live births}

Maternal Mortality Rate 857/100,000 live births* 550/100,000 live births Total Fertility Rate 5.1 children per woman* 3.8 children per women Adolescent Fertility Rate 122 live births per 1,000 90 live births per 1,000 HIV Prevalence Rate 1.5% of 15-49 year olds* 1.15% of 15-49 years Prevalence of Mental Disorders > 12% 9% Access to Safe Drinking Water 57%& _80%

Access to Improved Sanitation 40%& _60%

Primary School Pass Rate Girls 72.5%; Boys 75.9%** Girls 80%; Boys 80% JSS (BECE) Pass Rate Girls 55%; Boys 62%^ Girls 70%; Boys 70% SSS (WASSCE) Pass Rate Girls 8% (16%); Boys 7% (14%)# _{Girls 20% (30%); Boys 20% (30%)}

Adult Literacy Male 69.6% Female 43.5% Male 75% Female 55%

**: Demographic and Health Survey, 2008 **: NPSE 2012 @: Sierra Leone Census, 2004 &: Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey, 2010 #: Defined as 5 (4) credits and above – Authors Calculation based on 2012 WASSCE Results from WAEC ^: Defined as 4 and above passes including Language Arts and/or Mathematics - Author’s  Calculation  based  on  2012  BECE  Results  from WAEC

Health Data

Malaria, respiratory and diarrhoeal diseases together have accounted for 75 per cent of under-five mortality, while malnutrition caused 57 per cent of child deaths. These diseases are linked with unsafe drinking water, and poor sanitation, hygiene and nutrition. HIV/AIDS can cause loss of human capital, reduce labour productivity, and increase poverty. The challenge is to maintain or reduce the current relatively low prevalence rate of 1.5%.

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Education

Appropriate education creates enabling conditions for economic growth and prosperity, with strong beneficial impacts on health, nutrition and socio-economic development. An educated labour force will meet employment demands in agriculture, mining, manufacturing, value addition, and the private and public sectors, and reduce dependence on foreign experts. In the next five years, Government will invest in and reform the educational system, especially basic education, to ensure quality learning and adequate human resource development.

Water and Sanitation

Safe, reliable, affordable and accessible drinking water and sanitation are essential to good health and development. Safe water reduces or eliminates water-borne diseases (such as diarrhoea, cholera). Poor sanitation exposes people to disease, lack of privacy and indignity. Poor water and sanitation together result in a large disease burden, and huge costs on individuals and the nation. Along with poor hygiene, they negatively affect school attendance and performance, and especially endanger women and girls. Toilet facilities and clean water are lacking in many schools, which is a setback to national development. Poor solid waste management and inadequate drainage contribute to continued prevalence of water-borne diseases and malaria, even when there is access to clean water and sanitation. Over the next five years, Government will develop infrastructure to use Sierra Leone’s   abundant   water   resources   to   provide   access   to   safe   water   and   improve   sanitation   facilities   across the country. It will also invest in improved solid waste management and drainage.

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